Shotgun Spratling

A System Everyone Hates

2009-12-11T22:45:54Z

Sunday night, college football's Bowl Championship Series released their final rankings naming the top two teams as the participants for the national championship game.

The game, to be held January 7 in Pasadena at the historic Rose Bowl stadium, will feature No. 1 Alabama and No. 2 Texas, but just like seemingly every other season, there is controversy surrounding the BCS and the participants in the championship game.
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The System

Using a formula that includes three components -- the USAToday/ESPN human poll, the Harris Interactive human poll (1/3 each) and six computer rankings (1/3 total), -- the BCS' formula averages the three components and ranks teams based on their averages.

The standings are then used to determine the Division I - Bowl Subdivision national championship game, any automatic qualifiers for teams outside the six power conferences of the ACC, Big East, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-10, and SEC (known as the "BCS" conferences because they each receive an automatic bid into one of the BCS bowl games).

But with a system that many believe rewards teams that play easy schedules or teams that are highly regarded before the season, even the matchup of two undefeated teams that have been ranked in the Top 5 all season has not appeased the complaints of fans.

"I think it needs to be changed," USC freshman Andrew Magne said. "I don't think it gives a chance to non-BCS conferences to get into the national championship game, so I don't like it at all"

This has been one of the biggest issues with the system. Other than Notre Dame, who can also earn an automatic bid despite being an independent, the last non-BCS team to win a national championship was Brigham Young in 1984.

"You're not really picking a national champion," said Jay Christensen, who runs the college football web site Wiz of Odds.com and has been a writer for the Los Angeles Times and SI.com. "You're picking a champion of the BCS. If you break it down, there's really, probably 15 schools that can win it each year.

The History

While the BCS system has only been around since 1998, its roots date back to 1992 when the Bowl Coalition was formed. Prior to 1992, because conferences had affiliations and contracts with specific bowls, the top two teams rarely ever met.

For example, in 1991, Miami and Washington were the top two teams in the nation, but because the Pac-10 champion (Washington) played the Big Ten champion in the Rose Bowl each year, there was no possibility of Washington playing Miami. Both teams won their bowl games handily creating a split national championship with Washington being No. 1 in the Coaches Poll and Miami being the Associated Press's top team.

There was an attempt to rectify this situation with the creation of the Bowl Coalition in 1992 and the subsequent Bowl Alliance in 1995. Five conferences and Notre Dame joined together with the idea that a team would be able to get out of their conference allegiance to a bowl if they were to play a "national championship game" between the top two teams. However, the Rose Bowl would not release the Big Ten and Pac-10 champions if needed to force a championship game.

The Bowl Coalition and Bowl Alliance also both neglected non-Bowl Coalition/non-Bowl Alliance conferences, so teams in conferences such as the Mountain West or Western Athletic, who each have undefeated teams ranked in the top five this season, would have had no chance regardless of their rank.

This led to the 1998 formation of the Bowl Championship Series, which finally was able to talk the Rose Bowl into releasing the Pac-10 or Big Ten champions for the national championship game if they were ranked in the top two.

Nonetheless, every season there have been issues ranging from the automatic qualifier capabilities of non-BCS teams to what factors go into the computer rankings' formulas.

The Complaints

"There's a lot not to like," Annenberg TV News Sports Director Alex Goldsmith said.

He said hype plays into the system a lot noting that a reality check is needed in reference to teams that have great records but may not face a difficult schedule. Goldsmith also mentioned an East Coast bias as eastern voters for the human polls often do not get to see games that come on in the evening on the West Coast.

While would prefer a change, but he realizes the value in the current system.

"The dirty little secret that college football fans don't want to admit is that [the BCS] creates the most exciting regular season in all of sports. You drop one game and you're out of the hunt."

Former sportswriter Pete Herbert disagreed: "It's the antithesis of competition in sports -- the definition of anti-climatic. I turns the regular season into the playoffs."

In theory, the game in Pasadena on January 7 would end all the debate about who should be the national champion, but even after the national championship, there will still be at least two teams, with a possibility of three, undefeated and ranked in the top five.

"The idea of one game deciding a season and then the polls and computers deciding who's the national champion -- I think that's outdated," said Magne.

The Solution?

A playoff system. The same type of system that determines the football champion in every other division of college football and the mass majority of all college athletics.

Whether it be a four, eight, twelve, or even sixteen team playoff, everyone interviewed for this story agreed that a playoff would be the best way to determine the national champion.

"I'd definitely implement a playoff system," Magne said. "I know Congress just tried to do something. They're out there saying 'you need to change it."

"A playoff system with eight teams would be the best way. That way every team that is undefeated would get a chance."

"[A playoff] is a win-win situation...even Obama wants it," USC student James Knauer said with a chuckle."

Even the Wall Street Journal's Ashby Jones wrote, "If you're going to crown a national champion, isn't it unfair, un-American, un-everything, to not give every team that wins every game a shot at the crown?!

The Roadblock

While it seems fairly simple to fans what should be done, there does not appear to be any change coming from the conference commissioners, who govern the BCS.

"The BCS is a monopoly in need of an anti-trust law," Trojans All-Access reporter Josh Moser said in disgust.

"Right now, the [BCS conference] schools get 88 percent of all the bowl money. And it's only going to go up," said Christensen.

Checking into the payouts for the five BCS bowl games, the amounts are staggering...except for those directed at the non-BCS conferences.

The Bowl Championship Series pays out money to each conference that is then dispersed by the conferences. For the six conferences that receive an automatic bid, the BCS pays out $17.8 million EACH.

For the five, smaller non-BCS conferences, the BCS pays out $23.9 million TOTAL, and that's only because they have two teams in BCS games this season. If Texas Christian and Boise State would not have made it into a BCS game, the five conferences would split only $9.6 million this season.

As it is this season, here are each conference's payouts (highest ranked team in parentheses):

Big Ten - $22.3 million (Ohio State - 8)
SEC - $22.3 million (Alabama - 1)

ACC - $17.8 million (Georgia Tech - 9)
Big 12 - $17.8 million (Texas - 2)
Big East - $17.8 million (Cincinnati - 3)
Pac-10 - $17.8 million (Oregon - 7)

Conference USA - $4.78 million (None in Top 25)
Mid-American - $4.78 million (None in Top 25)
Mountain West - $4.78 million (TCU - 4)
Sun Belt - $4.78 million (None in Top 25)
Western Athletic - $4.78 million (Boise State - 6)

All of this information can be compared to the payouts given to Notre Dame, an independent school that does not align itself with any conference. This season, the Fighting Irish finished 6-6 and were nowhere close to being invited to a BCS bowl. (They actually declined to attend a lesser bowl game after firing their head coach).

