Readers of this blog know that a few weeks ago I ripped on Andrea Adelson and the Orlando Sentinel for what I thought was shallow, Chamber of Commerce coverage of WrestleMania 24.
Now I would like to apologize.
The body of Andrea’s recent series of articles adds up to the most thorough and thoughtful sustained coverage of pro wrestling ever seen in a major newspaper. It includes a lengthy examination of the steroid issue, which was published Friday and can be viewed at http://www.orlandosentinel.com/sports/custom/wrestling/orl-wrestlemania2808mar28,0,7094384.story?page=2. I am quoted in the article, as are others such as Dave Meltzer and Marc Mero. More important, our dissident perspectives are reflected accurately and in context.
After the publication of my cheeky blogs, Andrea handled the criticism with complete professionalism: she emailed me, assured me that her Countdown to WrestleMania series was not being directed by WWE, said a serious steroid piece had long been listed in the Sentinel’s “news budget,” and arranged to interview me for it.
By coincidence, Andrea also was assigned to do one of the first background stories in the Sentinel about the death of a University of Central Florida football player. The hazardous conditions and non-compensation of “amateur” college football players is another subject I’ve written a lot about, and Andrea and I had a thoughtful exchange about it. It’s a pleasure to call her a journalistic colleague, and a diligent one.
Irv Muchnick