Incredible in todays Lex Herald Leader

[*Bleedingblue*]

because there are a lot more UK football fans than Basketball.

HUH???? I love UK football but that is pure junk. Down here in TN their are huge amounts of UK basketball fans and UT/Bama/ Ole Miss etc football fans. Northern Ky their is a huge amount of Ohio St football/ UK basketball fans. Go up in Illinois and their are tons of people that follow UK basketball.

Even people who do not root for UK basketball follow what UK is doing in basketball because UK is the trendsetter. We set the standard and create the headlines and not much in a negative manner like UL.

 

[Derek Terry]

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.

"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."

No, you didn't say forced. But your language is implying that it's the Herald who is making her cover basketball as well. My point was she chose to do that. The way I read it, you're using the example that the football writer covers another beat while the basketball writer doesn't to show the LHL cares more about basketball than football. Maybe I'm wrong on that, but that's the way it sounds to me.

I understand you traveled to other SEC towns and saw how they cover football, but I work along side the people at the LHL everyday during football season. They always have at least two writers at every media opportunity and often times have three on Stoops' Monday presser. Most outlets only have one writer at media opportunities, two tops.

But I don't work for the LHL so I'm not trying to change your mind on if you think it cares about football or not. Just giving you my perspective on it.

 

[*Bleedingblue*]

If you guys don't like how the HL does its business then cancel them. Pay your dues to Cats Illustrated and read 20x more articles about UK football than what the HL would do.

 

[JC CATS]

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.

I didn't read any posts where anyone said basketball is more important. I did read several posts that said in Kentucky, basketball has more tradition, more winning, and more people IN KY are interested in it. That is why the HL writes more about it. I hope like hell Mark Stoops can change that to where we read equally as much about football. Do you disagree with that?

 

[ukalum1988]

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..

This is a problem for essentially all legacy print media, not just the LHL.

 

[mrschwump]

This is a problem for essentially all legacy print media, not just the LHL.

I go back to the days of DG Fitmaurice and Rick Bailey when, living out state, I subscribed to the Leader and then LHL solely to get UK sports news. I've heard for years, nay decades, how the LHL and the CJ and NY Times and Washington Post, etc, etc, etc were going out of business because we, the reader, were pissed with their message, reporting, etc. But they live on and probably always will. No question subscribers have left but it's advertising that keeps them afloat. I cancelled years ago because of one reason...the Cats Pause. When I could get UK news thru the CP it was no longer necessary for me to continue the LHL. Now I'm a computer cowboy and I get enough news thru sites such as this one and that's enough for me. Thanks CI.

 

[Blue Decade]

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".

We generally kick Tennessee's butts in nearly every major and minor sport except football. 2 of their last 4 men's basketball coaches have gotten in trouble with the NCAA for cheating, and they have 1 of the biggest basketball arenas in the country, but they still can't compete effectively with Calipari. Football is Tennessee's final bragging right against UK. Yes, the SEC is a football 1st conference. But Joshua Dobbs is gone now, and the talent gap has been closed for the most part. If I were a Tennessee fan, I would be worried about all the Vol football players who have been bailing out of Knoxville or getting bailed out of jail.

 

[Blue Decade]

This is a problem for essentially all legacy print media, not just the LHL.

That's largely true around the country, and it's also a relevant problem in the context of the Leader and this thread. My friend works at the Leader, and he says these problems are accelerating faster there than at most other newspapers. Most Leader employees are terrified about losing their jobs as circulation shrinks and work gets outsourced. Our Lexington newspaper is now printed at a Gannett facility in Louisville. This change meant 29 Leader employees were laid off last year. Other Leader work is also outsourced in the Gannett system. BTW, I think Jen Smith does a pretty nice job, certainly better than her local colleagues. But it's a dying newspaper, bad sports department, dismal work environment.

 

[mrschwump]

We generally kick Tennessee's butts in nearly every major and minor sport except football. 2 of their last 4 men's basketball coaches have gotten in trouble with the NCAA for cheating, and they have 1 of the biggest basketball arenas in the country, but they still can't compete effectively with Calipari. Football is Tennessee's final bragging right against UK. Yes, the SEC is a football 1st conference. But Joshua Dobbs is gone now, and the talent gap has been closed for the most part. If I were a Tennessee fan, I would be worried about all the Vol football players who have been bailing out of Knoxville or getting bailed out of jail.

Yes but...Barnes has beaten Calipari twice in the last two years. Let that soak in.

 

[Blue Decade]

Yes but...Barnes has beaten Calipari twice in the last two years. Let that soak in.

