ProFootballTalk: a rapid decline

[Phil Plantier]

ProFootballTalk was a must-read a few years ago. Mike Florio worked hard and had good sources. Lately, though, the filler has increased while the writing has declined.
 
Illustrating both points: http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2014/06/07/monica-seles-could-own-the-bills-eventually/
 

The tennis player best known for being stabbed during a match by a fan of Steffi Graf and fictitiously taken out by an overzealous ball man could end up owning the Buffalo Bills, in time.

 
That's pretty bad, on a number of levels (grammatically, factually...)
 
This tweet sums up my feelings:
 
https://twitter.com/edsbs/status/346704450804670464
 
Does anyone else feel that it's slipping, or is it just me?

 

[dcmissle]

It is slipping in part because it has been compromised via NBC by the NFL.

Before that happened, Florio during his downtime would post funny but by NFL standards unacceptable stuff. He would keep a running count of how many days had transpired since the last arrest of an NFL player. He would lampoon media types who broadcast NFL games -- e.g., carving up Mike and Mike, savaging Kornheiser ("Kornholio").

No more. At most, when he is at his best, Florio still will call out the NFL on legal matters -- e.g., the implications on the League of the Donald Sterling matter. But he largely has been rendered plain vanilla because he has been co-opted -- for the same corporate reasons that the NFL strangled "Playmakers" in its crib.

Edit. To be fair, I'll absolutely give him credit for now calling out the League on rookies being shaken down by veterans for ridiculously expensive dinners. There are a couple of stories on his site about that right now, including one revisiting what Dez Bryant went through.

That is absolutely the right thing do so. Many rivers were cried here about Miami Dolphins bullying, but no attention has been paid to these shakedowns, which are outrageous. And the NFL could put a stop to it immediately.

 

[PaulinMyrBch]

There are two guys in our recent sports reading lifetime that fell into the category of independent website purchased by a major network. Neither resemble their former selves. Simmons and now Florio. At least Florio's pre-sellout work was noteworthy.
 
Proof of dcmissiles point is that first link. If the headline was "Golisano may buy the Bills" I'm not clicking. But a Monica Seles reference in a football site at least would get my attention. Anyhow, I think they both know the before fans aren't fans anymore, and I doubt they care while they move up the tax bracket ladder.