What's wrong with the Athletic?

[Downtownfan]

Yet again... in this email from the Athletic do you notice anything?

Thursday, February 15, 2018

Kaitlyn McGrath writes: Dear Maple Leafs, Raptors, Blue Jays and TFC, We need to talk.

Which prompted me to reply:

Actually, you should be (yet again) apologizing to the Argonauts and their fans (who are subscribers, such as myself) for leaving them out/ignoring them yet again. Is this on purpose? This is the kind of things that makes me reconsider my subscription. Wow, how ignorant. For a “sports journalist” to ignore the Argos (recently purchased by MLSE, in case you didn’t realize this) is really so sad.

We will see if I get some sort of response. Give that the Argos season ticket holders were given subscriptions to the Athletic, you would think that the Argos would not be so blatantly ignored. Pathetic.

[ArgoGabe22]

Not the end of the world.

[R.J]

Nothing CFL related from the Athletic in quite some time. Admittedly, once my subscription runs out, I don't plan on renewing.

[Will]

Nothing CFL related from the Athletic in quite some time. Admittedly, once my subscription runs out, I don't plan on renewing.

Probably the same with me--they do write interesting stuff, but most of the time I simply forget I have the subscription.

[smokeslet'sgo]

I might get flak for this, but this is a free market society. If they don't want to cover us, it's their right not to. It's also our right not to purchase or subscribe to their magazine.

[Rich]

No wonder so many in the media see Argo fans as a bunch of crybabies. Leafs and Raptors are in full swing. TFC and Jays are on the verge of starting up. The article is about the Olympics taking away attention from Toronto sports at this moment in time. It is the middle of the off-season for the Argonauts.

[KCargosfan]

Big fan of The Athletic, but I certainly don't use it for CFL news.

They've gotten some big-time talent the past few years. And frankly, they have to succeed, otherwise journalism is dead in about 15 years as giving away your product for free doesn't work.

[AngeloV]

Big fan of The Athletic, but I certainly don't use it for CFL news.

They've gotten some big-time talent the past few years. And frankly, they have to succeed, otherwise journalism is dead in about 15 years as giving away your product for free doesn't work.

KC, I can't believe that you are supporting journalists over useless bloggers. LOL!!

Speaking of which, 3DN blocked me on twitter. Drew Edwards must have some really thin skin below that ridiculous looking beard of his.

[R.J]

KC, I can't believe that you are supporting journalists over useless bloggers. LOL!!

Speaking of which, 3DN blocked me on twitter. Drew Edwards must have some really thin skin below that ridiculous looking beard of his.

3DownNation is the worst, they make something out of nothing on a weekly basis, also a lot of click bait going on over there. I wouldn't put journalists on a pedestal though.

[AngeloV]

3DownNation is the worst, they make something out of nothing on a weekly basis, also a lot of click bait going on over there. I wouldn't put journalists on a pedestal though.

They will one day have a feature story on who Duron Carter had a coffee with because he will have tweeted a picture about it. I have never seen more articles based on tweets in my life.

[ArgoGabe22]

They will one day have a feature story on who Duron Carter had a coffee with because he will have tweeted a picture about it. I have never seen more articles based on tweets in my life.

Surprised they didn't write an article about you being blocked yet. "Angry Angelo bashes the bloggers and beards of 3DN"

[Scooter McCray]

I don't currently buy the athletic. Did they have any coverage of free agency this week? I'm sure they cover free agency and drafts in the other sports. If they wont cover the CFL or the Argos I won't buy the service.

[ArgoRavi]

I don't currently buy the athletic. Did they have any coverage of free agency this week? I'm sure they cover free agency and drafts in the other sports. If they wont cover the CFL or the Argos I won't buy the service.

They did not have any coverage of free agency this week. They did, however, have a good article on Leo Cahill.

[gilthethrill]

Surprised they didn't write an article about you being blocked yet. "Angry Angelo bashes the bloggers and beards of 3DN"

AV is perhaps the most misunderstood person in the history of social media. Perhaps.

[argolio]

AV is perhaps the most misunderstood person in the history of social media. Perhaps.

Careful with that praise or his head might explode!

[AngeloV]

Surprised they didn't write an article about you being blocked yet. "Angry Angelo bashes the bloggers and beards of 3DN"

LOL. Would be more relevant than 90% of the crap Josh (the wrestling mark) Smith writes.

[mchesher03]

Absolutely agree that it's a free market, however my argos ssh subscription will be the end of my run with the athletic. I would have purchased for more argos news (as I also enjoy their ncaa coverage), however theres simply not enough argho coverage to justify the fee in my opinion.

[Jon Gonzo]

3DN is a blogg with contributing writers who (usually have other jobs) and most often have more information than you and I. They have more sources than you and I. They have more contacts. They have been breaking news in the CFL and have been getting better and better at it all the time. Give credit where credit is due. Lately they have been pretty good. Personally, I welcome bloggers and all the information I can gather and I am a big enough boy to weigh it myself without getting vitriolic or personal about it. I find it ridiculous, jaundiced and petty when fans take to social media to lambaste other fans when they follow them and actually value the resource. To take it a step further, I find it repugnant when someone takes it to another level (behind a keyboard) to make it personal.

That is chicken-S#it.

I challenge those who have a problem with these little services to actually stop following them.

Be bigger. I have been embarrassed to be an Argo fan, on this topic, because of this at times.

[ArgoGabe22]

3DN is a blogg with contributing writers who (usually have other jobs) and most often have more information than you and I. They have more sources than you and I. They have more contacts. They have been breaking news in the CFL and have been getting better and better at it all the time. Give credit where credit is due. Lately they have been pretty good. Personally, I welcome bloggers and all the information I can gather and I am a big enough boy to weigh it myself without getting vitriolic or personal about it. I find it ridiculous, jaundiced and petty when fans take to social media to lambaste other fans when they follow them and actually value the resource. To take it a step further, I find it repugnant when someone takes it to another level (behind a keyboard) to make it personal.

That is chicken-S#it.

I challenge those who have a problem with these little services to actually stop following them.

Be bigger. I have been embarrassed to be an Argo fan, on this topic, because of this at times.

Dunk and Edwards are the ones who bring in credibility. And Dunk has been doing it for years before joining. They do sometimes have contributors like Darrell Davis and others - mostly from the Western media - but not sure how often.

I'm sorry but the other bloggers don't add much value (like CFL players as superheros) and the constant fishing for stories from players' tweets is a bit over the top IMO. Last story I saw was like here are 6 possible landing spots for Henoc Muamba. Anyone could've said that, and there was no insider info on who the favourites are. I'll give credit to the likes of Dunk, who I do read and follow for his breaking stories but I do pay little attention to everything else. Problem I have is that 3DN has so much potential to be so much more but it doesn't quite get there with the content they choose to publish.

[Jon Gonzo]

They aren't in it for the money Gabe. I am sure they'd like to grow and be better. I'd like these attempts to succeed as the CFL would only benefit from it. I certainly have no issues with those who don't find it beneficial, and say so. I am talking about flat out disrespect that I find distasteful. These are very often only just family men, who love the CFL, and are outsourcing their combined efforts to share on share-based platforms. Honestly, some people will find fault with any effort. The CFL is a small community and I know that the uncalled for garbage is a topic of conversation. I have been part of that conversation with some media types asking me 'what is wrong' with a couple of these keyboard warriors. Indeed they recycle and use social media embeds, but it takes time resource a blog on-top of your job hours, as a family man. Of course opinions are part of it; but there's a line, and I will only encourage them personally. It's better for the community as a whole tbh.