April 27, 2015

• If You Love Football, Quit Reading Now

  Actually, I still kind of enjoy the game, but I still count myself as one who's trying to quit watching, and supporting, the 21st-century version of Gladiatorial Combat, where it's regarded as entertainment to watch healthy men (and boys) put their bodies and brains at unconscionable risk.

  The reason I'm writing is to express my admiration for the page make-up editors of my favorite newspaper, The New York Times.

  Did you see the sports page this morning?  More white space than print.  Obviously, the editors wanted us to read the sole article printed on that page, and I've already gone online to see The Times called out for being shamelessly manipulative, but that's somebody else's opinion, not mine.

  I used to work in the newspaper biz, and page layout was a specialty of mine, but today's idea was one that had never occurred to me.

  In case you haven't figured out what that sole featured article was about, it was a "shamelessly manipulative" piece about the sad story of a star high school running back who grew up to be a young, perpetually confused and perpetually depressed adult who called his mother up on the phone so that she could be a witness to his suicide.  Just like that.

  The point of the Times typography department was that this was too important a story for readers to skip over.  Yeah, editorial opinion was a factor.  If you don't agree with the Times, deal with it.  But whether or not you agree, it's possible to applaud their genius.

  • 1:05 pm
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