Regardless, Notre Dame will still receive a 1/66th share of the net BCS revenue, which is estimated to be $1.6 million. If they make a BCS bowl game next year, they will receive $4.5 million.

"The BCS is a cartel," said Christensen. "It's the 66 biggest players in Division I. What they are doing is pooling all the money and keeping the other teams from getting it. It's a money grab."

With five undefeated teams, this season is the poster child for a playoff, but until the conference commissioners get pressured -- whether it be by fans or the government -- enough, fans are just going to have to be upset.

Shotgun Spratling

USC Psycho Has Impressive Streak

2009-11-15T19:06:34Z

Roy Nwaisser is known amongst University of Southern California football fans as "USC Psycho" and for good reason.

Nwaisser has an impressive streak that stretches all the way back to his senior year when he was studying psychology.

Find out about Nwaisser's streak and read more about the man known as "USC Psycho" in a profile I produced for Neon Tommy:

Trojan 'Psycho' Has Attendance Strea to Match Name

Shotgun Spratling

The XXL Challenge

2009-10-25T18:38:32Z

Beneath the Lights

2009-10-10T17:40:02Z

After losing to Roosevelt for the first time in more than five years last season, the Jordan Bulldogs were looking for redemption when they traveled across town Friday night to take on the Rough Riders.

Roosevelt, on the other hand, was trying to improve to 5-1 behind their punishing rush attack on Teacher Appreciation Night.

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Roosevelt High teachers stand with players as they await to enter the stadium on Teacher Appreciation Night.

Lineman Oscar Fuentes enters with Ms. Mellisa Guangorena.

Ms. Letty Rodriguez shows her support for running back Elgin Rosales as the two are announced.

The Roosevelt dancers and band wait to enter the playing field prior to the game.

The Jordan Bulldog skill players warm up while coach Elijah Asante looks on.

Star athlete Deshawn Beck gets his arm loose during Jordan's warm ups.

The Roosevelt High School bands plays the national anthem while the United States and California flags are presented.

Defensive coordinator Frank Lewis goes over some final adjustments with the Jordan defensive backs before the start of the game.

Roosevelt's Jesse Lira sprints around right end for seven of his 104 rushing yards on the night. He scored his first touchdown of the night three plays later.

Jordan lined up in a number of offensive formations, including this unconventional one without a quarterback.

Roosevelt first down.

The Rough Riders lead 7-0 as the second quarter begins.

A holding call and a single piece of yellow cloth negates a 58-yard Deshawn Beck touchdown run. Jonathan Mariscal intercepted Beck on the next play and returned the ball to the Jordan 7-yard line.

Two plays after Mariscal's interception, Lira dances into the endzone for his second touchdown giving the Rough Riders a 14-0 lead.

Offensive lineman Fuentes (#64), Chris Moreno (#55), and Ricardo Alfaro (#74) take a breather after Lira's touchdown.

Beck is tackled by Enrique Barragan and an unidentified Roosevelt defender after a double reverse pass resulted in a first down.

Jordan lines up at the goal line where Jackyle Cooper would rush it in to cut into Roosevelt's lead. The extra point was blocked, however, making it 14-6.

With less than 30 seconds remaining in the half, Devante Smith hauls in a 45-yard tochdown pass from Beck to trim the lead to 14-12. The Bulldogs again fail on the conversion attempt leaving them with a two-point deficit.

Roosevelt defensive coordinator Ricardo Zepeda is in the face of Barragan after a blown coverage left Smith open on the touchdown catch.

Sitting in a Roosevelt High classroom, Beck and teammates look on as coaches give instruction during halftime.

Asante goes over Jordan's individual team mottos: Special Teams - "We stay ready," Defense - "We'll be there," Offense - "Count on us."

Roosevelt bursts through the banner and back on to the field for the second half.

Late in the third quarter, lineman Ramon Bazzara (#51) and teammates look on as offensive coordinator Phillip Moreno implores his team to get a push up front.

As was the case for the majority of the second half, the Jordan defense swarmed around Lira bottling him up in the backfield.

When they weren't gang tackling Lira, the Jordan defense was upending Manny Ayon (#2).

Late in the fourth quarter, the Bulldogs got the ball back trailing 14-12 with hopes to drive down the field for the game-winning score.

Asante put the ball in the hands of his star, Beck, who led the Jordan down to the 21-yard line with just over a minute remaining.

Back-to-back sacks left a decisive 4th-and-20. And though receiver Robert McCovery made a valiant effort cutting in front of a defender on an underthrown pass, the ball was knocked loose and Asante was left to console his players as they came to the sideline.

Final: Roosevelt 14 - Jordan 12

Beck's jersey shows the wear and, literal, tear of four quarters as he and his teammates listens to the Asante's post-game speech.

Shotgun Spratling

A Different Culture

2009-10-03T19:01:41Z

Sports fans in southern California have a national reputation for arriving late and leaving early.That is how they are perceived throughout the country, and it is a fairly accurate assessment of the hoardes of fans that claim the Lakers, the Dodgers, and/or USC Trojans football as their favorite.

However, I had no idea the epidemic was spread all the way down to the high school level until attending the battle between Crenshaw and Culver City -- two undefeated teams, each with Division I-caliber prospects.

While the play on the field was similar, it was like a completely different culture than a marquee game in the South where I am originally from.

]]> On a gorgeous night if the No. 1 ranked team in Atlanta (Crenshaw is the top City Section team according to the Los Angeles Times) played another team that was undefeated and had put up over 40 points in each of the first three contests of the season as Culver City had, fans would have to be there at least an hour early if they were even entertaining the idea of getting a seat.

Sure, there were fans lined up to get in 30 minutes before the game at Culver City...

But there were also people lined up outside the ticket booth window all the way up to halftime.

The action on the field looked the same...

From stretching:

...to warmups...

...to the blur that is the banner run through...

...to lining up as the sun sets...

...to playing in the dirt...

