JR 240 Assignment

For my sports reporting class this semester, my first assignment is to pick out a sports article and write a review about why it does or doesn't interest me, as well as assessing whether or not it’s “good journalism.”

The article I've selected for this piece is Bill Simmons’ Draft diary from June 29, 2012.  This article was his sixteenth annual “diary” of the previous night’s NBA Draft, and it can be read by following this link.  Past draft diaries has included fabulous guest appearances by family members, friends, and pets alike, and this one proved to be no exception as the familiar personalities of “House” and “Jacoby.”  I've read all sixteen diaries, although I had to dig deep to find some of the earliest ones.

Bill Simmons is pretty much my idol when it comes to writing style.  Sports junkies like myself could talk shop with him all day, but so could people in the entertainment industry or even people who just enjoy a good, sarcastic laugh every once in a while.  Bill Simmons is everything high school English tells you writing is not:  free-form, FUN, and personal.   He goes off on long tangents and has a unique affinity for footnotes, yet somehow never seems to lose my interest as a reader.  I think he could write a cookbook and it’d be a speed-read masterpiece, regardless of Simmons’ cooking prowess.  Simply put, I’m interested in the NBA and the Draft, but Bill Simmons is the real draw for me here interest-wise.

This piece is not at all what has come to be called “good journalism.”  The only structure is the chronological times with each comment or thought Simmons shares, the article is complete anarchy otherwise.  There is minimal reporting, yet anyone could learn something from one of Simmons’ pieces.  There’s a reason he’s developed a pseudo-cult following-any YouTube links he includes in a story get flooded with hundreds of all caps SIMMONS!!! comments.   It may be terrible journalism, but it’s great writing, great entertainment, and a great look into the lives of Simmons and his buddies for one night a year that they hold sacred. 

I shouldn't care what Bill Simmons and his buddies are doing on the night of the NBA Draft.  Yet I find myself looking forward to reading his draft diary the next morning more than the actual draft itself.  For a wannabe sports columnist like me, watching the NBA Draft and then comparing notes with an idol of mine is a special experience.   And anything that could make me feel excited about reading another man’s “diary” is worthwhile in my mind.