John Adams Predicts Sweet 16 Run For The Lady Volunteers In The 2023-2024 Season

[turbovol]

To be fair to the room, John Adams is an LSU, uh, let's say supporter, who has taken many opportunities - some subtle, some decidedly unsubtle -- to dump on Tennessee's athletic department over the years. Some of it's been unsbtle enough that you'd expect to see it from rags in Gainesville or Atlanta before you'd ever see it in Knoxville's local papers. He doesn't need to fawn, but his snarky commentary wore out ages ago. I remember when the KnoxNews site started asking users to pay for their sports writing. Ha. I laughed pretty hard at that one.

Sports columnists write opinion columns---and if the athletic department is making mistakes or the football or women's basketball team sux, they should say so. But fans in college towns never like columnists who criticize the home team; they expect the local writers to be fans, too. That's not their job.

That said, it's also true that a lot of local writers DO shy away from being tough on the college coach and team, or from doing any real investigative reporting, because the coach/team/media-relations department don't like negative stories and have been known to curtail access to the programs to writers who are deemed too critical. It is very rare to get any hard reporting on an athletic department or particular teams or players or potential scandals from local writers/bloggers, etc. They'll cover arrests and stuff that's basic public knowledge, but they seldom do any real digging, because, first, media-relations departments work hard to keep a lid any info considered not positive, let's say--and second, because, as mentioned, the local reporters want to stay in good graces with the athletic department. Certainly, 90 percent of the info you'll get from the university itself is PR fluff.

 

[Dak1219]

John Adams is a Hack and has been for a long time. His articles verge on click bait. Nough Said.

 

[Majors]

At Tennessee, it gets you an extension...

For meeting minimum expectations

 

[Voltopia]

Sports columnists write opinion columns---and if the athletic department is making mistakes or the football or women's basketball team sux, they should say so. But fans in college towns never like columnists who criticize the home team; they expect the local writers to be fans, too. That's not their job.

That said, it's also true that a lot of local writers DO shy away from being tough on the college coach and team, or from doing any real investigative reporting, because the coach/team/media-relations department don't like negative stories and have been known to curtail access to the programs to writers who are deemed too critical. It is very rare to get any hard reporting on an athletic department or particular teams or players or potential scandals from local writers/bloggers, etc. They'll cover arrests and stuff that's basic public knowledge, but they seldom do any real digging, because, first, media-relations departments work hard to keep a lid any info considered not positive, let's say--and second, because, as mentioned, the local reporters want to stay in good graces with the athletic department. Certainly, 90 percent of the info you'll get from the university itself is PR fluff.

That's all well and good, but I didn't talk about investigative reporting, nor did I say John Adams had to be a fan of Tennessee to be a sports columnist in Knoxville. I didn't say the columnist for the Sentinel should be dedicated to puff pieces or should only say positive things about the program. Being even-handed in sports journalism is fine.

What I did say was that it makes sense to me that some fans would dismiss the guy's comments on the team out of hand. Considering how his attitude comes across in his pieces, which at times have been both subtly and unsubtly derisive of Tennessee over the years -- not their criticism, mind you, but their snide tone -- I can understand folks dismissing both that column and his opinion out of hand.

 

[Majors]

That's all well and good, but I didn't talk about investigative reporting, nor did I say John Adams had to be a fan of Tennessee to be a sports columnist in Knoxville. I didn't say the columnist for the Sentinel should be dedicated to puff pieces or should only say positive things about the program. Being even-handed in sports journalism is fine.

What I did say was that it makes sense to me that some fans would dismiss the guy's comments on the team out of hand. Considering how his attitude comes across in his pieces, which at times have been both subtly and unsubtly derisive of Tennessee over the years -- not their criticism, mind you, but their snide tone -- I can understand folks dismissing both that column and his opinion out of hand.

I was surprised to read the thread title as I haven’t seen his name or heard any of articles for years until this one. Figured once he got booted from radio he was done with print too.

 

[Vol67]

In today's Knoxville News Sentinel.

Thoughts from the board?

He also predicted a run to the WCWS for the softball squad.

Pathetic prediction by Bayou Johnny

 

[youcancallmeAl]

That's all well and good, but I didn't talk about investigative reporting, nor did I say John Adams had to be a fan of Tennessee to be a sports columnist in Knoxville. I didn't say the columnist for the Sentinel should be dedicated to puff pieces or should only say positive things about the program. Being even-handed in sports journalism is fine.

What I did say was that it makes sense to me that some fans would dismiss the guy's comments on the team out of hand. Considering how his attitude comes across in his pieces, which at times have been both subtly and unsubtly derisive of Tennessee over the years -- not their criticism, mind you, but their snide tone -- I can understand folks dismissing both that column and his opinion out of hand.

Sometimes the local sports reporter goes overboard to not be perceived as a homer, wanting to get their street cred as "unbiased." Adams has always struck me that way. Same thing with Dave Hooker and his sidekick.