Jim Vance vs. Sports Media

When I worked in DC (1986-1999), the only sports team anyone cared about was the Washington Redskins. The waiting list for season tickets was tens of thousands of names long -- they were handed down from generation to generation, and every game was sold out. Sure, the NBA's Bullets/Wizards and NHL's Capitals were there, but they were a second thought until the NFL season was over.  I went to two Super Bowls with the Skins, got to know many of the players, and happily joined in the city's obsession with the burgundy-and-gold.

One of the other things I always admired in those days was the frankness of WRC-TV's Jim Vance, who was always a take-no-crap kinda guy, and may be more so now.  Here's a commentary he did a few days ago about how sports media in DC -- including his own station -- are wrong to play up Redskins training camp and rookie quarterback Robert Griffin III so much, while ignoring the baseball success of the Washington Nationals. Very few TV anchors get a regular segment like this, and fewer of them would use it to take a shot at their own sports department, but after 40 years in the anchor chair, Vance can do and say pretty much whatever he wants...

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