Out of the Park: An Evaluation of the Online Baseball Community

This week, I searched the internet for creative, in-depth resources that pertain to the concerns I address in my blog and will give readers additional links of information regarding issues, news and events surrounding Major League Baseball. Using the Webby and IMSA criteria for evaluating websites and blogs, I found what I consider to be 20 informative and analytical sports sites and sports blogs based on their content, structure, visual design, functionality, interactivity, depth and activity. These links have been added to my linkroll (right), but I will also evaluate each of them here. The first few websites I evaluated were ones that I have grown accustomed to using when researching data and information for my blog. ESPN.com's "MLB The Playoffs" page features great sports reporting, including game recaps, interviews and analysis, as well as plenty of multimedia aspects that make the website very user friendly. ESPN's MLB site also provides columns and insider information that make nationwide stories more accessible for users who pay a subscription fee. The main drawback about the site is the never-ending advertisements that pop up when reading stories or watching videos. ESPN also has a section of its site devoted to Minor League Baseball, which provides great insight into minor league players, teams, divisions and scouting reports. I use this sight to check out top prospects and draft picks from across the league. MLB.com provides users with the same type of in-depth reporting as ESPN. Even more importantly, it contains links to each team's individual homepage. However, MLB.com's layout is not visually appealing to the reader because it reveals a lot of boring white space. The next two websites I get a lot of information from are very similar in many aspects. The visual design of Yahoo! Sports' MLB Homepage and Fox Sports' MLB Homepage look the same, and both sites provide excellent and timely reporting for the reader. If I had to choose one that trumps the other, Yahoo! Sports' page contains inside information from experts that Fox Sports' page lacks.

I also explored a number of websites that are taken from print media. USAToday.com's MLB page does not appear attractive or professional based on its design, and its colorful distractions overshadow the website's good reporting and graphics. SportsIllustrated.com's "2008 MLB Playoffs" has a professional design and is user oriented. The website contains outstanding expert reporting and an informative "Truth & Rumors" section. The LATimes.com's Major League Baseball page has some of the best baseball reporting on the internet. While the reason is probably because the Los Angeles Dodgers are in the playoffs, the L.A. Times' page is filled with stories, videos, graphics, columns and sports blogs which are all very current. Similarly, the NYTimes.com's Baseball page provides readers with plenty of reporting and great graphics, but the visual design of the page is very boring for the user. Still, the N.Y. Times' web site includes one of the best blogs I've read. Bats provides a cast of New York baseball experts that share insight into New York baseball no other blog can match. Another New York based print medium that provides great information online is NYPost.com's Sports Home. While this website mainly pertains to New York sports and baseball teams, it's very interactive for the user and contains strong reporting and graphics for readers. Sportsline.com's MLB Home Page offers readers plenty of multimedia assets to choose from including videos, stories and graphics. Furthermore, it provides a widget that counts down the days until the World Series, which can be fun for the user to see. Japanesebaseball.com offers international reporting that includes Japanese' player stats and team profiles that are very informative to the reader. The content isn't that strong, however, because most stories are simply one-paragraph recaps without any multimedia tools. One of my favorite websites I explored was Deadspin.com, a comedic website devoted to poke fun at not only baseball, but all professional sports across the globe. Deadspin provides a lot of interactivity for the user and has an abundance of multimedia including videos and graphics. The visual design is also very appealing to the user. Still, my favorite site I found would have to be MLBTradeRumors.com. It's a site devoted to reporting on trades and transactions across the league. It comes off as a professional website and contains links to back up its information. It also contains links to each team's trade rumors and contains player names in bold font to make them easier for the user to find.

The remaining sites I explored were blogs that each had their own unique way of relaying information creatively and effectively. Two blogs I found contained knowledgeable fans' perspectives on baseball. Although Lean Left and Sports Central had impressive insight from fans, both blogs appeared unprofessional in layout design and didn't contain enough multimedia for users to becoming active within the websites. On the other hand, four other blogs I researched were very effective at appearing professional and providing in-depth reporting on their respective topics. MVN.com's "Major League Baseball" page contains plenty of visuals that are attractive to the reader's eye and provides solid reporting behind the stories. Baseball Musings is a blog that showcases many stories with links attached to the original source. I would have liked to see more content and multimedia tools on this blog, however. Mike's Baseball Rants is definitely the best blog I read that's written by a single fan. Although he is just a Philadelphia Phillies fan, Mike Carminati provides insight that rivals professional reporters, and he includes graphics and links to back up his points. The advertisements on his page, however, do not squeeze in well and could distract the reader. Finally, one of the finest blogs I found was NY Baseball Digest. The blog has a professional layout and the entries are placed in by reporters that provide many links and multimedia tools to satisfy the user. Also, the advertisements blend in nicely with the layout. Overall, my week-long exploration gave me more insight to valuable baseball information I can research on the internet.