...because football is football, and the game hasn't seen a drastic change since the inception of the forward pass. Very good teams win more often than not as Crenshaw did on this night with a 48-7 victory thanks in part to Geno Hall's four touchdown receptions.

But in the stands it was almost a passive, non-attentive gathering.

Instead of the stands overflowing, packed to the brim with rabid high schoolers ready to shout anything that comes to their mind (much of which probably shouldn't be uttered), it was merely the parents sitting in the stands clapping for positive plays and sighing at the negative ones.

The students appeared like they couldn't care less about the game itself. Instead, they congregated in hip attire (maybe they just had a night on the town planned afterwards) far from the action where cameras were not welcomed by the faces or the dim lighting.

Just like a lot of Los Angeles, it appears people only go to high school football for the social aspect rather than for the event itself.

A completely different culture for this Southern boy.

Shotgun Spratling

The Power of Twitter

2009-09-27T21:57:07Z

A more condensed version of this article can be found on Neon Tommy.

Peter Robert Casey loves basketball. He also loves social networking.

So how could he turn down a front row seat at one of the world's greatest basketball arenas, free food, and insider access to a Big East basketball team, all while using the micro-blogging platform Twitter?

He couldn't.

Even though he lacks any formal journalistic training, Casey will join other New York media on press row this season at Madison Square Garden and Carnesecca Arena for St. John's Red Storm men's basketball home games.

Bringing his 50,000+ Twitter followers, Casey is believed to be the first primarily Twitter-based blogger (@Peter_R_Casey) to be credentialed for any major collegiate or professional sports team. What will Casey bring different to the press area?

"Three first names. We're a rarity in basketball," he joked. "Seriously, there's nothing that I do online or offline that someone else can't benchmark. At the same time, my passions for both basketball and social media are genuine and intense."

]]> Casey hopes the venture will help open up the doors for others and "awakens other sports organizations to embrace the power of new media."

If not all sports organizations are warming to new media, and Twitter in particular, then they are quickly falling behind. On display at 140 - The Twitter Conference L.A. (140tc) at the Skirball Cultural Center this week were individuals, groups, and corporations that have taken the leap into the social media phenomenon of Twitter, which launched only three years ago.

There were a wide range of Twitter users in attendance spanning from celebrities who have nearly 1.5 million followers like addiction specialist Dr. Drew Pinsky - (@drdrew) all the way down to users who had yet to fully grasp the concept like pyschologist Dr. Vincent Caimano (@vincephd).

Twitter co-founder Biz Stone (@biz) gave the keynote address Tuesday morning explaining how the idea for what would become Twitter went from a sketch drawing into one of the fastest growing networks in the world. Stone also talked about his hopes for Twitter to be more than just a platform for people to post about brushing their teeth. He said he liked the idea of collaborating with reading programs because "if kids can't read, how would they ever use Twitter?"

Stone also discussed how Twitter had been used to quickly inform others about events like the 2008 wildfires, Californian earthquakes -- he joked, "Twitter reads faster than seismic" -- about stations that had gasoline during the Atlanta gas shortages last summer, and use of Twitter to organize protests in Iran after this summer's elections

One of the first traumatic events to display Twitter's utility was the terrorist attack in Mumbai, India last November. A slide from this section of Stone's presentation read, "Twitter is about the triumph of humanity, not the triumph of technology."

Twitter co-founder Biz Stone chats after giving his keynote speech at 140 - The Twitter Conference LA. (Photo: Shogun Spratling)

While some people attended the conference primarily as a chance to meet some of the people they regularly engage via Twitter, others came to learn how to use the site better.

Caimano, who specializes in helping depression and anxiety disorders, launched a brand new web site, Live Depression Support Group, on Tuesday. He came to the conference to learn the best ways to use Twitter for promotion and how to reach out to those that might be in need of the site's assistance. After just a few early conference sessions, Caimano was enthused and ready to get active in the Twitter world.

"I'm really inspired by what they've been talking about helping others. I hope I am able to inspire and motivate with my daily tweets and eventually be able to help people through conferencing in the Live Depression Support Group."

Comedian Loni Love (@LoniLove) also tries to provide inspirational tweets along with links to interesting news articles and announcements about events she will be participating in or shows where she will perform. She also gives her naturally humorous take on events and life in general while always trying to make a concerted effort to reply to fans.

"I try to let [my followers] know I appreciate them," said Love, "even if it's just a quick response back. When I'm at an event like the Emmys, I like tweeting background stuff. I like for my fans to feel like they are getting a special look."

Love said since she has been using Twitter, she has definitely seen an increase in attendance at her stand-up comedic performances.

"I sold out six shows in Cleveland and then three shows in Houston. With the economy the way it is right now, I'm humbled. It's kind of overwhelming that you put it out there and people come and support you."

Another celebrity that has found Twitter allows for a connection with fans is rapper Chamillionaire (@chamillionaire). The Grammy award-winning artist knows the key to Twitter is having a conversation with the fans rather than having the most followers or only promoting himself.

"The more engaging I am with the fans, the more I see my followers rise. There are programs where you can buy followers and stuff like that, but I want every follower to be a real person."

Chamillionaire spoke on a musician's panel about how to best engage fans. (Photo: Shotgun Spratling)

On a panel of musicians at 140tc, Chamillionaire said he tries to engage his fans first by talking about everything but music, realizing fans will eventually ask about the music. He also noted how important it is to cultivate an active audience through conversation before trying to promote himself and his music with links to a mixtape or info about an upcoming show.

Listening to what fans have to say is one of the most important things to do on Twitter, Chamillionaire believes. "People underestimate the intelligence of fans. They'll tell you what they like. They're not stupid."

Mike Prasad (@mikeprasad), co-founder and CEO of Girl Gamer, said it doesn't take a pre-established large fan base to build a large following on Twitter. Instead it just takes a great product and some ingenuity.

Prasad is most well known as the social media maven behind Kogi BBQ, the famous Los Angeles-based Korean taco truck that Twitters (@KogiBBQ) the location of where each of the company's trucks will be on a given day.

"We started [using] Twitter right when we came up with Kogi. Fundamentally, the food is amazing; the experience is really cool, but Twitter gives it an aspect that has resulted in the massive amount of growth we have had that otherwise would not have happened."

