What does the term “athlete driven content” mean to you? If you call yourself a sports fan, where do you get your sports information from to discuss sports intelligently with friends, family, co-workers? Who do you put your trust in for critical analysis prior to the big championship game – a former athlete turned media personality or a sports journalist turned media personality? Ready to place a life changing bet on the series or big game? Who are you putting your faith into – a former player who had 5 catches in pro football, now a media personality or a 30 year beat writer for the LA Enquirer, who is now on every Sunday morning with his football picks? Has personal opinion leapfrogged facts in the genre of sports journalism? The opinion of a former professional athlete who played roughly 3% of the games in the 5 seasons he was a pro is now telling you his opinion on where you should place your $1500 bet for the big game. Are you okay with this?

So where have the facts gone? Are there still facts in sports reporting? I believe there are. Reporters still crowd manager’s offices and locker room stalls and are present at post game pressers. Journalists and bloggers and media types wait for the scoop directly from the “horse’s mouth” and then report on it in their columns, on the radio, or on TV later that evening. Sports fans have millions of graphs and stats and percentages all pre-game, during the game, post-game thrown at us. The facts and numbers don’t lie, right? They forecast what might happen, explain what actually happened, and provide fodder for what could have happened if the player moved just 1.583654 feet at 16.553 feet/second to his right to make a play. Sports media, sports fans love statistical data and love comparative data from previous seasons. So, going back to the bet you are about to make – are you going with facts from a sports journalist or the opinion of this former pro player?

And who is quantifying the opinions of these former professional athletes who are now media personalities? Are opinions the new facts in journalism? Is there no governing body that watches film or listens to podcasts or reads a blog and then issues a statement to the sport world saying “this guy or gal has no idea what they are talking about and their opinions are completely unfounded and unrealistic and their own, that’s it, nothing else.” Do we have anyone in the media that can shelter the unsuspecting fan looking to bet $1500 on the big game from the former professional player who “doesn’t know what he is talking about?” Or are we as fans supposed to police ourselves on this matter and simply change the channel when this person comes on TV to discuss the big game?

The former pro athlete has the experience of the game to his/her advantage. They went through the ranks – high school star, college phenom, high draft pick in the sport of choice, professional team status, shoe contracts, multi-year contract, playing time issues, interpersonal conflicts with management, slumps, streaks, crazy fans, seemingly non-stop travel, knowing when to retire, retirement ceremonies, hall of fame inductions – just to name a few of their many athletic accomplishments. And is now a frequent contributor to a podcast, an online magazine, and has 29 slots per day on that major sports network channel telling you who is the bomb, who stinks, who will win tonight, tomorrow, 9 months from now. Really, they can see that far into the future? I’m not sure what I’m having for lunch today, let alone who will win the AL East in 2024.

The sports journalist has the experience of attending games since he/she were old enough to walk. He/she tried to play but were not very competitive or athletic, but they had a big brain. He/she was good in school, had an extroverted personality and could make friends quickly across various crowds. They were the team manager or the team press agent in high school, wrote on their university’s school newspaper or online blog in college, interned summers with the New England Collegiate Baseball League or maybe with the Cape Cod Baseball League, have a degree in English or Sports Media or Journalism, got a gopher/assistant to the editor job at the LA Enquirer, was lead on a few breaking news stories, upgraded to writing their own column, was asked to voice their opinion on a local TV Show, which turned into a spot, then 29 spots on a major sports network channel.

One has played the game for years and knows it very, very well. One has studied the game for years and knows it very, very well. One bases their analysis and opinions on their experience playing the game – they recognize how to hit that pitch or tackle that player or what they might have done to elicit a better outcome. One bases their analysis and opinions on watching hundreds of hours of game footage, live and on tape, and points out that in order to hit that pitch, the player’s launch angle should have been at 23% and their exit velocity at 99 to make solid contact.

Now, let me ask you this? Does the experience of the athlete driving the athlete driven content matter? Would you take the opinion of, say Ken Griffey, Jr. over Jim Rice? How about John Smoltz over Ken Ryan? Or Charles Barkley over Eddie House? Or Jerry Rice over, well pretty much anyone who played wide receiver in the NFL? If a lifetime achiever of greatness in their sports talks, should you listen? If a player struggled to make it on the field but still registers as a former professional athlete and has a wicked funny personality, should their opinions be taken with just a grain of salt? Does the professional experience and success of the former player giving the opinion matter to you in athlete driven content?

Athlete driven content dominates sports media today. Every sport, every sports station, every pre-game, every post-game – a former (sometimes current) professional athlete is giving his/her opinion. Sometimes, there are like 50 of them with one moderator, a member of the aforementioned sports journalism group. I like a lot of what these athletes are putting out. In my opinion (take it or leave it, I’m a sports writer), many have the experience and credentials to make statements mild to bold on their sport, their former teammates and rivals, former coaches, predict who will win and lose, and provide quality analysis for the information hungry sports fan. However, in my opinion, many don’t have to be right, they just have to be entertaining. If they are right, they get to brag on a future show. If they are wrong, it’s even more exposure for them as they try to explain themselves on twice as many slots on that major sports network channel. 50 former professional athletes driving content to your sports brain vs 1 current sports journalist pumping facts to your sports brain. Doesn’t seem like an even split, does it?

If you are getting a deck built at your home, would you rather hear from a carpenter with 30 years experience or a drafting teacher from your local high school? If you are getting surgery on your throwing arm, would you take the advice on an orthopedic surgeon with 30 years of experience fixing arms or a spunky medical student who frequently appears on national TV morning shows? What content matters more to you in the world of sports – the athlete’s content or the sports journalist’s content? Your opinion matters, so let me know what you think?