Ask The Post

Deputy Assistant Managing Editor for Sports Matthew Vita (Julia Ewan - The Washington Post)

This Week: Washington Post Deputy Assistant Managing Editor for Sports Matthew Vita was online Wednesday, July 19, at noon ET to field your questions about The Post's local and national sports coverage.

The transcript follows.

____________________

Matthew Vita: Good day, everyone. Thanks for joining in on this chat. There are a lot of questions already, so we'll get going.

_______________________

Washington, D.C.: I'm surprised that you still assign a beat reporter to cover the O's. While I have no major problems with your Nats coverage, I would be interested in reading more feature articles about other teams in MLB and would accept as a trade-off less coverage of the team that calls Baltimore home.

Matthew Vita: This is a question we've been addressing and grappling with ourselves since the Nationals arrived last year. We still cover the Orioles because, over three decades, the team attracted a pretty large following in the Washington area. That may change as the Nationals establish themselves even more firmly in the region. But for now, we still have Jorge on the O's beat.

_______________________

Takoma Park, Md.: I just wanted to say that I'm very glad the Post continues to cover the O's. I know a lot of people are upset about this (not sure why--it's not like the story about the O's means there's no Nats story), but the O's are still my team, as they are for a lot of people in D.C.'s Md. suburbs.

And I love the quote of the day in each league; it's possibly my favorite part of the Sports page. It gets me to open the section, even if I don't want to relive what happened the previous night.

Matthew Vita: And here's another chatter's opinion on the topic.

_______________________

Gaithersburg, Md.: Comment, no question:

Thanks for your continuing coverage of the Orioles in the Post. I'm glad for Washington-area fans that they have a team to call their own, but I still follow the Orioles and likely will continue to do so. I'm guessing that there are a few more like me as well. Thanks again!

Matthew Vita: And one more.

_______________________

Arlington, Va.: The baseball coverage is fantastic and I'm sure the quality is better than any other sports page in the country. I mean seriously, you have Boswell, Sheinin, Svrulga and there's a few others that I'm forgetting. Anyway, the Post has got to start covering the Nats minor league. It doesn't have to be a lot, just a brief re-cap of the games letting us know how our top prospects are doing. Any plans on expanding the coverage just a tad??

Matthew Vita: Thanks for the compliment. We agree that we have the best baseball reporting team in the country. As you probably know, we had a story on the Nationals farm system in the paper this morning. Trouble is, covering the farm teams on a regular basis takes up space in the paper. What would you give up in return for more minor league coverage? That's the kind of question we ask ourselves all the time.

_______________________

Gaithersburg, Md.: It seems to me (a Redskins fan) that much of the content that the paper prints caters more towards the "Redskins Haters" than the actual fans. As Deputy Assistant Managing Editor, how much control do you have over the content that is printed in the paper. Did the fact that Snyder took away the large chunk of season tickets from the Post affect how the team is covered?

Matthew Vita: I couldn't disagree with you more. We cover the Redskins aggressively, as we do any other story or subject. We are fair and balanced, but call things as we see them. We think most Redskins fans appreciate that.

_______________________

Washington, D.C.: Near the end of the season in 2005, the post began to run feature articles on NFL teams other than the Redskins. Does the Post intend to cover the NFL on more of a national level than in prior year?

Matthew Vita: Not sure if there was more coverage of other teams late in the season than throughout the entire season. We devote a ton of space to the Redskins, as you know. But we also cover the NFL in a big way throughout the year, because it remains the most popular sport in the country. We might step things up a bit as the playoffs near, which could explain your observation. With Mark Maske and Les Carpenter covering the NFL this year, we are going to be as active as ever. I think you'll like their coverage.

_______________________

Fairfax, Va.: Cut WNBA coverage, add Minors coverage. Simple as that.

Matthew Vita: Any WNBA fans out there?

_______________________

Falls Church, Va.: When can we expect The Post to abandon coverage of the NHL and start up with the UFC?

Matthew Vita: We were one of the first papers to write a big story on the growth of the UFC. But we're not contemplating abandoning our coverage of the NHL and the Capitals for it.

_______________________

Sterling, Va.: Congrats on outstanding World Cup Coverage, and the best soccer beat writer today, Steve Goff.

While your D.C. United coverage is comprehensive, the rest of MLS tends to get very little coverage. Any thought to expanding the coverage of MLS?

Matthew Vita: Thanks for writing in, Steve.

_______________________

Alexandria, Va.: I know the season is way off, but do you foresee The Post covering GW and GMU men's basketball teams with its staff from the get-go next season? And will the newspaper give added room to local college hoops now that the area is a recognized hotbed?

Matthew Vita: Yes, and no. This coming college basketball season in the Washington area is amazing, if you think about it. The Maryland women just won the national championship. The Maryland men are at a crossroads, with a lot of pressure to turn the program around. Georgetown is coming of a great year. GW is coming off a great year. Mason is coming of an incredible NCAA tournament. And Virginia promises to be much improved, and has a brand new arena. We plan to cover all of this from the get-go this fall. How? We're still trying to figure that out!

_______________________

Silver Spring, Md.: I graduated from a smaller school in the Washington area--Catholic U., but one that has had some success in sports recently and won a national title in basketball in 2001. I'd like to see better coverage of a broader range of schools in their major sports. Sometimes it seems the emphasis is too much on Maryland.

Matthew Vita: We try, but it's hard. Maryland football and basketball continue to be very popular among our readers.

