Insiders are just a click away

In a time when experts in their respective fields were well-respected journalist with impressive credentials, nobody could have seen this one coming.

Meet Ecklund, the anonymous hockey insider who started gaining notoriety during the NHL Lockout after the 2003-2004 season, according to his website. It states that Ecklund’s identity isn’t reveled to protect his sources and make them more willingly to share inside information. He is now considered one of the most respected insiders in the hockey world.

This is one of many examples of non-traditional experts who are moving into the world of sports journalism. The other fade appears to be that of gathering information from around the country. HoopsHype is one such site that gives the readers a lot of information for them to read through.

Doing this allows the common fan with an internet connection to become an expert. This plays into the theory set by David Weinberger in his book, “Everything is Miscellaneous: The Power of the New Digital Order.” In there, he says that the new media is controlled by us.

With all of these new outlets for up-to-date news, major news outlets have tried to control the problem by adding more experts. It has hoped that more experts would mean some more breaking stories, but it has been almost the opposite. New websites ran by fans with little or no journalism experience has been posting their stories within minutes of their release.

Web 2.0 has changed the way sports is being covered by making it more open for non-insiders to infiltrate the old guard. Now, you don’t have to grade out high with a journalism degree or put in the necessary years as a local beat writer. Everybody can be an “insider,” if they want to put in the time.