The Zimmerman Note

Tim MacMahon of the Dallas Morning News writes, “Wow, talk about anti-Cowboys bias”:

Sports Illustrated’s Dr. Z gave each Super Bowl a grade and accompanying comment. The following comment was so unprofessional that it even made me cringe.

XIII (1979) Steelers 35, Cowboys 31 — Yeah, it was exciting, with a recovered onside kick at the end and then Rocky Bleier recovering the final one, but this was the heyday of the America’s Team arrogance and I wanted to see the Cowboys crushed not merely beaten. Call it B-

So much for the golden rule about no cheering in the press box. But I’m sure Dr. Z is able to put that bias aside during Hall of Fame voting.

I stopped reading the 75-year old Dr Z., aka Paul Zimmerman, after his disgraceful comments following Pat Tillman’s death. But at least you know where you stand these days with SI, and whether or not you’re wanted as a reader. It’s a bit like Spinal Tap going from an act with a mass appeal to one with a much narrower and “selective” audience, but as mass media dissolves into nothing but a series of small niche markets designed to cater to various ideologies, that’s inevitable anyhow.