_______________________

Springfield, Va.: Matthew, where's Wilbon? Haven't seen a Chat House or article from him in weeks? Didn't hear that he left The Post or went on vacation...

Matthew Vita: Mike's still around. After an incredible run through the NBA Finals, he took a well-deserved break. But you'll be hearing from him again, soon.

_______________________

Washington, D.C.: Yes,

there are WNBA fans!! I'm appalled at such nonsense of cutting the coverage. If anything there should be more coverage!!

And bring back woman soccer too...

Matthew Vita: A WNBA fan rises to the challenge.

_______________________

Maryland: Is there some reason the Post continues to have really bad NASCAR coverage? Most weeks I'm lucky to get the qualifying results at the back of the sports section. There are two races within driving distance of D.C., and neither gets major coverage.

I realize the coverage in D.C. will never be the same as in a place like Charlotte, but I think the Post could do a little better for the #2 sport in the country.

Matthew Vita: I disagree with the premise of your question. Liz Clarke, who covers NASCAR for us, is one of the best NASCAR writers in the country. We have been trying to increase the amount of space we devote to NASCAR, and I think we're succeeding, because we recognize the sport is very, very popular among many of our readers. I'm not sure what NASCAR races within driving distance of D.C. you are referring to.

_______________________

Raleigh, N.C.: how many, if any, columns do you expect to get from Kornheiser now that he is doing is Monday night football gig?

Matthew Vita: Tony is going to be very busy with "Monday Night Football," but he's still a member of the Post family. He'll still be writing for us.

_______________________

Fairfax, Va.: Potshots at WNBA, NHL and probably MLS aside, how often do you guys assess what you are covering and what is the criteria?

Matthew Vita: We try to measure the popularity of the various sports and teams among our readers and within the national sports landscape and then make an admittedly subjective judgment as to what resources we need to devote to them. I think we generally succeed, although this is a moving target. Tastes change. Readership demographics change. The popularity of some sport can rise or fall, though usually quite slowly. We try to stay on top of these changes and adjust our coverage. And we try to have some variety.

_______________________

Rockville, Md.: I guess I am not a real sports fan. I am interested in golf, bicycle racing and sometimes track and field. But I have to hunt most of the time to find my information. Why not put it in an index so I can go right to it?

Matthew Vita: We do publish an index on the left hand side of the sports section front every day. While it doesn't always list everything inside the section, you should be able to find your sports when something important is going on.

_______________________

Bethesda, Md.: Hey Matt

What are the Post's thought about expanding its coverage of high school and local lacrosse, particularly boys. Given that more and more boys from the D.C. area are playing in the annual NCAA finals, isn't it about time that the Post recognize this huge base and cover it accordingly. I'm tired of walking up to the local newspaper box and buying the Baltimore Sun on weekends

Matthew Vita: A post from one of my friends who probably was born in Baltimore anyway.

_______________________

Pottstown, Pa.: Do you measure popularity by how many hits a certain story gets on your Web site?

Matthew Vita: Not entirely, or even primarily. But traffic on the Post Web site is a new and helpful tool available to us as we look at which sports are popular.

_______________________

Greenbelt, Md.: How does the Post balance how to place sports stories of national or international interest opposed to local sports stories? I noticed during the World Cup, coverage was played big, while the Nats were at the bottom of the front page.

Matthew Vita: The World Cup is a huge event internationally, and has a significant following in the United States. Soccer is not everybody's cup of tea, but the World Cup is one of the great sporting events. We sent three reporters to Germany to cover it, and we're glad we did. With the season the Nationals are having, it was only natural that the World Cup got bigger play on the Sports page many days.

_______________________

Silver Spring, Md.: Any chance of running the soccer league scores and standings from England, Italy, Germany, etc., on occasion, if not weekly? Seems logical to expand the foreign football coverage a bit in the aftermath of an excellent spread on the World Cup in your pages.

Matthew Vita: We've thought about it. And thanks for your compliment.

_______________________

Washington, D.C.: I would love an opinion page in the Sports section, where readers could react...

Matthew Vita: I don't think that's coming any time soon. But the Post Web site is another matter. Visit the chats by the Post's sports writers.

_______________________

Frederick, Md.: I think The Post's coverage of the Wizards is generally good, Ivan Carter does a great job, but it seems like there were a disproportionate number of photos of Etan Thomas. I know he's got those dreds, but there are many more important players on the team.

Matthew Vita: Ivan, that's just weird.

_______________________

Baltimore, Md.: Thanks for holding this chat. Does Sally Jenkins still write for the Post? She always seemed to have something to say about the Tour de France in years past but has been absent this go round (perhaps b/c her buddy Lance isn't riding?) Just curious what her status was/is.

Matthew Vita: Sally does still write for the Post. She is on leave to write a book. We miss her, but she'll be back with us soon.

_______________________

Kensington, Md.: Matt, You produce a great sports section, and I'm pleased that you have steadily increased the coverage of women's and girls' teams. Do you plan to increase that coverage? Thanks.

Matthew Vita: Thank you, very much. I would like the section to increase its coverage of women athletes and women sports. We're trying very hard to do that.

We're run out of time. There are dozens of questions I have not been able to get to. I'm sorry I couldn't answer all of them. Thanks for participating. We'll do it again soon.

_______________________

Editor's Note: washingtonpost.com moderators retain editorial control over Live Online discussions and choose the most relevant questions for guests and hosts; guests and hosts can decline to answer questions. washingtonpost.com is not responsible for any content posted by third parties.