ADVERTISEMENT

Incredible in todays Lex Herald Leader

Tskware

All-American
Gold Member
Jan 27, 2003
23,542
18,910
113
They actually ran a story on UK football?? Unbelievable. Personally, I am transfixed by the three or four stories per day on Coach Cal's top targets in the class of '21, or the critical games vs. Angola and Mali (and Iran!! We kicked their ass!!!), and the fascinating stories of former players who were on campus for two or three semesters several years ago trying to get out of the D league, or any number of other similar compelling articles.

But today, they ran a story on Kentucky's (hopefully) QB of the future, Jarren Williams. Although it was kind of interesting, I sure hope they don't start taking column inches away from basketball. I just can't get enough basketball info in July!!!!
 
The Herald-Leader will never give Football its due because they assign Jen Smith to cover the Football beat and then have her cover Women's Basketball as well. Basketball gets a full-time writer in Jerry "negative" Tipton.Ben Roberts covers recruiting on both sports but focuses mostly on Basketball and pays little attention to Football. This will never change at the Herald-Leader until there's a change at the top.
 
They are still figuring out how to make it 100% online. Probably as the Lexington bureau (content team) of the C-J, unfortunately.
 
The Herald-Leader will never give Football its due because they assign Jen Smith to cover the Football beat and then have her cover Women's Basketball as well. Basketball gets a full-time writer in Jerry "negative" Tipton.Ben Roberts covers recruiting on both sports but focuses mostly on Basketball and pays little attention to Football. This will never change at the Herald-Leader until there's a change at the top.
I know for a fact Jen covers women's basketball because she wants to do it, not because she's forced to. She still does a great job with football.
 
The Herald-Leader will never give Football its due because they assign Jen Smith to cover the Football beat and then have her cover Women's Basketball as well. Basketball gets a full-time writer in Jerry "negative" Tipton.Ben Roberts covers recruiting on both sports but focuses mostly on Basketball and pays little attention to Football. This will never change at the Herald-Leader until there's a change at the top.
Jen's football knowledge would dwarf yours. One of the best writers the HL has ever had. Just a terrible post all the way around.
 
All though I agree with the overall premise. Jen Smith doesn't get the credit she deserves.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Chuckinden
They actually ran a story on UK football?? Unbelievable. Personally, I am transfixed by the three or four stories per day on Coach Cal's top targets in the class of '21, or the critical games vs. Angola and Mali (and Iran!! We kicked their ass!!!), and the fascinating stories of former players who were on campus for two or three semesters several years ago trying to get out of the D league, or any number of other similar compelling articles.

But today, they ran a story on Kentucky's (hopefully) QB of the future, Jarren Williams. Although it was kind of interesting, I sure hope they don't start taking column inches away from basketball. I just can't get enough basketball info in July!!!!
Although I appreciate your love for UK football, I love em too, this sounds petty and jealous. Who cares if the Herald Leader writes a column on Iran or Stoops? Basketball is top dog around here, not saying that's good or bad, it is what it is. Doesn't take a thing away from my enjoyment of the Cats and the great recruiting this staff is doing right now. GBB
 
  • Like
Reactions: *Bleedingblue*
Although I appreciate your love for UK football, I love em too, this sounds petty and jealous. Who cares if the Herald Leader writes a column on Iran or Stoops? Basketball is top dog around here, not saying that's good or bad, it is what it is. Doesn't take a thing away from my enjoyment of the Cats and the great recruiting this staff is doing right now. GBB

Have to agree with you here. I love UK football and have been a season ticket holder for awhile now. And, I really have been enjoying the recent upbeat trend of our football program. But, if I'm a business like a newspaper who would I give more coverage to? A longtime proven basketball program that has won more games than any other school in the nation, has won the 2nd most national titles in the nation and a program that is currently one of the hottest ones in the country? Or, do I give equal presentation of a football program that has, pretty much, been very mediocre for most of its history? Just trying to see it from a business point of view and where the most reader fanship would probably be. Loving it, though, that they now feel the UK football program is becoming worthy enough to force them to give it more coverage and hope that upward trend for UK football continues to rise. I, personally, love all UK sports and support them all as much as I possibly can so I don't care to get into that basketball fan vs football fan stuff that some of you do. My personal take on it anyway.
 
