Why the NYT is Covering More College Football

[Rickster]

http://www.nyobserver.com/pages/frontpage8.asp

Not soccer related per se, but an interesting analysis of what drives changes in coverage. Also, it should be noted that one of the Times reporters quoted, Jere Longman, has done a lot of soccer reporting over the years.

The relevant section is pretty far down the article, so keep reading.

[monster]

I think any of us who have worked at newspapers can recount similar stories. Sad that it rises to that level.

[Justin O]

Well, it's certainly not totally irrelevant to soccer.

Trapped in the family setting and watching many obscure bowl games on TV I've thought a bit about how attendance for these games doesn't mean a damn thing as far as their coverage is concerned. Whether 10,000 people or 50,000 people show up for the Viagra Toilet Bowl it's probably had a decent amount of air time and print alloted to it simply because it's a college bowl game. It's certainly part of the industry routine and is covered almost as a reflex action. To me it shows that the "standard of American public interest" (ie attendance and TV ratings) is a standard that is rather inconsistantly applied.