The Yang Slinger: Vol. XXVII
The media winners and losers, highs and lows, goods and bads of 2022.
Way back in 1998, when I was a staffer at Sports Illustrated, we’d occasionally get a call from someone at People Magazine, seeking advice about something related to athletics. Maybe a People writer needed to know a term. Maybe an editor sought to confirm the spelling of Y-I-N-K-A D-A-R-E. Whatever the case, we always found it funny, because the People folk knew absolutely nothing about sports.
Which leads to the 1998 and the Sexiest Man Alive issue.
This was an annual People specialty, and along with having an overall “sexiest” man (usually a Clooney-type) gracing the cover, the inside pages would feature a Sexiest This, Sexiest that. Sexiest Librarian. Sexiest Doctor. Sexiest Fisherman. For the ‘98 issue, People sought out a Sexiest Athlete.
I’m sure they asked the good folk at SI for ideas, and as rumor has it (and as I verified years ago) an editor with our magazine suggested Rich Gannon, my fellow Blue Hen and—at the time—the Chiefs’ dashing quarterback. So a photographer named Toby Black headed to Kansas City with the assignment, “Shoot pictures of the Chiefs quarterback.”
Which he did.
Only, eh, he shot the wrong quarterback.
Elvis Grbac was, indeed, a Chiefs quarterback. But not the Chiefs quarterback, and certainly not the sexiest Chiefs quarterback. But People’s editors knew not what to do, so they swallowed their pride and presented Elvis Grbac—not a sexy man—as a sexy man.
Hilarity ensued.
Long story short: Lists don’t mean shit. They don’t mean shit when People botches a sexy athlete. They don’t mean shit when I handled the 1999 Sports Illustrated 50 Greatest Athletes from Every State project (and we, cough, left Evander Holyfield off Georgia). They’re just a bunch of people noting that the end is near, and a compilation is required.
So, with that as a backdrop, here is the first-ever Jeff Pearlman Yang Slinger Best of Media List (for 2022). It’s random, it’s quirky, it’s sincere.
And it’s not nearly as sexy as Elvis Grbac …
The Yang Slinger Media Superstar of 2022: L. Jon Wertheim:
OK, so there’s some obvious bias here, because Jon is a longtime friend and colleague. But this is my Substack, dammit. I’m not sure anyone in this business works harder—or with more conviction and decency. Jon is an editor/writer at Sports Illustrated who produces stuff like this and this. He’s a correspondent for 60 Minutes who produces stuff like this and this. He’s a Tennis Channel guy who says stuff like this and this. Oh, and he writes books like this and this. He’s absolutely e-v-e-r-y-w-h-e-r-e, and despite the successes I’ve never, ever, ever seen him treat someone poorly or sans dignity.
I like to think I work hard.
But this hard? No way.
The Yang Slinger Lost Cause of 2022: Jason Whitlock:
Once upon a time, not all that long ago, Whitlock teamed up with Joe Posnanski to form the Kansas City Star’s dynamic one-two sports columnist punch. Jason wasn’t merely one of the most powerful Black voices in this medium (where there were far too few people of color writing sports), he was one of the most powerful voices—period.
Through the years, however, well … eh … um … something has gone terribly wrong. Insecurity? A need to be seen at all costs? I’m not entirely sure what’s unfolded. But Whitlock was hired to lead The Undefeated, then blew it and was kicked to the curb. He has since bounced from one medium to another to another, all the while growing increasingly conspiratorial and weird. He seemed to find a perfect landing spot alongside Clay Travis at the hard-right Outkick the Coverage, but his stint there lasted a wink and a half. As the old saying goes, “If you’re too warped to stick at Outkick, something’s really off.”
Now, on the heels of this embarrassing ass kiss of Donald Trump, Whitlock lives on the fringiest of fringes, hosting a podcast and a YouTube channel that both exist within the deepest realms of the MAGA echo chamber. Rumor has it he’ll soon be doing twice-a-day hits via CB radio in certain corners of the Greater Reno municipality.
To be clear, this brings me no joy. I’ve never liked Whitlock’s schtick, but he’s not without talent.
The Yang Slinger Rising Star: Payton Titus, University of Florida:
Payton appeared on my podcast back in May, after some remarkable reporting on the college level led to her school dismissing the women’s soccer coach. She’s spent the past few months writing for the Miami Herald, and her work leaps from the page. There’s something about this up-and-comer that feels different from most other young journalists. She’s poised. She’s savvy. She’s experienced. She has a legitimate maturity in approach.
She’s ready.
