Sports Illustrated on the Blog Box
October 9th, 2007 by murph
Man was it crowded at the Coliseum on Saturday. 16,234 fans, 11 bloggers, the regular press, and then extra writers on hand to write about just the Blog Boxers. The Islanders got exactly what they wanted from the Blog Box “experiment” - lots of online and traditional press coverage about the team and hockey. One of those extra writers covering the Blog Box was Richard Deitsch from Sports Illustrated, his article about Saturday night is now posted online. Here are some excerpts:
The first night of Botta’s grand experiment consisted of 11 bloggers, two reporters covering the bloggers, and a pair of professors from East Stroudsburg University who are observing and interviewing the bloggers as part of a year-long study. “What the Islanders have done is officialize what a blogger is,” said B.D. Gallof, the author of The Bouncing Puck: Ravings of an Islander’s Blogger. “They put a name to it. The other teams have not. They have been wishy-washy. Sometimes bloggers get access. Sometimes they don’t. That’s where we are really pioneers. The officialization of what’s going on between the Internet and fans.
Most of the bloggers average 40 to 100 hits per day, but you can bet those numbers will go up during the season. The Islanders received more than 200 applications for a spot in the blog box — including 120 in the first three days — after they posted the announcement on their website. The team asked for writing samples and had applicants answer a series of questions. Botta said they were looking for quality writers with a passion for the team.
“This was my way to express my enthusiasm for a team that I felt has not been getting enough coverage,” Dick said. “What fans in the NHL can say we got to cover our home team? I’m not going to say we are media. But we are almost media.” Gallof, a graphic designer, is one of the better-known hockey bloggers. He has written extensively on Hockey Buzz.com. and was impressive in taking the lead during the inquisition of Campoli.
Never too modest to toot our own horn here, we averaged about 100 hits/day in the middle of the summer when we were updating 1x a week (if that often). Our stats have shot up to about 300+ visits/day since the start of the season. Toot-toot!
“I felt somewhere between a fan and media,” said Ken Rosenblatt, a 34-year-old writer/editor who is the proprietor of the Islanders Outsider blog. “It was like we were special guests in some way. It wasn’t just like being a fan.”
Indeed, the group was a hybrid of ardent supporter and civic journalist. Many of the bloggers had writing backgrounds, but most had never been in a pro locker room. Certainly, they dressed differently from members of the press. Four of the bloggers wore Islanders jerseys, Karl proudly carried an orange purse with the team’s logo on it, and all were encouraged to cheer or shout if they wanted. Botta said the Blog Box will be open for every home game this season and that he expects it will be at capacity on some nights while other games will draw just a handful.
The Islanders insist they won’t censor the bloggers. “The only censorship is nothing profane,” Botta said. “If they want to go off on a trade or a signing we make, they will. Thankfully, the team is owned by a person [Charles Wang] and run by a general manager [Garth Snow] enlightened enough to understand this is a good thing. Hockey and the Islanders need people talking and writing about it.”
F&#K!
“It was pretty much what we expected,” said Botta, who offers an insider’s view (albeit through dark blue, orange and white-colored glasses) on his NYI Point Blank blog. “These are good people. We didn’t do background checks, but we’re fairly confident none of them have records. You could tell some were very comfortable coming downstairs after the game, some were a bit nervous. I found a lot of joy in seeing how much some of them really appreciated being part of it.”
The Blog Box members acquitted themselves well on Saturday. They were smart and impassioned. A couple of plucky souls asked pointed questions of Campoli, including whether he was worried about losing ice time to Bryan Berard, a free-agent defenseman who is expected to be signed after a training camp invite/try-out. The recaps the following day were an interesting mix of fandom and reportage. “I thought their questions were good,” Campoli said. “Very educated. It was just like another interview from a professional writer.”
In all seriousness, it sounds like the Blog Boxers came prepared, made the most out of their special access, and managed not to embarrass themselves or the Islanders organization. Despite all the front office shenanigans and blogosphere jokes the team, the Islanders marketing and promotions team continues to innovate. Like the Ice Girls, perhaps in a few years we will see Blog Boxes in many of the NHL arenas and these lucky 11 fans/bloggers can say they were the first.
