On Factory Sportswriting and the Jimmy Graham Hail Mary Penalty
 

Sportswriters, even those who have long written about the sports culture of a specific city, rarely seem to know much about the people for whom they do the writing. It’s not always their fault; it’s hard to engage at depth the kind of kids-at-recess discourse that probably fills inboxes on tough Monday mornings. But that’s maybe the root problem with sportswriting: Endless shallow-water splashfights are pretty easy and comparatively lucrative, but they’re not good writing.

Factory sportswriting — seems like a pretty good term for the dominant form of the genre — skims the surface of a fan base’s reaction to something like the offensive pass interference call against Jimmy Graham at the end of regulation during the Saints’ overtime loss to San Francisco. Factory sportswriting responds to upset fans with stock phrases and dismissive condescension. Factory sportswriting uses the myth of neutrality as a platform from which to speak down. Factory sportswriting says fans are biased fools who will always start fights over the refs when their team loses, and so let us find reasons to show them why they are wrong.

An alternative might be an effort to delve into the emotion, rather than dismiss it. A reflective, rather than reflexive, writing action might be to search for meaning in the absurdity of sports, even if that meaning is inevitably biased by emotion.

On Factory Sportswriting and the Jimmy Graham Hail Mary Penalty | B&G

Re: On Factory Sportswriting and the Jimmy Graham Hail Mary Penalty
 

If this is in San Fran and 49er does that the game is over, we lose, and there is no call. Absolutely no call. Biggest bunch of BS ever. It was a push off, but the kind of push off that everyone gets away with

Re: On Factory Sportswriting and the Jimmy Graham Hail Mary Penalty
 

I fixed it for ya!

Re: On Factory Sportswriting and the Jimmy Graham Hail Mary Penalty
 

Appreciate that!

Re: On Factory Sportswriting and the Jimmy Graham Hail Mary Penalty
 

I was three rows up right above the play in the endzone

Jimmy pushed off, no question and it should have been a flag
what sucks is he probably didn't need to

worse yet
if they are going to call that play
there were at least 5 early arrival or holding receiver PI's on the Niners during the game that killed drives especially late third, fourth and OT

If they are going to call it close, be consistent

Re: On Factory Sportswriting and the Jimmy Graham Hail Mary Penalty
 

It Was A Crap Call!!!:argue:

Re: On Factory Sportswriting and the Jimmy Graham Hail Mary Penalty
 

The defender looked like he sold it by flopping. I didn't buy it. Even the commentators said he sold it and flopped. It was bs. To me it looked like Graham put his hand on him. That's it. The defender did the rest.