They actually ran a story on UK football?? Unbelievable. Personally, I am transfixed by the three or four stories per day on Coach Cal's top targets in the class of '21, or the critical games vs. Angola and Mali (and Iran!! We kicked their ass!!!), and the fascinating stories of former players who were on campus for two or three semesters several years ago trying to get out of the D league, or any number of other similar compelling articles.

But today, they ran a story on Kentucky's (hopefully) QB of the future, Jarren Williams. Although it was kind of interesting, I sure hope they don't start taking column inches away from basketball. I just can't get enough basketball info in July!!!!


Their articles are written based on "clicks" if a certain story generates the most "clicks" they are going in that direction. If the items you want more print of then by all means organize with the other fans and protest... go far enough to picket out front. Generate your own news on the matter.
If you don't feel like doing anything then by all means just sit at home in the chair and complain about it on a message board.

Or just subscribe to HOB and read the upteen articles about UK football like I do.
 
Agree with OP...good lord. There are 120 players plus the fact that most of the 17 class has recently filtered in to UK. Appreciate the article today but can't they find the time to write more about this football team?
 
  • Like
Reactions: Poetax and RV2
Obviously sarcasm. I agree. Way too few fball stories.
Unless they hire writers who actually understand what is going on year over year with Stoops' development of our football program, I'm not sure I really want to see more stories about football. There isn't really any insight. I read more informative material about our team on other websites like SEC Country.
 
true but football is a much bigger sport in the conference we play in and nationally as well. For the first time in maybe 4 decades Kentucky is establishing a national identity in football. That's news IMO - Big news.
Agree with this. Better coverage almost always comes after results, not before. It is time for the Leader to step up, but I don't think their current staff is capable if it. Staffing a newspaper these days in a city the size of Lexington is very difficult.
 
They actually ran a story on UK football?? Unbelievable. Personally, I am transfixed by the three or four stories per day on Coach Cal's top targets in the class of '21, or the critical games vs. Angola and Mali (and Iran!! We kicked their ass!!!), and the fascinating stories of former players who were on campus for two or three semesters several years ago trying to get out of the D league, or any number of other similar compelling articles.

But today, they ran a story on Kentucky's (hopefully) QB of the future, Jarren Williams. Although it was kind of interesting, I sure hope they don't start taking column inches away from basketball. I just can't get enough basketball info in July!!!!

Trust me bruh, it ain't always good when stories about you be in da paper.
 
My criticism of the Herald-Leader in no way did I imply that Jen Smith is not doing a good job as a writer. My point is that she is assigned two sports instead of one like Tipton and Basketball. As for the people that think that Basketball is more important than Football. Just see the interest that Football generates when the team does well plus the attendance and people around the country that get exposed to UK Football. I am a UK Basketball fan but my first love is UK Football and then UK Baseball and Basketball is third.
 
  • Like
Reactions: ram1955 and rye48
true but football is a much bigger sport in the conference we play in and nationally as well. For the first time in maybe 4 decades Kentucky is establishing a national identity in football. That's news IMO - Big news.
A national identity?

I'm in southeast Georgia. I work with a bunch of UGA fans, some Georgia Southern fans and a couple G-Tech fans. They talk football 365 days a year. To them, UK football is the same as it's always been, despite my efforts to tell them otherwise. We aren't even establishing a conference identity yet. Let's do that before we talk national identity. We can start by knocking off UGA in Athens this year. I'll be there!
 
true but football is a much bigger sport in the conference we play in and nationally as well. For the first time in maybe 4 decades Kentucky is establishing a national identity in football. That's news IMO - Big news.
I agree and the more UK wins, the better they recruit then the HL will have more articles on UK football. I still don't understand why anyone cares what that rag writes tho
 
I know for a fact Jen covers women's basketball because she wants to do it, not because she's forced to. She still does a great job with football.

