We’ve blogged for the past 365 days because we’ve found it a fun outlet for our passion for puck — and specifically, for our passion for puck in these parts. We acknowledge the perception that Washington isn’t a hockey town. But right now Washington is very much a hockey blogging town, and as of today we have been but one small voice within that vibrant e-community for one year. It’s astounding to us to ponder how far media in general has matured and evolved and yes even improved in its coverage of the Caps and the sport in the past year.
We would have blogged with passion aplenty absent any intervention from the Washington Capitals, but in reflecting on the past year, we’re overwhelmed by the support we’ve received from the team’s communications professionals, its athletes, and that filmmaker fella with the nice perch at Verizon Center. The very first comment left at OFB one year ago today was from Mike Vogel. The second came from Ted Leonsis. The next thing we knew we were being invited into Verizon Center’s press box and players’ rooms. What’s excited us most about that remarkable hospitality is its visionary democracy: the Caps have led the entire professional sports industry in laying out the welcome mat to committed bloggers, and there were times last season when a press box row was populated entirely by bloggers.
Bloggers are a byproduct of new media, but many of the hockey bloggers in Washington we’ve met the past year were the byproduct of old media: locally, a malignant one. Bloggers swooped in to fill a vicious vacuum, a dereliction of duty to provide the most basic coverage of the pro hockey team in town. A sense of “We’re fed up and we’re gonna do something about it” fueled OFB’s formation. One year later we’re pleased to report progress by the old guard, but we’re mindful of the too many years of sneering neglect, and By George (Michael), we’re gonna keep our guard up!
Many of our readers shared our frustration with old media while others at times thought our critique too shrill. We might all agree on this: a great sport deserves great media coverage. If you don’t believe that hockey is the greatest sport on the planet you’re in the wrong forum.
Maybe in year two we’ll set the goal of getting Kornheiser and Wilbon attired in new Caps’ sweaters on the set of PTI. Would that be any more ludicrous than the new bloggers on the block blogging from Moscow?
If the Caps were first in impact upon us in year one our readers were a close second. The four of us believe we have some of the most loyal readers in hockey’s online community. Just yesterday we received a note from a reader recently moved to France informing us of his devotion to the Caps and his intentions of following them this season via this site. All we can do with a sentiment like that is say we’re honored by the patronage, but remember that from our vantage we’re merely new-age pool reporters whose voices represent the underserved.
In form we are identified as four in this forum, but we prattle, prod, and publish in a voice we feel is echoed all over the hockey continent. We’ve heard your echoes here often, and chorused with ours they form a fine harmony.
One Comment
I hear you, I have for the past 7 or 8 months been reading your blog. It helps when I have moved to Bruins country and am out to sea for half the year. Thank you, GO CAPS!!!!
Post a Comment