Oct
30
Bog of the Burgundy Revolution: Dan Steinberg provides a voice and an agenda
Filed Under Multimedia journalism
Dan Steinberg has become the voice of the Burgundy Revolution.
The Washington Post blogger’s D.C. Sports Bog has become the Revolution’s biggest online presence, even bigger than the fan revolutionaries themselves. Fan Web sites and blogs, from Hatetheowner.com to SELL THE TEAM DAN to SnyderSucks.org, have gathered large followings in their own right and served as a rallying cry for an angry fan base, whether they wanted to boycott, petition the owner or simply vent their frustrations. But Steinberg’s plugs and links, both on his blog and his Twitter, pushed the cause into the mainstream media spotlight.
He actually coined the term “Burgundy Revolution” in the first place, to describe the attitude of the comments, e-mails and pictures sent by his readership and that he found through his own online searches, which allowed disparate groups to unite under a single theme. And he has continued to pursue the movement with gusto and liberal linking, so the D.C. Sports Bog still serves as a center of the Burgundy Revolution community. His posts on the subject — 21 just this week– reach an already established audience, making his readership aware of the issues and providing his own opinions on the happenings. Leading revolutionaries can connect with others. People without means or motivation to start their own blogs, or even to search for such sites, can click on and appreciate Steinberg’s finds.
His blog serves as a front page for the Burgundy Revolution, bringing together in one place news that would otherwise remain fragmented among different sites and groups. For example, this week he reported on the banning of signs at FedEx Field. The blogosphere would have been abuzz without him, but the power of the story would have been diluted over cyber space. But Steinberg dug through the stadium’s trash to take pictures of abandoned signs, he solicited his readers for their pictures and stories, and he even found an old phone book to research the team’s past sign policies. The story eventually reached the national level and even became a topic of debate on ESPN’s Around the Horn on Wednesday thanks to Steinberg. He not only breathed life into the Burgundy Revolution but sets the agenda for the movement.
Here are some of the best links Steinberg found this week from myriad Bog posts:
- “A Sign of the Times,” by Dan Daly of The Washington Times, a wonderful story on Dan Snyder’s attempt to control the team’s public image.
- A photo and video showing ESPN personality Bill Simmons’ thoughts on Redskins owner Dan Snyder, from a book signing in D.C. on Monday.
- A plea to Snyder from Redskins fan and former Philadelphia 76ers president Billy King.
- And my personal favorite, a hilarious cartoon showing the team’s troubles. Enjoy!
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2 Responses to “Bog of the Burgundy Revolution: Dan Steinberg provides a voice and an agenda”
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I don’t usually follow sports, and almost never American football. However, I read through several of your last posts, and I finally understand how online blogs, Twitter, comments and posts can influence the development of the news and even become the news.
The speed of how news spreads on the Internet, and how groups can form around a common theme or perception is a powerful tool.
I found it really interesting how one site acts like an aggregator of opinion and news for a group that desires to have its own opinion reflected.
It seems to me that this kind of migration both widens the consumption of news while it narrows the ideological window through which that news is seen.
The word that you use, revolutionaries, is very apt – I think that these tools, this speed of communciation, aggregation and dissemination are the most important tools for the spread of social revolution — whether it is in the realm of sports or politics.
Way to go Kate! Your blogs are so insightful, clear and concise that even non-sports fans like me can read and understand them without having to think too hard. I hope that there is some way that you can let Chris Cooley know about your blog so that while he’s at home recuperating, he can read and enjoy them. And, oh yeah, ask him to provide more pictures of him and his shorts!