A Problem with Pitch Talks
Pitch Talks announced its line up for the next show today.
Many people have addressed the issues of diversity in the voices at these things. Women and POC are often under represented- but that, of course, is a problem that all sports media has. And I agree with a lot of the things brought up, but I also understand that scheduling and availability are all things that come into it. I have a different issue this go round.
Here is the lineup for the April 7th show:
Dan Shulman(ESPN)
Buck Martinez (Sportsnet)
Gord Ash (Former Jays GM)
Shi Davidi(Sportsnet)
Arden Zwelling (Sportsnet)
Ben Nicholson-Smith (Sportsnet)
Carly Agro (Sportsnet)
Mark Shapiro
Stephen Brunt (Fan590)
Mark Shapiro
Stephen Brunt (Fan590)
Can you spot a trend?
That's a hell of a lot of Rogers. Especially since Dan Shulman is going to be calling some Jays games this year for Sportsnet (side note- yay!)
The cheese stands alone. (The cheese, in this case, is Gord Ash.)
These people already have podcasts, TV broadcasts, radio broadcasts, a website and a magazine that offer their POV. I thought Pitch Talks was created to diversify the voices talking about baseball in Toronto and to offer an alternative to what Sportsnet and Fan 590 were doing. But it's just becoming another avenue for the same voices.
And it's not just that they have people in mainstream media speaking. They all work for the same company. And many of them are repeat guests many times over.
I like these people. I've met everyone on this list except Gord Ash and Carly Agro. I admire their work and found them pleasant and amiable to talk to. I don't mind hearing them speak. I don't have a problem with them. Dan Shulman's voice saying the words "Hum and Chuck" was pretty damn cool.
That's a hell of a lot of Rogers. Especially since Dan Shulman is going to be calling some Jays games this year for Sportsnet (side note- yay!)
The cheese stands alone. (The cheese, in this case, is Gord Ash.)
These people already have podcasts, TV broadcasts, radio broadcasts, a website and a magazine that offer their POV. I thought Pitch Talks was created to diversify the voices talking about baseball in Toronto and to offer an alternative to what Sportsnet and Fan 590 were doing. But it's just becoming another avenue for the same voices.
And it's not just that they have people in mainstream media speaking. They all work for the same company. And many of them are repeat guests many times over.
I like these people. I've met everyone on this list except Gord Ash and Carly Agro. I admire their work and found them pleasant and amiable to talk to. I don't mind hearing them speak. I don't have a problem with them. Dan Shulman's voice saying the words "Hum and Chuck" was pretty damn cool.
There is also charm and value in letting smaller, more independent voices have a forum. There is a healthy, independent blogging community that surrounds the Blue Jays. Drunk Jays Fans, for instance, added irreverence to baseball discussion and people responded to it because it was something that wasn't being offered in the regular talk surrounding baseball in this city. Stoeten has carried that through his own eponymous site and it's certainly at play on Birds All Day. Early Pitch Talks had a similar feeling.
I get everyone wants to make money and having big shows is one really great way to do that. I appreciate that getting the President of the Toronto Blue Jays is a big get.
And I also understand that I probably won't ever be asked to speak again- I'm not famous enough and my blog doesn't get enough hits. The event has changed in the year and a half since I did it. Events and projects evolve. It's just how it is.
Looking at this particular show, I would argue that Shapiro is the big draw for this event- the event is going to sell tickets just so people can see him. So it's an opportunity to get more creative with the rest of the program. You already have bums in seats. Get interesting with it.
I really just question the point of having the same handful of rotating voices that are already heard on multiple platforms that are run by the company that owns the team.
Don't become white noise. We already have a State of the Franchise.
ETA Dave Cameron from Fangraphs and Kristina Rutherford from Sportsnet are also appearing. (That information wasn't on the website when I posted this.)
My point still stands.