Prasad said he believes "using Twitter fundamentally changed the business model. Instead of having to be on the same corner every single day, so the people that go to [the food truck] know that you will be there, with Twitter we can actually move around and have many, many more customers."

It is not only businesses and celebrities that have seen tangible benefits from Twitter. Elizabeth Geli (@elizgeli), a USC graduate student, received a free gift card from Baja Fresh. New Yorker Amanda Rykoff (@amandarykoff), the former co-host of the podcast "Play Ball! with Amanda and Melissa," has received free New York Yankees tickets from people she met on Twitter and just recently won a hat from Major League Baseball's Twitter account (@MLB).

There are also the non-tangible benefits of meeting new people with fresh ideas or getting to discuss what you find intriguing with others that share similar interests. Sara Friedman, the vice president of the Pennsylvania-based internet market/web design firm Pams Press, felt she had received a lot of benefits from using the micro-blogging platform that go beyond business successes.

"There are just so many benefits on so many different levels: I have made a lot of new friends all over the country that are just as rabid of a NBA fan as I am. I have gotten the opportunity to meet some of my favorite NBA players by getting to know them on Twitter first! I have gotten business from people that need a website."

Her favorite Twitter experience came when she picked up the business of a client in San Diego from her desk in Lancaster, Pennsylvania through no other means than Twitter.

Friedman (@Gilamuffin_STC) said she built a friendship and trust with the man from San Diego by tweeting about everything under the sun for a few months. One day the man began complaining about his web designer on Twitter prompting Friedman to send him a message asking if there was anything she could do to help.

Twitter is so fundamentally simplistic that people who give it an honest trial most often fall in love with it sometimes to the brink of addiction while those who are afraid or unwilling to try it just don't understand why everyone is interested in reading about others' daily lives.

"It's self-indulgent fidder-fodder that does nothing but convince ourselves of our own grossly over-estimated self worth," said Matt Herbert, an animator living in Sherman Oaks who tried Twitter (@funnygood) but never grasped any worth of the platform.

Herbert believes the creators had a good idea in theory, but it has ended up producing the reverse.

"It does very little in the way of bringing people closer together; it does the opposite of what it is intended to do. People stop being present and with the people they are around and instead are constantly worried about their social web of Twitter, Facebook, and texting."

While Herbert chooses to no longer actively use Twitter, some others use the service but do not fully engage. Michael Stark of PostYourProperty.com, for example, is on Twitter (@lookforproperty) but only uses it to push his Facebook posts. "Why would I want to do it on Twitter, when I have more followers on Facebook?" Stark asked.

Stark, however, admitted he does not take advantage of features such as Twitter Search where he could geographically search for users that have entered a desired keyword. Like with most tools, those who haven't spent much time learning how to best use Twitter and all of its functions, unlikely have seen the full benefits of the service.

One thing is certain, Peter Robert Casey didn't become one of the top ten basketball-related Tweeters (behind only professional athletes and coaches) and receive the opportunity to be St. John's official team blogger by just pushing his Facebook status updates.

Shotgun Spratling

From SC to SI

2009-09-26T19:51:27Z

Formerly teased with the nickname of 'Uncle Jesse', because of the way he and the John Stamos character from Full House both meticulously groom their jet-black hair, Arash Markazi sat with a shaven head talking to friends and family for the duration of a six hour treatment.

In a reclinable hospital chair with a needle stuck in the top of his hand and a variety of drugs flowing through his veins, Markazi was fighting against cancer for the second time in his short 25-year old life.

Though it would seem like a strange fit, Markazi wrote about the experience in one of his columns for Sports Illustrated's online publication. The 2006 article was an open letter to Boston Red Sox rookie pitcher Jon Lester, who had just been diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, the same type of cancer Markazi had battled twice.

]]> Unlike most sports journalists, Markazi didn't work his way up doing game recaps and other typical articles after he graduated from college. Sure, he did those type of articles while he was at the University of Southern California and writing for the school paper, the Los Angeles Times, the Los Angeles Daily News, the Associated Press, XXL, SLAM magazine, and King magazine, but once he graduated, he shot straight to his dream job -- working for Sports Illustrated.

Thanks to a summer internship with Sports Illustrated for Kids while in school, Markazi had the connections to make the giant leap from stringing high school games for the LA Times to writing in-depth portraits of athletes like Wayne Gretzky or soccer star Renaldo for SI. He made the transition in seemingly record time as he went from graduation to writing for Sports Illustrated on Campus to eventually getting his own column -- The Hot Read -- on SI.com.

Born in Oklahoma City but raised in Los Angeles, Markazi went to Arizona State after graduating from Notre Dame High School in Sherman Oaks, CA. However, he transferred to USC and graduated from the Annenberg School of Communication with a degree in print journalism before moving to work in SI's New York offices.

The now 29-year old Markazi has traveled across the globe for many assignments. For example in the late spring/early summer months of 2006, he wrote articles about events in Paris, New York, London, and Germany. He now resides back in Los Angeles where he is the lone Sports Illustrated staffer in the nation's second largest media capital.

A lot of Markazi's articles focus on social interactions with many stars -- something that has drawn the ire of some bloggers commenting on his work. From looking at Markazi's Facebook photos, one can see some of the celebrity athletes he has hung out with and then subsequently written what some think to be fluff pieces:

The "'column' adds absolutely nothing to either the literary or sporting worlds." - Cafe 227

Markazi does not appear to be deterred by the remarks of those negative on his work as he continues to smile and pose with athletes, celebrities, and a slew of attractive women, including when he is doing a little mud wrestling.

Instead, he just turns out humorous articles that give a sense of the humans behind the pads and uniforms that many people look up to as heroes when in reality Markazi is the one that some should be looking to as a hero as a member of the Jim Murray Foundation's Board of Directors and as a champion of cancer research.

Plus, it's hard not to like a man that schooled Magic Johnson when he was 10-years old.

Shotgun Spratling

Watching Live Without Watching

2009-09-20T04:18:04Z

In an eerily similar situation, the USC Trojans ran into an eerily similar outcome.

Just like last year in September when the Trojans had a huge let down losing to Oregon State the week following winning a huge game over Ohio State, USC lost to Washington, an unranked, double-digit underdog after coming from behind to beat Ohio State last week.