I read @Gabewcat 's original post he didn't say she was "forced" to cover women's hoops and he didn't say she did a bad job. He did imply that she was stretched too thin by being assigned both sports. I don't see any reason to jump on his back, other than an an attempt at chivalry when none was warranted.
 
true but football is a much bigger sport in the conference we play in and nationally as well. For the first time in maybe 4 decades Kentucky is establishing a national identity in football. That's news IMO - Big news.
That doesn't change what the HL's readership wants imo.
 
I read @Gabewcat 's original post he didn't say she was "forced" to cover women's hoops and he didn't say she did a bad job. He did imply that she was stretched too thin by being assigned both sports. I don't see any reason to jump on his back, other than an an attempt at chivalry when none was warranted.
Ha, I didn't jump on his back. To me, he implied that basketball is more important to the LHL because it has a writer who only covers basketball, while the football writer has to cover another sport. Jen didn't have to keep covering basketball once she got the football job, she chose to.

The comment "she still does a great job" didn't have anything to do with Gabe's post.
 
  • Like
Reactions: *Bleedingblue*
true but football is a much bigger sport in the conference we play in and nationally as well. For the first time in maybe 4 decades Kentucky is establishing a national identity in football. That's news IMO - Big news.
That's true, but we haven't done anything of significant value on the field yet.
 
That's true, but we haven't done anything of significant value on the field yet.

I guess the term "significant" is subjective. I think finishing in a 3 way tie for second in the East, beating a top 10 UofL team, and making it to the Gator bowl last year is at least somewhat significant compared to the pathetic teams we have had the previous several years. Add the recruiting successes we are notching and we are getting attention from some writers in the national media in a more serious fashion then I have seen before.

You would think when a program that has suffered mightily over the years starts to rise up in that fashion that the local paper would jump on the bandwagon a little bit - that's all I'm saying, and that doesn't require them to give up anything regarding their basketball coverage.
 
A national identity?

I'm in southeast Georgia. I work with a bunch of UGA fans, some Georgia Southern fans and a couple G-Tech fans. They talk football 365 days a year. To them, UK football is the same as it's always been, despite my efforts to tell them otherwise. We aren't even establishing a conference identity yet. Let's do that before we talk national identity.
Good thing Jarren Williams doesn't see it that way.
 
I guess the term "significant" is subjective. I think finishing in a 3 way tie for second in the East, beating a top 10 UofL team, and making it to the Gator bowl last year is at least somewhat significant compared to the pathetic teams we have had the previous several years. Add the recruiting successes we are notching and we are getting attention from some writers in the national media in a more serious fashion then I have seen before.

You would think when a program that has suffered mightily over the years starts to rise up in that fashion that the local paper would jump on the bandwagon a little bit - that's all I'm saying, and that doesn't require them to give up anything regarding their basketball coverage.
Good observations. I doubt the Leader is capable of stepping up the quality of football coverage. Their subscription base is shrinking 2% a year. Their employees are petrified of layoffs. It is tough to acquire and retain skilled staff in that kind of environment, especially in a medium sized city in a small state. As this thread underscores, their online coverage isn't attracting a lot of positive attention. You and I can get equal or better coverage of UK football elsewhere. So I don't believe the future is bright for our local newspaper. As far as our football program itself is concerned, "significant" progress has been made, and is being made. Our coaching staff has finally been straightened out. Our facilities have been modernized. We are winning SEC road games. We beat UL and their Heisman quarterback in their own house. We went to the Gator Bowl. Every year, our recruiting classes are ranked higher and higher. That is progress. When we are ranked in national polls, we will have a national profile. That hasn't happened yet, but the trend lines are headed in that direction. If we had won our bowl, we probably would be ranked in upcoming preseason polls. We are that close.
 
A national identity?

I'm in southeast Georgia. I work with a bunch of UGA fans, some Georgia Southern fans and a couple G-Tech fans. They talk football 365 days a year. To them, UK football is the same as it's always been, despite my efforts to tell them otherwise. We aren't even establishing a conference identity yet. Let's do that before we talk national identity. We can start by knocking off UGA in Athens this year. I'll be there!

