Rick Reilly to ESPN. Dan Patrick to Sports Illustrated. Does it even matter? I checked my local paper online today, and on the front page there was an article about these two. I don't understand.
Yes, Reilly is an 11-time National Sportswriter of the Year. Yes, Patrick was one of the most recognizable faces on ESPN during its "glory years." But do either warrant this type of coverage?
I know that these two are two of the bigger names in the sports reporting field, but Reilly's columns have never been that impressive to me. He does write some nice feel good stories, and he was interesting when interviewed on DP's radio show, but I think he is living off of his name at this point.
And Patrick? To my knowledge the only "writing" he has ever done was either script for SportsCenter, or the back page article in ESPN the Magazine, which were Q & A's with athletes that had no substance whatsoever.
We'll see how this works out, but I'm not putting too much stock into it. The only recognizable change in my opinion will be the switch of the back page articles in both magazines, which are losing importance in this online world. SI has not been significant for several years, and ESPN is fighting for its significance in the print world.
