Bleacher Report Really Does Suck

Oh. My. Goodness.

What. The. Fuckshit.

Perhaps by admitting that I really didn't know too much about Bleacher Report, I will reveal myself to be nothing more than a man behind a curtain, rather than the Great and Powerful Aztecskin that you know me as. Whatever.

Well, to be honest, I wasn't completely unaware of it. I had even read one or two. Like this one, for obvious reasons. I suppose it is better if I just contrast what I thought it was with what it really is (shitty). Here we go:



Blogger. Wordpress. I use these things. They are probably the most well-known blogging platforms on the internets (all of them). I suppose the problem with these hosts/platforms was also the cool thing about them: any fuckhead could use one. That has been the larger problem/cool thing about web 2.0, and the internet in general. Hell, if you wanted to get really historical, you can say that was the problem with giving people access to the printing press.

above: too much freedom

Anyway, what I am saying is that although there are some really good blogs out there, there are some really shitty ones, too. The method for filtering out those shitty blogs was one we as humans have relied on forever: the most popular amongst people we respect. That is all well and good and whatever.

People -- being lazy as is their wont -- started to use aggregators. Doofy business guys*, trying to make a buck, started gobbling up blogs, sites, aggregators, and anything that they could generate traffic from to sell advertising. People were happy with this.

*I call 'em doofy because I don't like them. It is a smart strategy if you want to compete with google and facebook for traffic. What do I mean 'if you want to'? Lol. I should say, 'It's the only way to compete'. 

So all these content farms need people to crank out material. To save money they turn to people who will do this shit for free or for damn near it.  That is what Bleacher Report is. Non-paying content farm.  I know they have editors and stuff, but that is mostly to fix typos and cuss words. Look at this featured NBA article on Sept 15, 2010. Compare that to, say, any of the True Hoop Network guys.

Not even close. For one, that Handarii guy didn't even make a point. The premise of his 'article' is questioning whether or not KG and TD are still elite. Fine. I'd expect something along the lines of maybe outlining what we think 'elite' is or perhaps a comparison of the top 15 players in the NBA in relation to Garnett and Duncan. No? Hurm, well then, maybe not shitty meandering recaps of their respective careers. Oh. I see. You crappily recapped their careers. Sucks.

I would not have even come across this crap if it weren't tweeted by this guy, whom I instantly lost respect for in great measures. Especially since he tweeted like nine articles in a row.

I have a low tolerance for lame links already. I mean, I am trusting you to recommend me something at least mildly entertaining and/or interesting and you give me this? Really? Fuck you too.

Where was I? Oh yes. I still haven't gotten to what I thought it was. I was thinking that it was like a blog network. Something like Bloguin, or Uproxx. Instead it is just crappy articles. Now I understand this a lot more. And I can laugh even harder.

Quickly-  a disclaimer of sorts:

I understand that liking something is inherently subjective, and that even other things like humor, wit, and agendas are all things not one-size-fits-all. I even understand that my blog(s) are not winning any Pulizters any time soon. The difference between me and 'Sportswriter' [insert bleacher report correspondent] is that I don't go around calling myself a 'sportswriter.' Talk about insulting a profession. BR even touts this as a perk. You are getting exposure! That is why you don't get paid for your list of things you heard the local sports radio guy say!

It really boils down to this: the average blogger seeks an outlet. The average BR guy wants to pretend to be sportswriter without having the talent, knowledge, drive, spelling ability, or outlet. Also, they suck.

UPDATE:

After revisiting the topic in the comments I decided to follow the google search that led good-hearted Anon to this realm:

'Is Bleacher Report a content farm'

My favorite result is MGoBlog (highly recommended if you like UM or college football in general) :

Do Not Pay Attention to Bleacher Report

There is also this scary post about how crap content succeeds.

Good stuff, both.