Just like last year when the Beavers' combination of James and Jacquizz Rodgers destroyed USC's national championship hopes, Washington featured a brotherly duo at running back and receiver (Chris and Jordan Polk) that helped to demoralize national championship talk in Los Angeles.

But unlike last year, there was a completely different element of coverage.

]]> That unique element was Twitter. Though it has been around since 2006, it wasn't until the attacks in Mumbai, India last November that Twitter really had their moment and exploded.

Since then it has seen exponential growth as celebrities (@THE_REAL_SHAQ, @aplusk, @Oprah, etc.) and news organizations (@cnnbrk, @ESPN, etc.) began using the micro-blogging platform to connect with fans/viewers and to quickly and efficiently disseminate information.

Twitter now is a nearly unescapable social networking tool that provides instantaneous updates about whatever you and the people you "Follow" are interested in. A college football game between two high-profile universities, with one being a top-ranked team as USC has been for nearly the entire last decade, is likely to draw much attention across the land, but in particular near each of the schools.

In fact, a fan could truly "watch" a game without actually seeing one play, but by instead, following a Twitter feed.

Using a small eight mile radius from the zipcodes of each respective school, I got a true essence of the emotional roller coaster of both teams' fans. In both Seattle and Los Angeles there were a slew of hometown fans with a few out-of-towners sprinkled in.

In the 30 minutes leading up to kickoff, there were Seattle comments about the wet field and alum Nate Robinson coming to the game with lady luck; the LA comments centered around injury concerns (with Matt Barkley and Taylor Mays not playing), running the ball and being worried.

Washington alum Nate Robinson on the sideline. (Photo: Shotgun Spratling)

When the Trojans scored on their first two drives, including a Joe McKnight touchdown run, to take a quick 10-0 lead, there was immediately a "here we go again" mentality in Seattle while those from the USC area in Los Angeles were instead making jokes about the game.

The tide started to turn, however, when Washington created their first forced turnover and allowed only one first down on three USC second quarter possessions. SC backup quarterback Aaron Corp was unimpressive at the most while Huskies starter Jake Locker helped give the "UDUB" faithful confidence and hope with his steady play.

By the end of the first half, Huskies' fans were starting to bark rather than the earlier whimperings. The visiting fans, on the other hand, were beginning to get restless and angry.

The Twitter conversation only grew as the second half continued with the score remaining tied during the third quarter and the teams trading field goals in the fourth quarter. The longer Washington hung around, the more fans in Seattle joined the tweet conversation.

In comparison, in Los Angeles, the grumblings only got louder asking whether Corp's scholarship could be revoked, lamenting the turnovers, commenting on the lack of third down conversions, and summed up best by @alfred323's simple assertion that "USC is fucking up!"

When Locker led the troops down the field in the waning moments of the game and when sophomore Nick Folk kicked the game-winning, 22-yard field goal, disbelief was in the air from both sides.

No one could believe what had just happened. Just as no one could believe the explosion of Twitter.

Yet, three years after its creation, a simple Twitter search can allow anyone to keep up with an event as it transpires and not only "see" what is happening, but also understand the emotional outcome of the fans on both sides.

Shotgun Spratling

Apathy Reigns Supreme in L.A.

2009-09-13T17:12:03Z

Apathy is defined by the American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language as "lack of interest or concern, especially regarding matters of general importance or appeal.

This week in Los Angeles, it could have easily been defined as the public's response to the live feed of President Barack Obama's speech about public health care.

To put it bluntly, no one cared. And really, why would the general public?

]]> Why would someone who just got off of work rush to a public venue to watch Obama's speech? If a person has even the slightest interest in politics, all he or she has to do is go home and turn on the television or hook up to the Internet (presuming this person has cable and/or Internet connection).

Instead of watching and having to digest everything that was said throughout the 45 minute speech, an interested party could simply flip through the cable channels to his or her preferred bias of news coverage and have the important parts of the speech regurgitated to them.

Or if people were actually interested in politics (or maybe just this topic), they could pull up video of the entire speech on their computer and just watch it in the comforts of their own home after they've unwound a bit from working all day. I would venture to say that most people, after having gotten off work, just aren't interested in being in the public forum and possibly having to listen to and/or debate others about how they feel about the speech, health care, or Obama.

In our current digital era, people do not go out searching for the news. Instead, they let it come to them via cable or the Internet.

I even actually tried to have some small, tincy-wincy, minute inkling of interest for the speech (it was actually pretty difficult) when we were assigned to go out and see what were the thoughts and opinions of people.

But all I found out was that, like me, people in L.A. generally didn't care about the live broadcast.

Upon the suggestion of a professor, I called a couple of churches south of our prestigious university. I was told they might be having a viewing. The response from each...nope...nothing planned.

I thought perhaps a restaurant might be playing the speech, so craving Mexican food, I went to the two closest entries according to the Google Maps application on my Blackberry.

Unfortunately for the assignment, the first, Leonardo's, was closed, and unfortunately for my stomach, it appeared there was no one at the La Barca Restaurant watching the debate.

By this time, the debate had already been on for about 10 minutes and not likely to find anything on my own, I decided to head to the Lab just off of campus where some of my classmates had informed me they would be taking in the debate.

I drove by a couple of churches hoping to see a cluster of cars gathered or a sign mentioning a viewing of the debate, but instead I drove by multiple churches that looked more like secluded, members-only establishments rather than places where a public gathering was taking place.

When I got to the Lab, there were only about 10-15 minutes left of Obama's speech, and though there were approximately 20 or so people in the place, it appeared there was only one non-Annenberger actually watching the debate.

The overall feel of the place: apathy.

Did I merely go to all the wrong places? Did I just not find people because I, myself, am not interested in politics?

According to some of my classmates (see: here, here, here, here, here -- I think you get the point), the answer was a resounding "negative, ghost writer."

Shotgun Spratling

(Photo Source: Flickr user mrmatt under Creative Commons License)

Death of the [Good] Writer

2009-09-04T19:04:11Z

Blog and teknology make anybuddy can be writey people and dramatizinly made standards not as hi. If u redding dat, then it be publiched rt now & ain't nobody be stoppen dat.

]]> As the previous sentences illustrates, anything can be published instantly these days.

Whereas it formerly took a number of steps to get something published, anyone anywhere can throw something up that is "published" as long as they have Internet access. No longer do writers have to get through the gauntlet of gatekeeepers that previously created a small, elite force of writers, who had the only published works.