The 10 Sports Media Influencers of 2022:
Bill Simmons, The Ringer:
Over the course of the past two decades, Simmons is The Guy who has not merely adjusted to the times, but spearheaded dramatic shifts in the way people consume content. Bill was The Sports Guy. Then he was Grantland. Then he was The Ringer. He had an HBO show. He did NBA games. Podcasts start blowing up—Bill rolls into the world of pods. It’s a remarkable career that keeps on producing. Not all that long ago, I was a pretty big Bill complainer—“Wah, the way he doubles as a fan is killing the industry. Wah.” And while I remain uncomfortable with the erosion of the line, I’ve come to admire his ability to see six steps ahead.
Channing Crowder, Fred Taylor and Ryan Clark, The Pivot:
There are plenty of podcasts hosted by retired athletes. But something about The Pivot has moved the needle on the medium. The realness. The honesty. The rawness. It’s an outstanding product that opens listeners up to a world most never visit. In many ways, Crowder, Taylor and Clark use their status as retired athletes to empathize in ways I’ve never been able to. It’s a powerful tool.
Clay Travis, Outkick:
Look, he’s largely full of shit. Probably votes for Biden and funds abortion clinics and has a trans neighbor who comes by for Thanksgiving and trades secret stories about MAGA dolts while laughing over passages of “Gender Queer.” And his site is often a cesspool of the grotesque, the vile, the stupid, the transparently phobic. But love him or hate him, Clay’s Outkick has found a market among conservative sports fans who need them some Trump and need them some college football. He’s lasted far longer than most of us anticipated, and clearly works hard honing in on a message. In this age of micro-markets and focused readership, it’s no small trick.
Taylor Rooks, Bleacher Report:
I hate what Bleacher Report has become. Hate, hate, hate. Back a few years ago, it was one of the great spots for deep-dive longform. Then it dumped that plan for flash, splash, quick hits, clicks. And, in many ways, Rooks isn’t entirely my cup o’ tea—the whole journalist-as-celeb celebrity thing. BUT … some of the best athlete-reporter interviews of the past few years have been conducted by Rooks, including this one with Tyrese Haliburton and this with Ja Morant. She probes, she digs, she gets stuff others don’t. So, hey, maybe I was wrong.
Adam Schefter, ESPN:
This one comes with a slight twist. I’ve got no personal agenda against Adam. And he’s clearly an important figure in the NFL media landscape. But if we learned one thing over the past few years, it’s that, well, um, he’s sorta, eh, compromised. A real reporter doesn’t run a story past a source. A real reporter also doesn’t Tweet this …
or this …
The price of access is often integrity.
Adam shows precious little.
As a result, he’s actually served as a cautionary tale for many young folk in the media. It’s one thing to make it. But don’t make it … like that.
Chris Long, Green Light:
Less than a half decade after his last NFL game, Long (one of the true good guys in sports media) jumped into the podcast space with gusto. When he speaks, people legitimately listen. He’s smart and charismatic, pulls surprisingly few punches and breaks down the intricacies of a game as well as anyone out there.
Candace Buckner, Washington Post:
The (still relatively new) Washington Post sports columnist is one of America’s best scribes—and an important voice in the increasingly diverse world of sports media. She’s simply a wonderful writer and a standard-bearer in the industry who, over the past year, moved toward the top of the AMERICA’S BEST SPORTS COLUMNIST conversation.
Katie Strang, The Athletic:
The senior enterprise and investigative writer gives no shits. She’s fearless, edgy, smart, savvy and as good a prober as we have in the business. Her recent work on Zvi Levran, the Michigan “hockey doc,” sums up all she does well. If you’re someone who works in sports, and Katie is reporting on you—run.
Bomani Jones, HBO:
A certain dipshit frog boy at Outkick likes criticizing Bomani because, apparently, ratings of his HBO show, Game Theory with Bomani Jones, were just meh. But here’s the thing—Bomani Jones, mere sports writer not long ago … HAS HIS OWN FUCKING HBO SHOW! WITH HIS NAME ON IT! THAT GUESTS BEG TO APPEAR ON! AND THE SHOW IT LEGITIMATELY GOOD. So, hey, the last laugh is the best one. Plus, Bomani is one of the legitimate good dudes in the business. Hard working. Detailed. Wise. His success is an inspiration/motivator for every grinder with a dream.
Stephen A. Smith, ESPN:
Look, it’s not my thing. Not really. But to pretend Smith’s impact on sports media doesn’t remain huge would be to delve into bullshit. In many ways, I hate what Smith and Skip have wrought—a generation of up-and-comers who think the way to do this is to bark and snarl and rip and yelp. But, well, maybe the way to do this is to bark and snarl and rip and yelp. So, fuck. We’re doomed—but Stephen A. is at the forefront.
Seven Mighty Sports Books of 2022
Obviously any literary list comes with limitations—like (cough, cough) I haven’t read every sports book. But for my money, one of the the 2022 kings of sports lit has to be Howard Bryant’s “Rickey: The Life and Legend of an American Original.” It’s the subject I wish I tackled, but then realized (after reading) that I would have been the wrong guy. Howard’s dig into Rickey’s Oakland roots, his quirky behavior, his misunderstood approach is page-turning bliss.
