Bruce McCurdy of “The Cult of Hockey” examined Hockey Prospectus’ list of top articles (part 1 and part 2) and found that the majority of the writers are part of the Oilogosphere.
blogs
Smart Mobs and Collective Intelligence
In the book Smart Mobs: The Next Social Revolution, Howard Rheingold describes Smart Mobs as a group that behaves intelligently or efficiently because of its exponentially increasing network links. This network enables people to connect to information and others, allowing a form of social coordination (Wikipedia).
Collective intelligence, according to Pierre Levy, is a shared or group intelligence that emerges from the collaboration and competition of many individuals and appears in consensus decision making in bacteria, animals, humans and computer networks.
So can sports fans be considered a smart mob?
Their networks have generated collective intelligence using blogs and other web tools. It’s easy to get online and join in on the conversations about sports and hockey. The community itself is large and encompasses not only fans, but mainstream media individuals, teams and the league itself.
The amount of information speaks for itself with blog sites becoming sources of knowledge and analysis. Fans are continuously helping other fans with questions and debates about various topics take place regularly.
Levy, P. (1994). Collective Intelligence: Mankind’s Emerging World in Cyberspace. Paris.
Rheingold, H. (2002). Smart Mobs: The Next Social Revolution. Basic Books.
How blogging is like pond hockey
Ken Dryden talks extensively about the evolution of hockey in his book “The Game”. He stresses the importance of allowing young players to be creative without the rigid structure of organized hockey. He uses Montreal Canadiens legend Guy Lafleur as an example of a player who would spend time alone on the ice or with a few friends before and after practice to feel and develop his own game. Dryden talks about how skill and instincts are developed better when there’s less restrictions. The mind is able to wander more and think of new ways of playing the game.
Kids across different sports are placed under strict limitations by coaches. They’re expected to follow a team system or game plan and find a role to stick with for the greater good of the team. Rosters can’t have twelve Gretzky’s playing forward, so naturally, some players got be more offensive while others were put into supporting roles.
When the ice is open and there are less limits, like in pond hockey, a player has the ability to be creative. They can try different things without any repercussions. You get the chance to feel the game and be more imaginative.
I find this similar to blogging. When individuals can just write, without any worry of losing anything, some interesting stuff can come out. And if it doesn’t, big deal. It sticks around the web until someone can come along and maybe pick up from where it left off. Like pond hockey, there are some loose rules, but for the most part, you’re free to do whatever you want.
Being able to write is the same feeling you get when you’re playing on a frozen pond. The possibilities just seem endless when you can skate whichever direction, at any speed and include any movement. It’s a great feeling when the sunset is the final buzzer.
Dryden, K. (1983). The Game. Toronto: John Wiley & Sons.
The battle goes on…and on: Bloggers and MSM
Great story about bloggers came out recently. Tyler Dellow of mc79hockey.com did some excellent research into some old emails between NHL Senior VP and Director of Hockey Operations, Colin Campbell and NHL Director of Officiating Stephen Walkom. These emails became public because of a wrongful dismissal case involving former NHL referee Dean Warren and the league. Within the emails, Dellow was able to uncover some of Campbell’s attitudes towards specific players, as well as his concern with calls made against his son, who plays in the league.
Dellow’s article can be found here.
Here’s TSN’s take on Dellow’s findings.
Dellow’s interview on The Score: http://video.thescore.com/watch/glenn-schiiler-one-on-one-with-tyler-dellow
Needless to say, Dellow got a tonne of attention for the great work he did. Whether or not you care about the findings of his research, the fact is he took the time without any monetary motivation and on his own time, to decipher through documents. He raised some really interesting questions about the league and how it handles its referees. All of this is public information. He just took the time to work with it.
Aside from questioning whether or not Campbell should keep his job, a lot is being discussed about the relationship between bloggers and MSM. Talk of how one is better than the other or how bloggers will take over the jobs of MSM, to me, is a big stretch. Questions have been raised about why it took a blogger to dig out this stuff and what role sports journalists have.
