Comments on: Desperately Seeking a New Ombudsman

By: Jake

Jake — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 21:03:19 +0000

two words. who cares?

By: bevo

bevo — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 19:42:36 +0000

Le Anne Schreiber is awesome. Maybe she can move over to the New York Times. I would enjoy her take on Thayer Evans’ pieces.

As to her replacement, I would nominate Daniel Okurent.

By: sportsdork

sportsdork — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 17:11:58 +0000

Whitlock was a joke, but that position is not. That ESPN even recognizes the need for an Ombudsman is reason to still have some faith in that company as a consumer.

By: start-kurt-warner

start-kurt-warner — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 16:46:02 +0000

While I like her columns, I think her impact is minimal.

Every time she calls out ESPN’s actions Doria just says, “it shouldn’t have happened” or “we should have done this instead…” The network apologizes after the fact but I don’t believe for one second that they would have done anything differently.

She’s all bark no bite. I enjoy her calling out the stupid moves of ESPN but without any authority her job is pointless.

By: Chelsea Chris

Chelsea Chris — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 16:44:50 +0000

How about George Will or somebody intellectual like him that does have some sports background but is not in the sports reporting business?

By: sportsdork

sportsdork — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 16:38:44 +0000

Umm… Whitlock?

By: cracker jack

cracker jack — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 16:34:29 +0000

I just dont think monthly is enough. By the time she addresses an issue, it is long past and any chance for immediate action is gone. I would rather have an Omsbudsperson who writes when something worth writing about happens.

By: tyduffy

tyduffy — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 16:28:01 +0000

If she doesn’t sign an extension (which I’m pretty confident they will offer her), you should throw an application their way TBL.

Usually, the ombudsman is a temporary role, with a finite time commitment. You want the person to maintain their independence and to not become too familial.

I think she did a fantastic job. She’s not supposed to implement widespread changes. She’s supposed to embody the voice of the readers and discuss issues we get concerned about in an independent fashion. She did so poignantly and eloquently.

If ESPN wants my resume, I can write and come cheap.

By: LanceBriggsLamborghini

LanceBriggsLamborghini — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 16:13:54 +0000

If she doesn’t sign an extension (which I’m pretty confident they will offer her), you should throw an application their way TBL.

By: wilhelmreems

wilhelmreems — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 16:12:20 +0000

If ESPN doesn’t pay attention to what the Ombudsman is saying, what’s the point in having someone do the job?

The blogs carry easier to find links to her writing than ESPN does…that should tell you something.