So now that everyone can technically be a published writer, what are the implications for those who thrived in the old system -- the writers and authors talented enough to navigate through the gatekeepers?

"Basically, I think we're fucked," said Christopher Moore, author of multiple international bestsellers, including Lamb, A Dirty Job, and You Suck.

In the former system, everyone had to at least pass through some kind of filter. Newspaper and magazine staff had to go through editors and to a lesser extent owners. Publishing a short story required query letters and editorial selection.

For an outsider/newbie to publish a book, it was even more difficult. The steps previously included:

Creation (and making sure the book was really good)
Getting the contact information for agents (often from the annual Novel & Short Stories Market)
Discovering each agents submission guidelines (font, format, pages, etc.)
Submitting a cover letter with summary of work & prior experience
Possibly sending the first three chapters or first 50 pages depending on the guidelines
IF....IF the cover letter/beginning was accepted, then send the entire manuscript to an agent for shopping out to publishers
Only then, if someone likes it, does the work go to an editor, publicist, etc.

Though still used with very few people's work even being read, the system is on its way to being obsolete.

Instead, we are currently in an era of instant publication and instant access with blogs, podcasts, Twitter, and aggregated content streaming straight to readers.

Instead of the select vanguard that once decided the worthiness of something, in regards to publishing, the unknown online audience now is responsible. The same audience that finds hilarity in viewing LOL Cats or strange YouTube videos now determines worthiness...a scary thought at the very least.

Though there are a similar number of works being published now as 20 years ago, there has been a dramatic increase in self-publishing thanks to the rise of the Internet. Sites like Lulu and their Content Creation Wizard make being published possible in less than 15 minutes.

Online, thousands upon thousands of e-books are available. Some blogs have several staff members covering news on a daily basis. Musicians have been uploading their songs onto Myspace for several years. All content that is free.

Not everything produced online is trash, but then again, a lot is.

With so much inferior content online, it could be assumed that readers will eventually come to a realization and only view the quality works, essentially weeding out the crap.

Moore relayed a message from his good friend and colleague Neal Stephenson in which Stephenson suggested novelists would have to go work at Burger King until people realize if they don't pay for content, they aren't going to get quality content: "There will be books, but they'll be shitty books. The market will figure it out."

Moore's reponse to Stephenson's remarks?

"I wanted to blow my fucking brains out."

Moore brings up a good point in refutation of Stephenson.

"[The wisdom of the markets] is all well and good when it works, but Neal ignores one major thing in his prediction, 'that quality will drive the market'. It won't; it doesn't. McDonald's hasn't sold billions because it's the best, they've sold them because they're the same. You can get the same crap Micky D's in Baltimore that you get in Seattle. Exactly the same."

"James Patterson is putting out a dozen novels a year! It's obviously in demand. Does that make it good? American Idol is the highest rated show on television. Does that make it good?"

As people continue to be entertained by the latest slew of VH1 reality shows centered around who can be the biggest bimbo, the market seems to be less and less wise each day, so trusting the wisdom of the markets is a scary thought for those that rely on the market to make their living.

Writers once made a substantial living writing only short stories, but Moore said that avenue dried up over 20 years ago. The fear is now, with the technological advances of electronic readers, whether the same fate awaits novelists.

"No one is going to pay for books they can get for free, once they adjust to the e-book reader," said Moore. "There's a whole generation to whom the idea of paying for music is nearly abstract."

"The revenue model for musicians completely changed, and not to iTunes, but to performance. Musicians make their money touring now, when they used to tour at a loss just to sell the album."

Unless authors learn to juggle, swallow fire, or perform magic while discussing books, they aren't going to be able to follow that path. Moore believes there to be less than a dozen authors in the country who "can make a decent living performing."

Moore also predicted that publishing "will downsize hugely."

"When you don't have to move physical books, all the people involved in making, selling, merchandizing, designing, and moving physical books suddenly have to go do something else. The editorial end will be the same, but I can't even imagine what marketing will look like."

Will the rise of instant access, citizen journalism, and self-publishing lead to the demise of the classic novelist? Unfortunately, it could happen, and we would be without an entire genre that has enlightened and entertained men, women, and children for ages.

For more information on publishing and how it has changed due to the digital revolution of the past 15-20 years (plus my name being made fun of), read Christopher Moore's comments in their entirety: Christopher Moore Interview.doc.

Online Dating

2009-08-28T18:41:44Z

Finding web sites to routinely follow is just another form of online dating. Though people won't make as many jokes (at least not to your face) as they would were you looking for your one true love online, it is a very similar process to trying to find that unattainable soul mate.

Many of the same initial questions get asked when trying to decided which sites you want to date (i.e. get your news from) and when you are searching for an online dating service and eventually...members of the opposite sex (or the same, if that's your thing):

Who do I check out? Does it cost anything? Will I get any response?

]]> (Since I'm male and only have experience with females, that is the only bounds I can speak from, so this message of online dating shalt be relayed that way. Feel free to be offended, disgusted, and forget how to scroll down the page.)

Finding women via online dating and finding news sites to even scan can be laborious. You can't just find a service and assume the first woman you take a gander at will be the one.

The same is true with sites. Just Google-ing your interests and clicking on the top choice won't necessarily get what you are ultimately searching for: balanced coverage that covers the gamut of your interests.

Being an absolute sports nut, about the only news I read about is sports-related. I occasionally glance at the headlines on Yahoo when I go to check my e-mail or take a glance at the top headlines that are instantaneously tracked atop my Mozilla Firefox toolbar.

Realizing the top 10 or 15 sites for "sports," according to Google's wacky algorithm, were all the leading sports organizations (ESPN, FoxSports, YahooSports, Sports Illustrated, etc.) that essentially have the same stories, I decided to diversify.

Just as a varying range of blondes, brunettes, and redheads would be ideal in eventually finding a true love or soul mate, sports are best discovered through a variety of mediums.

The Supermodel - ESPN

Instead of just selecting a host of Bar Rafaeli, Marisa Miller, and Adriana Lima's, the glamourous swimsuit and fashion models that are the ESPN, Sports Illustrated, and other big name, large-corporation-backed news sites, I chose just one. I stuck with the self-proclaimed "Worldwide Leader in Sports," ESPN because of their overarching coverage of all the major sports and their strong cavalry of writers.

