Fantastic article.  I agree 100% with what’s being said here.

Bloggers, the freaking head of the PHWA is here saying he’d have no problem with you dudes joining, sans opposition from the local charter… helllll-oooooo!

That’s your road to mainstream acceptance right there.  Right.  There.

Well that, and maybe getting the word out to your bretheren to mayyyyyybe cut back on the f-bombs, verbal spitting in faces, and general digital armpit-scratching when they’re sitting in the box.  Just a suggestion.

Posted by HockeyinHD on 10/24/08 at 11:16 PM ET

mayyyyyybe cut back on the f-bombs

I continued to both be baffled and a little depressed by this notion that language, how one presents coverage, and what the mainstream considers “profane” should somehow define professionalism, rather than the quality of the content or the conduct of the individual.

Guess what? They say naughty words on basic cable now. Doesn’t mean “The Shield” can’t win an Emmy.

Posted by Greg Wyshynski from Washington, DC on 10/25/08 at 12:28 AM ET

Greg, you make a good point, but I will say that far too many of the popular blogs (Deadspin & PensBlog, for example) use it as a crutch; no post is complete without a requisite portion of profanity.  Usually, it makes for lazy writing, and masks a lack of insight.

And it’s not like I’m a prude; I enjoy all sorts of content as a consumer, but as a writer, seeking a broad public audience, I just don’t see the value in going down that road (of course my material tends to be more nerdy, so there you go).  Pro sports teams, likewise, are catering to a public audience, are beholden to major corporate sponsors, and are thus sensitive to what could be considered offensive material.  In that sense, I can easily see why certain bloggers would be considered anathema to a team’s PR department.

Posted by Forechecker from Nolensville, TN on 10/25/08 at 01:46 AM ET

Hey, I don’t mind swearing either… but if the goal is mainstream acceptance then it would seem to behoove Bloggers to take a few notes on what ‘Mainstream’ looks like.  Maybe that’s not something you guys will want to do once you start to see the ‘sacrifices’ it will require you to make in the style you may currently prefer.

If you guys would rather continue to drop words that would be filtered even on this site, then that’s a choice you’ll have to individually make.

And using the Shield as a point of reference isn’t exactly the strongest foundation upon which to build.  The show was routinely on the verge of cancellation, and seasons regularly posted Nielsen’s in the mid 1’s and 2’s, which isn’t exactly a number that screams ‘Mainstream acceptance’.

Finally, sorry… Forechecker’s dead on here.  People who routinely and constantly employ coarse language arent going to carry the perception of intelligence.  For better or worse, that’s just the way it is.  If someone expresses a point using significant profanity and employing a style which seems frenetic and emotional as opposed to someone else providing the same point and supporting information in a more calm, reasonable and ‘professional’ manner… I’ll almost always assume the latter is more intellectually engaged in the subject than the former.  Don’t believe me?

F’n A, Forechecker is right the F on here.  S-word, anyone with an F’n clue knows that’s how things are.  If some Dumb-A talks S when they’re talking all crazy they look like a stupid A-hole compared to someone who knows what the H they’re talking about without having to act like a loudmouthed c-sucker.

Posted by HockeyinHD on 10/25/08 at 09:31 AM ET

“F’n A, Forechecker is right the F on here.  S-word, anyone with an F’n clue knows that’s how things are.  If some Dumb-A talks S when they’re talking all crazy they look like a stupid A-hole compared to someone who knows what the H they’re talking about without having to act like a loudmouthed c-sucker. “

Ah yes: The “legalize gay marriage/therefore, man will marry Doberman” extreme hypothetical to win a debate point.

There’s a difference between Bill Hicks and Andrew Dice Clay. Besides breathing.

Posted by Greg Wyshynski from Washington, DC on 10/26/08 at 12:35 PM ET