Along those lines, David Maraniss never disappoints—and “Path Lit by Lightning: The Life of Jim Thorpe” is everything you’d expect when a top-shelf researcher meets a subject itching to be examined. There are roughly 100 moments when—mid-reading—you’ll ask yourself, “How the fuck did he find that?”
The name Stephen Guinan doesn’t have the nationwide familiarity of a Bryant or Maraniss, and that’s because—when he’s not kicking ass on the literary front—the man teaches high school English in Columbus, Ohio. But “We Are The Troopers: The Women of the Winningest Team in Pro Football History” is an absolute treat. It’s the story of the long-forgotten (if ever remembered) Toledo Troopers, a woman’s football team that dominated the land for a good decade. Guinan is a fabulous writer, and his joy dances from page to page.
Unlike the Troopers, Muhammad Ali has been the subject of, oh, 8,532 books through the decades. But somehow, against all odds, the great Dave Hannigan brings forth a stunningly original approach in “Muhammad Ali: Fifteen Rounds in the Wilderness.” I don’t want to spoil much, but Hannigan looks at The Greatest in a way that feels fresh and unique and keeps on soaring from page to page.
Chris Herring’s “Blood in the Garden: The Flagrant History of the 1990s New York Knicks” chronicles a period from Pat Riley’s 1991 Big Apple landing thru the wrinkled suit heyday of Jeff Van Gundy. What I dig—beyond the color and wildness of the era—are the stories. And more stories. And more stories. They never end. Herring was meant to do this book thing.
Anyone who has worked in sports media for a good chunk of time has come across Mike Zagaris, the iconic Bay Area photographer. And his new compilation, “Field of Play: 60 Years of NFL Photography,” elicits all sorts of feels. Z doesn’t just see moments—he attacks them. It’s beautiful stuff.
One might think, “Ugh, who needs another Kobe book?” Yet Mike Sielski’s “The Rise: Kobe Bryant and the Pursuit of Immortality,” is something special. First, it’s not a Kobe book, but a Kobe origin saga. And second, it’s a beautifully written masterpiece of basketball history.
Ten Best (Random) Media Moments of 2022:
Brian Windhorst is a respected reporter who busts his ass, so I hope people take his WHAT’S GOING ON IN UTAH? run as entertainment, not an opportunity to forever ridicule. But … it remains tremendously funny and will forever leave me wondering what, exactly, is going on in Utah? If anything at all.
Kari Lake, presuming she was about to be elected governor of Arizona, promising the local media she would teach them some tough lessons and be their worst nightmare: This clip is only gold because the space cadet lost, and soon enough she’ll be begging cable access stations for the morning weather slot. It’s also a reminder to treat people kindly, because you’ll inevitably bump into them on the way back down.
Mark Woodley, the local sports guy at KWWL-TV in Waterloo, Iowa, was asked to pitch in with recent storm coverage. This is the gold of gold of gold. It’s also an ode to the power of droll humor and being a good sport.
Grace Ashford and Michael Gold breaking one of the batshit craziest stories of the year—the lies, deceptions and weirdness of George Santos, a congressman-elect who apparently sold bullshit … on everything. Why, just tonight it’s being reported (and I’m not making this up) that Santos routinely lied about his mother dying in the World Trade Center during the 9.11 attacks.
Rolling Stone’s January 8 profile of Stephanie Matto, the 90-Day Fiancé star who has earned in excess of $200,000 by farting into jars, then mailing them to people who, eh, enjoy smelling farts in jars. And if you’re asking, “Why is this a great media moment?”—well, name another time in U.S. history when jar farts were a national issue.
Harry Styles winds up on the June cover of … Better Homes & Gardens? I loved, loved, loved, loved this. Why? Because we in media are always seeking ways to reinvent, to rejigger, to reinvigorate. And someone at this stodgy, forgotten magazine had the wherewithal to think, “How about Harry Styles for the cover?” The thing wound up going viral and, for a good two days, Tik Tok was overflowing with talk about a magazine most people younger than 40 know not exists.
I’m not sure there’s ever been a greatest singular moment in human history than this Tweet …
Oh, wait. I found a greater singular moment.
Donald Trump selling NFTs isn’t, in and of itself, a great media moment. Donald Trump selling NFTs via this preposterous video isn’t, in and of itself, a great media moment. Margaret Hartmann of New York Magazine writing this piece about Donald Trump’s NFTs relying on stolen images—is a GREAT media moment. Like, a great, great, great media moment.
The nonstop trolling of Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson for this video was funny and eternal and made for a fun 2022—especially when Wilson bombed in Denver. But, in the man’s defense, he was just doing as he was told by the team marketing department. Whatever team employee released the segment needed to be fired yesterday.