The Dangerous Girl (Megan Fox) - Deadspin

I then chose to try out the mysterious, dark-haired girl covered in tattoos that doesn't mince her words regardless of who is in the room.

In the sports web site world, the Megan Fox is definitively Deadspin. They are vulgar, sometimes vile, don't give a shit what you think, and really difficult not to be attracted to. With Deadspin's propensity to speak freely, break news, and praise or attack the last player on the bench just as they would the star, they do an incredible job of covering sports, and that has led them from a small blog to the largest independent sports site.

Deadspin now has a cult following, which makes it even more difficult to click away from the site. Not only are the articles typically well-written but with one of the strongest communities, it's hard not to get caught up reading and laughing at the collection of off-the-wall comments.

Having a much more liberal filter than a mainstream media site like ESPN, Deadspin is able to cover a broad array of topics -- some obscure, some strange, and some that may not be in the best taste, but they manage to do it well enough to keep their corporate advertisers and readers around.

The Redhead (Christina Hendricks) - Yardbarker

Any attempt to get the full spectrum of women is incomplete without the incorporation of a fiery redhead. Similarly, including a site like Yardbarker is necessary to get a complete look at sports on the internet.

Similar to a redhead such as Mad Men's Christina Hendricks, Yardbarker is a site with attitude and some large features unseen on other sports web sites. Unlike ESPN or Deadspin, the Yard, as it is affectionately known to its members, is a portal where users can submit stories of interest found elsewhere online.

Although there are other useful sports portals, including BallHype and Bloguin, Yardbarker's attitude -- their secondary slogan is "Beast Mode" -- and ability to give fans an insider's look sets them apart.

Their insider information comes from the "dozens of top professional athletes [that] blog on Yardbarker." From Superbowl hero Santonio Holmes to former heavyweight boxing champion Buster Douglas to mixed martial arts sweetheart Gina Carano to the 2007 NBA Draft's #1 overall pick Greg Oden, Yardbarker has athletes past and present sharing their opinions on everything from their feelings on other players to politics to relationships.

Like Deadspin, Yardbarker has a vibrant community willing to offer their opinions. Comments in the Yard, however, are more strictly moderated, so it is a much more family-friendly environment.

But like every male fantasy, why choose just one of these sites when you could have a menage-a-trois or a foursome? Instead, getting the penultimate experience requires getting the well-rounded coverage that the three sites together provide, which is why I will be closely following these three sites this semester.

Annenberg Twitter Directory

2009-08-24T10:20:58Z

In a day and age where you can be connected to others by any number of methods, it does occasionally take a little effort to discover those you want to be connected with online.

As all of the incoming students of Annenberg's Graduate Journalism program this year were assigned to create Twitter profiles, if they did not already have one, I thought it would be helpful for all those involved to create a list of everyone's Twitter accounts, so that people can connect with others they are interested in Following.

I tried to find as many Twitterers as possible, but naturally I did not come across every single Annenberger that is using the social media micro blogging platform. So it would be greatly appreciated if people will email me (TheBlueWorkhorse@gmail.com or spratlin@usc.edu) people that need to be added to the list.

Also, if for some reason you do not want your name included in this directory, feel free to send me an email, and I will make sure to take you off the list.

]]> Graduate Class of 2011

Leylie Aghili (@Leylie86)
Alexis Alagem (@AlexisAlagem)
Hillel Aron (@hillelaron)
Massiel Bobadilla (@massielconleche)
Holly Butcher (@HollyKristaB)
Carolina de Melo Cavaliere (@carolinacavalie)
Roselle Chen (@roselleUSC)
Karen Choi (@karenichoi)
Katie Cloutier (@cmcloutier1)
Irini Connerton (@USCIrini)
Patrick Crawley (@pecrawley, @BasketballFiend)
Catherine Cronenberg (@CCronenberg)
Sharis Delgadillo (@SharisDaneri)
Catherine Donahoe (@CatherineMariaD)
Jessica Donath (@jdonath)
Connie Duong (@connieduong)
Bethany Firnhaber (@bfirn)
Jessica Flores (@jessiflo)
Ruth Frantz (@ruthfrantz)
Kevin Grant (@kevindgrant)
Michael Green (@mj_green)
John Guenther (@jdguenther)
Stephanie Guzman (@stephrguzman)
Samantha Hermann (@SamanthaHermann)
Heather Hope (@HOPE4Heather)
Julia James (@JuliaKJames)
Olga Khazan (@olgakhazan)
LeTania Kirkland (@letaniakirkland)
Sue Liu (@suecwebber)
Kim Nowacki (@knowacki)
Gabrielle Olya (@GabyOlya)
Sam Osborn (@SamOsborn1)
Chris Pisar (@chrispisar)
Jonathan Polakoff (@jpolakoff)
Natalie Ragus (@nattyq8)
Janine Rayford (@JanineRayford)
Erin Richards (@ErinSRichards)
Albert Sabate (@Treblalbert)
Madeleine Scinto (@MadeleineScinto)
Rob Schwandt (@tweetingtrojan, @robschwandt)
Amy Silverstein (@amysilstein)
Piya Sinha-Roy (@PiyaSRoy)
Shotgun Spratling (@BlueWorkhorse)
Christine Trang (@christinetrang)
Kimberly Urcho (@kimberlyurcho)
Jessika Walsten (@JessikaWalsten)

Graduate Class of 2010

Francesca Ayala (@boogertronic)
Kim Daniels (@KTDaniels)
Richie Duchon (@Richie_Duchon)
Mark Evitt (@markevitt)
Jenn Harris (@jfharris)
Alaena Hostetter (@ahostetter)
Samantha Page (@samanthadpage)
Kevin Patra (@kpatra)
Katie Schaufelberger (@kschauf)

