Pick a Side, Guys

Having expatriated to Barcelona in September 2010, I've had to do much of my sports following from afar.  It has its advantages, such as watching the Lightning play the evening after the game took place, sans commercials; and its disadvantages, such as having to avoid Facebook for fear that my friends have given away the outcome of the previous night's game.  And, sadly, the NHL seems to be the only league capable of charging a reasonable price for a monthly subscription to watch their games, although that has lead me to finding a sports bar in Barcelona that televises American football games (no mean feat).

One thing that has not changed is the coverage of sports from my hometown paper, the St. Petersburg Times.  It's a fine paper with good writers and a rich history of independence, owned by a non-profit (The Poynter Institute).  Its sports columnists, however, remain something of a mystery.  I don't know if it's an editorial decision of some sort or simply an effort on the part of the columnists to capture the Zeitgeist of the area after each contest but consider these two articles: Just Consider the Possibilities for the Red Hot Tampa Bay Lightning, penned 4 May 2011 after the Lightning took a three games to none lead over the Washington Capitals, and this article, Maybe Boston Bruins Are Simply Better Than Tampa Bay Lightning, published in yesterday's paper after the Lightning dropped game three to fall behind two games to one against the Bruins.

Saying there is a difference of tone would be like saying Plant City is a bit smaller than New York City.  One minute, the Lightning are a freight train, the next, their the damsel in distress strapped to the railroad tracks.  It's ridiculous.  I understand a desire to reflect the mood of the community, but how about a sense of proportion or a bit of consistency?  It's silly to log on to their website after a win and see them shouting, "THE LIGHTNING HAVE WON THE NEXT FIVE STANLEY CUPS," only to log on after a loss and read how the columnists are dressing in black as the Lightning have no chance of ever competing again.

If this is a decision on the part of the editors to try to reflect the mood of the area's sports fans, I have one word for them: Stop.  It's blatant and wanton pandering and patronizing your readership is never a good idea.  If this is a decision on the part of the columnists, well, they might want to vent their frustrations to their psychiatrists.  A mood leveller or five might do them some good.