I've been reading everywhere about how the established media has been disrespecting bloggers recently and how bloggers have shot back.  Two men whom I really respect, Bob Costas and Sam Smith both came out against bloggers the other day to a firestorm of reaction from the blogging community.

While Smith makes some valid points, Costas acts like he's the smartest human on the planet and everyone else is an idiot.  Part of evolution is embracing things and apparently Bob believes that people that take the time to discuss sports or sports fans in general are a bunch of geeks who live with their Mamas and  who couldn't get laid in a cat house.  This  is insulting not just to bloggers, but to sports fans in general.

Let me give you a history lesson and you can decide for yourself.

Back at the dawn of the sports radio age, I was the program director of a radio station in Nashville.  Not only were we new, but our signal was horrible and we didn't have much of a ratings impact.  When we first approached the Tennessee Oilers (predecessor to the Titans the year they played at the Liberty Bowl) we were literally laughed at and received one credential after literally begging for it.  We covered all the games, sat in the back row by the hot dog machine and were happy for the privilege.

The next year, the media director changed and he told us that if we earned them, we could have the three credentials that we requested.  Our three man staff busted our asses, were at the entire training camp, almost every practice and every game and earned the credentials we wanted.

Meanwhile, across town, the Nashville Predators of the NHL welcomed us with open arms.  We covered every game (I know, the first year I only missed one.)  Eventually though, the Preds banned the next emerging media which was web sites because so many were sprouting up they just couldn't keep up with the requests.  We in sports radio found that to be reasonable as it kept us at the games.

When we signed WSSP on in Milwaukee, we had to outline very specifically to the Green Bay Packers on what our proposed coverage plans would be.  Fortunately, I had a guy on staff that we stole from one of our FMs who had a long history of covering Packer games.  He ran interference for us and got us in.

Here's the point: It's real easy for me to write this blog everyday.  I'm the only writer.  I'm my own editor.  It's my opinion without restrictions. The newspaper guys and the radio guys are accountable to someone.  An editor.  A P.D.  They have to have sources. 

When I was a P.D, I wouldn't let anything on the air unless I had it confirmed.  Sometimes, we got beat on a story, but I was more concerned about not looking like a jackass and getting it right.  That bites you.  I felt then and still do now that being right is more important than being first, especially since being first isn't always being right.

Bloggers don't have to worry about that.  They can just tee up whatever they want.  I'm not saying that the big blogs don't have sources or don't break news, but in the newspaper, TV and radio world, checking sources is a required part of daily life, mostly to protect your integrity and keep you out of legal trouble.  Again, blogs don't necessarily have to face this truth.

Finally, the other reason the writers dislike bloggers is because anyone with access to the Internet and a blog site can do this.  Don't get me wrong, there are a lot of blogs better than others and some blog writers are more skilled than others.  But newspaper writers take exception to someone writing essentially a column everyday when they worked their way up from reporter and have both training and an education.  I feel the same way about writers and athletes who have infiltrated the radio business.  I've been on the air for close to thirty years, yet in sports talk, writers like Screamin' A. Smith or Mike Mulligan and jocks are much more valued than trained announcers like me.  It bothers me.

The best thing for the bloggers to do right now is turn the other cheek.  We did it in 1997 when we were told we had no business being at an NFL game and then went out and earned the respect of the NFL.  That's evolution!