Bloggers vs MSM
Some interesting discussion (Wyshynski, Mendes) about the whole mainstream media (MSM) versus bloggers topic lately. MSM would include the big networks such as TSN, Sportsnet, ESPN, etc. Bloggers would include those not employed by these networks and do not have the support of a corporation (check out the blogroll). We’ve seen recently some MSM types get into the blogging world and vice versa. But for the most part, an individual is perceived to be in one camp or the other.
MSM relies on the traditional model of information development. Information is created, distributed and then consumed by the customer. With internet technology and the development of social media, we’ve seen a major shift in this information development. Bloggers have emerged as they not only consume this information but then they use it to create their own content.
More recently however, these bloggers have taken it one step further and begun developing their own method of actually creating information. Instead of reading the boxcar stats for a game in the paper the next day, they’ll watch a game and analyze it themselves to determine their own stats. They can then aggregate this information, share it with an online community, and then have discussions to build on it even more.
A tension has developed between the two sides. Bloggers can be pretty critical of the MSM’s work and demand more from the regular reports available. Bloggers, on the other hand, tend to be viewed as those living in the confines of their parents basement without a real understanding of the game. Both have their strengths and weaknesses in terms of content and tend to feel separated from the other. There’s talk of how blogging could one day replace MSM to cover sports. But as long as professional sports remains the object of analysis, it’s hard to see this happening. It’s a powerful industry, includes large organizations and million dollar players. It’s a well oiled machine that has norms and practices in place, making it difficult to change. The information and data that comes from this can have major ramifications for individuals, organizations and the industry as a whole. How it works now, with official media covering the games, is what works best for the industry and their stakeholders.
Bloggers have grown in prominence and the quality of work is pretty remarkable. They are replacing MSM as the source of information and analysis for a lot of fans. But as long as professional sports is the topic, MSM will always have a role. There’s still value in their work but they have to recognize that blogging and getting into these online fan communities is going to be important for their success.
Oilers vs Oilogosphere!
Greg Wyshynski of the Puck Daddy blog broke a story regarding bloggers and their role covering NHL teams. According to Wyshynski, teams that do not grant any bloggers press credentials such as the New York Rangers and Edmonton Oilers, have requested that bloggers from other cities not be given access to their players. As it stands right now, a blogger covering the Washington Capitals does have access to the Oilers when they visit DC. Some interesting discussion happening online (Staples) about this including what the difference is between a journalist and a blogger.
Teams like the Oilers have the option and can choose what best suits their business goals. Unfortunately, shutting out all bloggers reduces the amount of information they can possibly use and share with their fans. Giving these bloggers access also gives a new perspective on the game and could potentially generate some new ideas. The blogs out there really represent the demand hockey fans have. For example, points and assist statistics are great, but fans want a lot more statistical analysis.
But is it best that they remain out of the mainstream press box and stay in their parents basement? If the Oilers were to grant them access, would it change the bloggers relationship with their own fans? What if a new set of bloggers emerges scrutinizing the now mainstream bloggers work?
If bloggers are granted press credentials at games, there might be some interesting ramifications. For one, their relationship with their own fan base would change. Becoming a part of the mainstream media panel could change the way their perceived. Instead of being that accessible individual, they may be seen as “one of them”. This could change how bloggers are received and if their work grants merit.
Also, their perceived motivations could drastically change. A blogger tends to function on intrinsic motivation. They do things for self-satisfcation, without the need for financial rewards. Becoming a part of the MSM segment might change the perceived motivation. The demand on them will be from external factors and may significantly increase. This in turn may discourage them or alter their blogging activity.
In my opinion, bloggers should be granted press credentials. Of course, not every single person with a website should be let in. A set of standards must be established and agreed upon by both sides. The Oilers can really benefit from having a new perspective on the game from people motivated by intrinsic factors. It remains to be seen what would happen in a market like Edmonton where hockey remains front page news even in the summer. Teams such as Washington do grant bloggers access, but Edmonton would be different just because of the Oilogosphere and their presence online.
The SuperFan 