I see this too. Fans and media in the deep south don't see UK as much of a threat, like a pesky little dog that nips at one's ankle. UK's not to be taken seriously and won't be until they end the god-awful, humiliating, embarrassing losing streaks to UF/UT and then are able to win its fair share moving forward. That's GOT to happen before much will change. I'm not sure some UK fans understand how much damage to the UK product those streaks have done and are doing.
 
I see this too. Fans and media in the deep south don't see UK as much of a threat, like a pesky little dog that nips at one's ankle. UK's not to be taken seriously and won't be until they end the god-awful, humiliating, embarrassing losing streaks to UF/UT and then are able to win its fair share moving forward. That's GOT to happen before much will change. I'm not sure some UK fans understand how much damage to the UK product those streaks have done and are doing.
Yes, fans of other schools will respect UK football proportionally to how often we beat them. Those losing streaks occur for a reason. Talent disparity. Most UK football fans can see how such losing streaks help to set the SEC hierarchy. In fact, we have seen a lot of discussion about it here. But I'm not sure some UK fans really understand how much progress has already been made toward narrowing the talent gap with the traditional upper tier SEC teams. Many fans won't see this until we actually beat these teams more often on the field, although some already see the roster talent levels equalizing. Breaking the losing streaks is very important, and I don't know if it can happen this year. But there are other parameters of improvement. Year over year improvement in recruiting classes leads to more wins down the road. The appearance of more quality interior defenders and edge rushers in our classes foretells defensive improvements prerequisite for beating upper tier SEC teams. As I said on another thread, if we had beaten GT in our bowl, we would probably have gotten ranked in the 2017 preseason polls. Mention in polls is probably coming, and it would help. If we lose to Florida again, but finish the season ranked in national polls, that's actually a large step in the right direction.
 
Last edited:
I wouldn't call it a "national identity" after our first 7 win season.
 
Fans and media in the deep south don't see UK as much of a threat, like a pesky little dog that nips at one's ankle.

Living here in SE Tennessee I can second that, although in some ways I think it's whistling past the graveyard. However recently when discussing football with several others, one die hard UT fan said somewhat seriously "now we've got to worry about Kentucky too".
 
Having our new first time coach recruit the #17 overall class in 2014? That's accomplishing something HUGE.

Continuing to bring in top 25 classes to a school that Brooks and Joker could only manage top 50 classes on average? Another HUGE accomplishment. Our move into Ohio has brought the talent to Lexington capable of beating any team in the country.

Finishing last year 7-3 with a 1st year QB and returning 90% of their 2 deep this season? Before a ball is snapped, that makes this team the best UK Football team I will have ever seen. Anything from 6-10 wins is not only expected, but predicted. There's even talk by pundits of UK actually having a shot to win the East this season. I've NEVER seen that in my lifetime...

If you don't think CMS has accomplished anything yet, you're either not paying attention or not a true fan. UK has SEC level talent and depth for the 1st time in my lifetime. Win or lose, that is once again a previously thought impossible thing for UK Football to accomplish with such a weak in state base.
 
Ha, I didn't jump on his back. To me, he implied that basketball is more important to the LHL because it has a writer who only covers basketball, while the football writer has to cover another sport. Jen didn't have to keep covering basketball once she got the football job, she chose to.

The comment "she still does a great job" didn't have anything to do with Gabe's post.
I never used the word "forced". Baskketball i more important to the Herald-Leader than Football. It my be a business decision on their part but it is mis-guided because there are a lot more UK football fans than Basketball. The only thing missing is the team's success, if it starts changing you will see the Herald-Leader jump on board and start covering football the way most of the other successsful SEC papers cover their teams.
I know what I am talking about because I used to travel to the other SEC towns and saw how they cover their teams and it is far different than the Herald-leaders way.
 
  • Like
Reactions: ram1955
ADVERTISEMENT