I understand that, and we just aren't going to go 40-0. Freshman dominated basketball teams will lose some games that they shouldn't. But Tennessee's basketball program is not really getting better. Almost every year, Kentucky is EE or FF. Barnes would kill for those results.

 

[UKWildcats#8]

If uk football won more this wouldn't be an.issue op.

 

[EclipsingYou]

UK has more high level SEC talent on this football team than they have had in about 40 years. That's just as big of an accomplishment as making the Gator Bowl last year, IMO.

The changeover from Joker to CMS was almost as drastic as BGC to Cal, from a recruiting perspective. The only difference is FR can't excel in SEC football for a few years vs. Instant impact in basketball. CMS's first class will be RS JR and SR's this year. Time to see the impact on the field this year, like you would in basketball via OAD players.

 

[Poetax]

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!!!!

You still read that rag? I got tired of that years ago.

 

[Blue Decade]

If uk football won more this wouldn't be an.issue op.

If UK finished in 1st place in the SEC in every single sport, then almost everyone here would temporarily be happy. But we all know that no school can do that. Meanwhile Kentucky is in the top 10 athletics departments in the country for overall results.

 

[Blue Decade]

UK has more high level SEC talent on this football team than they have had in about 40 years. That's just as big of an accomplishment as making the Gator Bowl last year, IMO.

I agree. It's also true that all the trend lines in our program are moving toward becoming ranked soon in national polls. The real trick is to keep current positive trends moving in that direction. That means keeping the core of our present coaching staff intact, recruiting great classes, putting those players in positions to win competitive games.

 

[RV2]

UK has more high level SEC talent on this football team than they have had in about 40 years. That's just as big of an accomplishment as making the Gator Bowl last year, IMO.

The changeover from Joker to CMS was almost as drastic as BGC to Cal, from a recruiting perspective. The only difference is FR can't excel in SEC football for a few years vs. Instant impact in basketball. CMS's first class will be RS JR and SR's this year. Time to see the impact on the field this year, like you would in basketball via OAD players.

Minor correction. Stoops first class he signed, some were commited to the previous staff and that group, some just graduated and others are RS Seniors. Now you are totally correct if you are just counting the kids he got to recruit for a year and were entirely his kids.

 

[EclipsingYou]

RV2, yeah. I meant his first real class he got to sign. Not the one he pieced together at the last second while trying to wipe the Joker stain off UK's talent pool.

 

[Chuckinden]

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.

We long time fans have jumped on the bandwagon many times before. We are excited about what Stoops is doing with high hopes it turns into results on the field, but I guess you could say we are "gun-shy". Forgive us for being reluctant about getting too high on the football program just yet. We are old, been through some good times, been through a lot of bad, and we have seen this movie before in black and white.

 

[Deeeefense]

We long time fans have jumped on the bandwagon many times before. We are excited about what Stoops is doing with high hopes it turns into results on the field, but I guess you could say we are "gun-shy". Forgive us for being reluctant about getting too high on the football program just yet. We are old, been through some good times, been through a lot of bad, and we have seen this movie before in black and white.

I understand some feel that way, color me old/glass half full.
At any rate I just think newspapers should report the news.

 

[mrschwump]

We long time fans have jumped on the bandwagon many times before. We are excited about what Stoops is doing with high hopes it turns into results on the field, but I guess you could say we are "gun-shy". Forgive us for being reluctant about getting too high on the football program just yet. We are old, been through some good times, been through a lot of bad, and we have seen this movie before in black and white.

I get it. At the least the god-awful losing streaks to UF/UT must end NOW.

 

[Deeeefense]

I get it. At the least the god-awful losing streaks to UF/UT must end NOW.

I think the god-awful streak with UT did end, now it's just a regular losing streak - but yes we are overdue to end that streak. I think we nail them again this year.

 

[Tskware]

I understand some feel that way, color me old/glass half full.
At any rate I just think newspapers should report the news.

I don't read the LHL primarily for sports anymore the way I once did, e.g., they barely cover golf or MLB, other than the Reds. I read it for local news that you can't get anywhere else easily.

Death and decline of local newspapers is going on all over the country, and is a really bad trend, IMO. The Fox/CNN crowds are basically talking heads yelling at each other, more entertainment than "news", also IMO. And private internet "news" sites are a complete joke. National and international news are well covered by NY Times and WSJ and a few others . . . but who would uncover the UL board shenanigans, or the debate over expansion of Urban Service Area in Lexington, if not local news outlets?

 

[vhcat70]

Northern Ky their is a huge amount of Ohio St football/ UK basketball fans..

Living in NKy, I can say that's definitely not true. OSU 5th behind UK/LV/UC/ND. And by a large margin. It's only OH transplants. No natives root for OSU & in fact, almost all can't stand them.