Abstract
When its entire staff resigned in protest of management meddling in 2019, Deadspin had become one of the most influential institutions in American sports journalism. This critical essay examines the blog’s legacy through the unique lens of punk philosophy, drawing upon coverage by and about the site, as well as in-depth interviews with sports media professionals (including those among Deadspin’s leadership). Punk theory helps explain how and why Deadspin cultivated itself in opposition to both the flawed symbiotic dependencies of sports media and the aesthetic restraint of establishment journalism, while pioneering and sharpening the participatory, do-it-yourself culture of blogging. The paper concludes this analysis of what Deadspin might portend for an otherwise-rare adversarial model of sports journalism at a time of dramatic industry and technological upheaval.
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