Former MLBer Derek Jeter on Thursday appeared on NBC's "The Tonight Show" to discuss his new
Players' Tribune website, saying he wants athletes to "be able to share their own stories really from a first-person perspective." Jeter: "This is not trying to eliminate the sportswriters. I mean, the sportswriters are what makes sports great and fun to watch and people's different opinions. But this just another avenue for the athletes to use, to express themselves. In this day and age, I think athletes really like to share with the people everything about them. I personally have not done that. So I personally will not do that. This is not about me. This is about an avenue for the players" (
"The Tonight Show," NBC, 10/2). In Boston, Chad Finn writes Jeter's "desire to cut out the middleman -- the mainstream media -- is understandable." The majority of athletes "dream of ditching that obligation, and many hardly can or care to discern between the intent and quality of the various outlets." But purporting that this site will "tell the athletes’ real story is ridiculous." It will "tell their stories as they and their handlers want them told." It is "about controlling the message," and it will "provide less insight, not more." However, it is "clear it’s not a lark, which is a good place to start." Established media pros "are on board, including Gary Hoenig, a founding editor of ESPN The Magazine." Jeter "certainly has the high-level connection, and other prominent athletes will be more than willing to be associated with his brand." Readers are "sophisticated, and have more options than ever," and to "build and maintain an audience, there must be genuine candor." That has "never been the founding editor’s strong suit" (
BOSTON GLOBE, 10/3).
ATHLETES GET A NEW PLATFORM: Seahawks QB Russell Wilson on Thursday made the first contribution to The Players' Tribune in a first-person account that dives into bullying and domestic violence in the NFL. ROLLING STONE's James Montgomery wrote while Wilson's piece "isn't exactly a scathing hot take ... it does make him one of the most prominent players to speak about the issue of domestic violence." Wilson called on fellow NFLers "to join him in the discussion" and asked fans to "contribute to his Why Not You foundation, which benefits the National Domestic Violence Hotline" (ROLLINGSTONE.com, 10/2). In Tacoma, Gregg Bell noted players -- "prominent ones, across all sports -- are seeking avenues now beyond social media for direct interaction with fans," including blogs started by Seahawks CB Richard Sherman and S Earl Thomas. Bell: "We will see what this means for the media and how athletes interact with it going forward" (THENEWSTRIBUNE.com, 10/2).