My favorite moment of 2022 isn’t the retirement of Rick Hummel, the longtime St. Louis Post-Dispatch baseball writer. It’s the moment after the Cards’ final game of the season, when Albert Pujols wrapped his arm around Hummel and said, warmly and lovingly, “We’re going out together.”
Ten Articles from 2022 You Should Read:
Antonia Timmerman’s piece for restofworld.org, headlined, THE DIRTY ROAD TO CLEAN ENERGY: HOW CHINA’S ELECTRIC VEHICLE BOOM IS RAVAGING THE ENVIRONMENT is an opus. I’m pro electric car. Pro, pro, pro. But there are complications that need to be discussed. Timmerman uncovers them. And it ain’t pretty.
Jonathan Haidt’s Atlantic essay, WHY THE PAST 10 YEARS OF AMERICAN LIFE HAVE BEEN UNIQUELY STUPID, is a gut punch that lands extra hard for any of us who (wait) check (hold on) social (one minute) media (just a sec) every spare moment.
Mirin Fader’s THE MANY DIMENSIONS OF DEMAR DEROZAN (at The Ringer) is particularly special because she gets a reclusive, hard-to-read superstar to break from his shell. That’s no easy task—and it’s done to perfection here.
Stephanie McCrummen of the Washington Post may well be the LeBron of immersive newspaper features, and this gem—IN RURAL GEORGIA, AN UNLIKELY REBEL AGAINST TRUMPISM—combines all her talents into one singular masterpiece.
Seth Wickersham of ESPN.com knows how to get people to talk—and this is no small trick. If you need proof, just take a gander at the masterful ANDREW LUCK FINALLY REVEALS WHY HE WALKED AWAY FROM THE NFL. Endless strings of reporters have approached Luck to open up. Seth got him. It’s no surprise.
Jonathan Abrams of the New York Times sees things differently than most sports writers—and that’s what makes him special. His Ja Morant opus, ‘A MAGICIAN UP THERE’: HOW IT FEELS TO WATCH JA MORANT FLY is lively and exciting and inventive.
Grant Wahl’s death took a chunk out of me and my Sports Illustrated peers from back in the day. Of all the beautiful odes written for Grant, none touched by heart like HOW GRANT WAHL CHANGED THE PLACE OF SOCCER IN AMERICA by the gifted Louisa Thomas of The New Yorker. I DMed Louisa after the piece ran to ask how she knew Grant. Turns out she’d never met him—which makes this all the more noteworthy.
Claire Coffey, Ava Siano and Veronica Bianco are all students at Grant High in Portland, Oregon. A few weeks ago, the trio wrote THE COST OF COVERAGE, this outstanding article (for the Grant High School student magazine) concerning a local school district than banned a local sports chronicler from its properties after he was sending inappropriate messages to students as young as 13. The story is well-written and wonderfully reported, and speaks to the power of young voices.
I’d never heard of Joe Fedewa, and I’m not a general reader of How-To-Geek, but GMAIL WAS THE BEST APRIL FOOLS’ DAY JOKE OF ALL TIME is one of those articles that leaves you thinking, '“Holy shit—is this really true?” Answer: Yes, it’s really true.
Ruby Cramer of the Washington Post is an absolute star, and if you don’t believe me read ON KARI LAKE’S CAMPAIGN FOR ARIZONA GOVERNOR, THE MIC IS ALWAYS HOT. I don’t know how Ruby does it, but she finds the details others don’t, uncovers the smallest dots and periods and pebbles everyone else seems to bypass.
The Random 2022 Shit I Dug …
For no particular reason, in no particular order …
Aaron Rupar’s Public Notice Substack.
Michael J. Lewis’ Wide World of Stuff blog.
Mirin Fader’s work-in-progress Instagram feed.
Bo Jackson’s two Tweets (one and two) about my book.
The first volume of Michael Namikas’ Tupac Encyclopedia.
The knock-off jerseys of DHGate.
Richard Deitsch’s weekly sports media podcast.
The soothing sounds of Rebecca Lobo and Steve Rushin discussing everything and nothing.
Alan Shipnuck never flinching in the face of golf criticism.
Dick Morris, the long-ago disgraced political consultant, writing a book on Donald Trump’s inevitable 2024 presidential triumph, needing a picture for the back cover and realizing the only one he had features Dick in full nipple bloom and The Donald coated in sweat (see above).
Antonio Brown as a Deadspin Idiot of the Year.
The sweet cover for Jonathan Eig’s upcoming MLK biography.
Lastly, I’ve dug this Substack—writing it, thinking about it, trying to come up with ideas and worthwhile topics. I appreciate anyone who’s taken the top to stop by, and will do my best to make it better in 2023.
Merry new year, and keep writing …
Thank you for continuing to take the time to write and share this newsletter.
Thank you for everrything, Jeff. :)