He Hate Me: Can Negative Sports Blogs Go Too Far

With the growth of sports blogs, it should come as no surprise that some distinguish themselves through critically-entertaining commentary of disappointing pro athletes.

For instance, check out Mark Blount is Awful, a blog that chronicles the play of Mark Blount, the starting center of the Boston Celtics who last summer received a 6-year, $42 million contract extension and who has since played poorly and often without apparent effort. The contributors to Mark Blount is Awful are clearly passionate in their cause. In fact, through separate monologues, two writers detail Blount's play after each and every game, and four others provide additional commentary. The blog also includes a section entitled, Mark's ugly pictures, which displays photos of Blount appearing inept on the court (e.g., fumbling a rebound).

Are the writers of Mark Blount is Awful too passionate, though? Here are a few excerpts from Andrew's monologue:

Feb. 4, 2005: 3, 3, 3, 1, 2 . . . No those aren't lottery numbers. They are Mark Blount's rebounding numbers over the past 5 games . . . I can't talk about Mark Blount anymore, he is making me physically ill.

Jan. 30, 2005: At first I thought I turned on the Discovery Channel and was watching a special on ancient African Tribes. I checked my TV. I was wrong, it was [Fox Sports New England], and the man, if you want to call him that, was Mark Blount. Can he read? Can he walk straight? Can he grab a basketball without letting it slip through his hands? Is he retarded? The answer to all but the last question is a resounding NO! . . . I am going to kindly write [Fox Sports New England] and see if they can digitally block out Mark Blount's image on the Celtics games. Just put a big blank space there. Maybe that way, when the ball goes through his hands, it will be like nothing happened, and nobody was there to grab it.

Jan. 15, 2005: Looking at Mark Blount makes you think somebody forced him on the court. He never hustles, never tries for loose balls . . . He is a disgrace to the NBA . . . How can he live with himself?

Humorous hyperbole or intemperate critique? Should there be normative guidelines for sports blogging, or does a professional athlete who badly underperforms deserve any criticism that comes his way?

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