First The Dissolve, then Grantland? I’m devastated. <\/p>\n
There was too much great content over there to even count, and I hope, like The Dissolve, it will at least remain online because I go back and reference essays over there all the time. That was a high-end operation with GREAT writers. Great writers who were able to write long-form over there. They were allowed to develop their ideas, they didn’t need to boil things down into sound-bites. The pieces were not click-bait-y, and yet, whaddya know, everyone clicked anyway, because even if it was a topic you knew nothing about, you knew it would be worth reading. It’s a very sad day.<\/p>\n
Of course the sports writing was superb, and again, the writers were set free in a context that was different from other outlets. It didn’t matter your particular sport. You read what was up at Grantland, because you knew you’d get an interesting perspective, an in-depth analysis, with unique voices. Not pre-programmed voices, not publicity-department-arms kind of voices, indistinguishable from a press release. But unique. <\/p>\n
Along with sports, of course, their Entertainment section was a must-read for everyone I know. So today I’ll link to one of my favorite recent pieces, Wesley Morris’ brilliant ode to Magic Mike XXL.<\/a> (Wesley Morris, a Pulitzer-Prize winner, was just named Critic at Large for The New York Times<\/i>, and my circle of friends and colleagues cheered. Couldn’t happen to a better writer.) Morris’ Magic Mike XXL<\/i> essay is the best review of the strange and wonderful alchemy of that film, its “magic” touch (like: literally. Magic. How did they pull that film off? It breaks ALL the rules. It shows the irrelevance of rules. The film is RADICAL in that way.) <\/p>\n Morris’ enthusiasm is clear. The fact that he is a man helps in the cause for women and what that movie says about women. Women can’t do it alone, y’all. Too often we’re dismissed, because people tune out the voices of women. We need male allies. It may sound silly to talk about this issue in terms of a review of Magic Mike XXL<\/i>. It’s not. That film felt practically political to me. Way more political than the drip-fest of Suffragette<\/i>. Morris gets that element, he felt its radical nature. <\/p>\n Another piece I loved was the group discussion about Will Smith’s career<\/a>. <\/p>\n Voices like that take the TIME to really LOOK, really SEE. It’s not geared for the casual reader who only skims, trying to confirm their own biases. It’s a deep-dive, it’s in-depth, it requires concentration to get through it. Give us more of that, not less. It helps hone the critical thinking skills to read content like that. <\/p>\n So this is a sad day for writers and for readers. <\/p>\n Farewell, Grantland. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" First The Dissolve, then Grantland? I’m devastated. There was too much great content over there to even count, and I hope, like The Dissolve, it will at least remain online because I go back and reference essays over there all … Continue reading