Molehill -> mountain.

You some some issue with Scoop Jackson, lay it out for what it is, then, instead of coat-tail hanging on what was nothing more than a trivial oversight involving the origin of a slang-term… what’s this got to do with the Pistons, by the way?

You not being an actual writer or journalist, I don’t expect you to understand how things work in a news org, so you get a pass on that front.

But what IS your deal w/ Scoop?

That guy has penned some of the most poignant and compelling sports articles in recent history, and has a habit of tackling subjects no-one else has the stones to approach.

Maybe you couldn’t resist a pot-shot at the lighter fare, because you haven’t got anything to say about the real issues?

G—

Just because you aren’t calling everyone “ignorant, white, and stupid” this time around (as you did in the Ben Wallace/headband post) doesn’t mean that I’m going to take your bait.

I could write a lengthy post on my problems with Scoop Jackson, and perhaps at some point I will. But in short, I’ll say that his attempts to interject race into every argument whether it exists or not (example, his take on the Ben Wallace afros being handed out by the Bulls — and before them, the Pistons) is divisive and does nothing to gain an understanding from those who don’t come from the same perspective as he does.

There are a number of authors who tackle subjects just as difficult and achieve a much greater level of poignancy without being abrasive and/or alarmist.

Regardless of my abbreviated comments above, Scoop’s actions today have shown him to be much less praiseworthy than you make him out to be.

G, are you a writer? How do things actually work in a news org? ‘Cause the only real writing I’ve ever done was in school, and in school they said that we weren’t allowed to use other people’s words unless we said that’s what we were doing. And then in a class called “Intellectual Property” they told us that when those words were used to shape a recognizable character, they were extra special. But if you’re a writer, I probably don’t need to tell you about school.

“g” is Scoop in disguise! Man the battlestations!

I don’t think the issue is the leaving off of YAYsports.com’s link Scoop put in briefly midway through the column. I think the issue is that he stole the entire idea. Whether or not ESPN.com editors altered the story, the fact is Scoop shouldn’t have been presenting someone else’s creation as his own.

How is that not clear?!

If you honeslty believe that YAYsports has invented the idea of a 1st person narrative, well, okay. I don’t see it as the grand ripoff some of you do, and I assert that a trip to journalism school and some time in a news room gives me a better perspective on it.

And Ian, no, I was only calling you that. Okay, so you aren’t going to — or can’t — back up your words. It’s your blog. So be it. I’ve read the majority of the man’s work over the years and find a lot to appreciate in it. We differ.

By the way, for those of you following this, in the “Scoop is a plagiaristic devil” camp, please read the following:

http://tomfornellisportsblog.blogspot.com/2006/11/headband-speaks.html

And tell us if you think Fornelli also is guilty of abusing YAYsports, as you’ve made Scoop/ESPN out to be. Note that there isn’t even the hint of a link or credit for the “idea”, or “invention” as it has been termed.

Or does this rule only apply to so-called “MSM”, and can bloggers rip each other off quietly without accredation or uproar?

Inquiring minds, ya’ll… :P

Since you have such an in-depth knowledge of journalism and professional writing, you should be able to appreciate the difference between a fan using an approach somewhat similar and a paid writer lifting the idea in its entirety, right down to the identical name, and applying it to a publication claiming copyright protection. Out of such nuances have many lawsuits risen or fallen.

No? Sorry bro, it’s a trademark thing. You wouldn’t understand.

G—

I think you missed the point. And I don’t think your example is relevant.

1st person narrative or personification is not the issue — not at all. The issue is that Scoop Jackson used the name “Orange Roundie” initially without attributing a source.

If I write a fictional account of a British spy, it isn’t a protected concept. If I write a fictional account of a British spy named James Bond, then I have to answer to Ian Fleming’s people, don’t I? Scoop wrote a semi-fictional article where he gave a voice to the new ball — not original, but alright. But Scoop didn’t stop there — he used YAYsports’ name for the character as well. And his half-assed apology, assuming YAY would be happy that he stole their work for the betterment of all ESPN, was condescending as well.

Not to mention the fact that Scoop isn’t doing this for some zero-profit blog. He’s getting paid for this shit! So, in short, it was his inability to come up with a creative column idea and his audacity at lifting the idea in whole that led to this mess.

So, for those who really want to follow this, read YAYsports’ explaination of their side <a href=“http://www.yaysports.com/nba/2006/12/the_cavalier_is_torn_to_pieces.html”/ rel="nofollow">here.

I was completely unaware of YaySports! writing a piece on Ben Wallace’s headband.

I’m from Chicago and all I heard about for a few days was this god damn headband, and I figured it would be funny to hear the headbands side.

I wasn’t intentionally stealing an idea from Yay, I don’t read the sight. It’s just an instance of great minds thinking alike and all that.

Fornelli: YAY didn’t write anything about the headband — the commenter here simply used your post about the headband as a comparison to Scoop Jackson’s column about the ball in a bad (IMHO) attempt to suggest that Ian thinks YAY has ownership on the whole concept of “personification.”

The difference, of course, is that Scoop later admitted he was using YAY’s idea, which everyone familiar with YAY already knew considering he also ripped off the name “Orange Roundie.”

Yeah, it’s all very confusing and odd, but don’t worry, your site was mentioned more as a hypothetical example than anything else.

Ok, well I definetely don’t read Scoop.

Um….Go Bulls! :)