Graduate Specialized Journalism

Ashley Ahearn '10 (@aahearn)
Jonathan Arkin '10 (@jonarkin)
Anthony Baltierra '10 (@tonybaltierra)
Natalia Bogolasky '10 (@natbog)
Dana Buckley '10 (@Dana_Maris)
Wendy Carrillo '09 (@wendycarrillo)
Nora Crutcher '10 (@noraclark)
Kyla Cullinane '09 (@kylacullinane)
Daysha Eaton '09 (@dayshaea)
Natasha Garyali '09 (@newsmasala)
Elizabeth Geli '10 (@elizgeli)
Haley Gonella '10 (@cometgonegreen)
Rebecca Haithcoat '10 (@rhaithcoat)
Jessica Hilo '10 (@hi8301)
Helen Jeong ' 10 (@helensjeong)
Ian Joulain '10 (@IanJoulain)
Bill Lascher '09 (@billlascher)
Evelyn McDonnell '10 (@EvelynMcDonnell)
David Macfadden Elliott '09 (@taxiology)
Niko Nurminen '10 (@nikonurminen)
Shirin Parsavand '10 (@sparsavand)
Jonathan Partridge '09 (@mustardseed95)
Pekka Pekkala '10 (@pekkapekkala)
Erica Phillips '10 (@msericarox)
Joe Piasecki '10 (@JoePiasecki)
Evan Pondel '10 (@epondel)
Casey Rentz '09 (@caseyrentz)
Hilary Scurlock '10 (@hilaryscurlock)
Claire Spera '10 (@clairespera)
Meghan Stettler '10 (@megstettler)
Lauren Whaley '10 (@laurenwhaley)

Undergraduate Class of 2012

Pedro Moura (@pedromoura)

Annenberg Faculty & Staff

Bill Celis (@BillCelis)
Wendy Chapman (@wendymchapman)
Marc Cooper (@marc_cooper)
Mike Daniels (@CYCSkipper)
Patricia Dean (@patriciadean)
Celeste Fremon (@WitnessLA)
Robert Hernandez (@webjournalist, @isoardotnet)
Henry Jenkins (@henryjenkins)
Andrew Lih (@fuzheado)
Judy Muller (@judusc)
Geneva Overholser (@genevaoh)
Luke Pena (@lukepena)
Shawn Powers (@shawnpowers)
Willa Seidenberg (@wasann)
Diane Winston (@DianeWinston)

Annenberg Alumni

Emily Henry (@EmilyHenry)
Laura Lane (@lauralanenyc)
Arash Markazi (@ArashMarkazi)
Andy Sternberg (@andysternberg)

Other USC Accounts of Interest

Annenberg (@USCAnnenberg)
Annenberg Career Development (@ASCCareerDev)
Annenberg Radio (@AnnenbergRadio)
Annenberg TV News (@atvn)
Campus News (@usccampusnews)
Pete Carroll (@PeteCarroll)
Daily Trojan (@dailytrojan)
Intersections South LA (@southlareport)
Marching Band (@USCTMB)
Neon Tommy (@neontommy)
News 21 (@uscnews21)
Program Board (@USCpb)
RipsIt Blog (@USCRipsIt)
Spirit Leaders (@SCSpiritLeaders)
TrojanVision (@TrojanVision)
USCTrojans.com (@USCTrojans_com)

Other Twitter Directories

Muck Rack - Journalists
Sports in 140 - Athletes, coaches, teams, sports journalists, and sports bloggers.
Twellow - Self-described as the Twitter Yellow Pages.
wefollow - Directory divided by category tags, including celebrity, entrepreneur, etc.

Again, please email me (TheBlueWorkhorse@gmail.com or spratlin@usc.edu) with additions or if you would like your name removed.

Shotgun Spratling

Little Dirt Never Hurt

2009-08-22T04:44:44Z

As a group of the new wave of journalists from USC's Annenberg graduate program returned to campus chattering away about the sites, sounds, and experiences of their first immersion assignment, the first stop each made was for a thorough handwash and a dash of sanitizer.

Not only did students get an opportunity to visit various areas of Los Angeles each with their own rich history and story lines, but many also experienced the easily accessible public transportation of the city for the first time.

While holding onto a rail inside a bus or grabbing one of the hanging straps may require an extra trip to the sink, the invaluable stories that can be unearthed while on a short journey between destinations are worth the sacrifice of temporary cleanliness.

Despite only a short trip downtown and a return trip on the DASH system later, one group of students talked to a number of interesting patrons of public transportation, including one immigrant who discussed his Chinatown experience.

"When I first came [to Los Angeles] from Mexico, [Chinatown] was the first place I lived," he said. "I really loved it there. The food was amazing."

What might have been more interesting would have been knowing why this Mexican immigrant chose to live in Chinatown, but alas, the brevity of bus trips can make it difficult to get the entire background of a story.

Sometimes, however, they can be long enough to find out a wealth of knowledge about a person and his or her life.

For example, Steven Thomas, a 53-year old evangelist, talked to a couple of students on the way to the jewelry district of Downtown, where he planned to look at some watches. Thomas's intriguing story started in Louisiana, where he was born, and weaved its way through Colorado, where he was stationed in the military and his 31-year old daughter still resides; Vietnam, where he served his country; and El Camino College and Crenshaw Christian Ministry, where he spent many nights during a 10-year span taking classes.

He told of the past, where Thomas said he wasted much time and opportunity, including getting fired from a job a mere 75 days short of his 20th anniversary with the company due to his use of crack cocaine. He also talked about the present, which Thomas finds himself savoring every day as he voraciously reads newspapers while doing research on the city of Los Angeles, including the overpopulation issues the city faces. And he spoke about the future where Thomas sees himself being a service to the community and the world, possibly hitting the evangelical scene in 2011.

While every rider may not be as open to expelling information forth, like Thomas, students were able to see that riding a bus can be a viable option to finding a story.

Ed Fuentes, a graphic artist and muralist who also is the Arts & Culture editor for blogdowntown, is a regular on the bus who finds it is great tool to use for finding and researching stories as well as the most convienient method of travel both timely and financially.

"One day I did the same errands/destinations by car, and it cost me $30 in parking...for five stops," he said.

Fuentes also added: "I think everyone has a story. Sometimes you have to dig a little deeper. Often its a combination of things, where they are, what they do, and knowing the back story of environment."

Then again sometimes it doesn't even take talking to someone for a story to pop up.

"A few weeks ago, I was riding on the E DASH and saw a crowd over the 110 on 7th," Fuentes said. "'Movie extras?' I thought, until I saw they were watching a man threatening to jump from the Wilshire overpass."

Despite not seeing anything as dramatic as a suicide atttempt, the students did find stories on their bus trek and the subsequent exploring done on the streets. More importantly, they found a tool that can be used daily and that getting their hands a little dirty isn't always a bad thing.