OT: Jennings v. Rothstein
Is it me or is Chantel Jennings like 5,000 times of a better reporter, at least on video and not for her looks, than Mike Rothstein?
I love having dedicated M reporters at ESPN and its fun to watch youger reporters get experience, but Rothstein stutters and often confuses his words. He is so akward that it sometimes actually bothers me. So much so that I had to create a topic about this stupid topic.
November 17th, 2011 at 11:01 AM ^
I'm not a huge fan of Rothstein
November 17th, 2011 at 3:22 PM ^
Jennings becomes more and more attractive the more I see her.
November 17th, 2011 at 11:04 AM ^
I liked the JT Floyd story that Rothstein did. I think he does well with stuff like that, but is not as good as an analyst.
November 17th, 2011 at 11:05 AM ^
Rothstein is a Syracuse transplant that jumped around a bit and landed in Ann Arbor. I actually enjoyed his stuff at AA.com, including his live chats.
Now it seems like ESPN has robotified him to a degree. All his articles are written in the same style and he's not as personable/witty in his tweets. I personally skip over most of his stuff at Wolverine Nation now.
I guess the worldwide leader has that effect on people.
November 17th, 2011 at 11:08 AM ^
Jennings wins by virtue of being a starter on the Reggie Cleveland All-Stars.
November 17th, 2011 at 11:57 AM ^
Especially because of the fact that she's a rather nerdy white chick.
November 17th, 2011 at 11:10 AM ^
and thinking "Wow, this is as good if not better than most mainstream stuff." Good to see she's continuing to set a high bar.
November 17th, 2011 at 11:53 AM ^
She completely won me over with "The Sound of Silence" in March
http://www.michigandaily.com/sports/chantel-jennings-sound-silence
November 18th, 2011 at 11:56 AM ^
I missed that story. Thanks for posting the link!
November 17th, 2011 at 11:16 AM ^
I like Rothstein. Im warming up to Jennings though.
November 17th, 2011 at 11:22 AM ^
Maybe she's the next Erin Andrews?
Ya never know.
November 17th, 2011 at 11:28 AM ^
IB4PHJ.
November 17th, 2011 at 11:29 AM ^
Rothstein simply doesn't belong in front of a camera, particularly outside in windy conditions in which he becomes frazzled when the wind blows his hair all over the place.
November 17th, 2011 at 11:44 AM ^
Rothstein's a solid writer, I agree that he has to be the msot awkward person I've ever seen on camera.
On another note, old friend TomVH is still impressing with the work he does and he seems to really build relationships with the kids that he's working with/interviewing. I always love his interviews with recruits.
November 17th, 2011 at 11:54 AM ^
Cannot understate the work that TomVH does. Tremendous.
November 17th, 2011 at 11:44 AM ^
I like them both. I think Jennings appears more comfortable on camera, but still strikes me as very young (which she is, so that's not a criticism).
Frankly, I like them both, and while I don't love ESPN, I'd be lying if I said I didn't appreciate ESPN devoting a separate page to UM sports.
November 17th, 2011 at 11:50 AM ^
is much better in front of the camera and easier on the eyes.
November 17th, 2011 at 11:55 AM ^
Honestly, neither of them are comfortable in front of a camera. I enjoy reading pieces by both, though.
November 17th, 2011 at 11:56 AM ^
The lineup on the right side of the WN blog page pretty much sums it up.
November 17th, 2011 at 12:58 PM ^
Why is TomVH never in front of the camera? What if Chantell and TomVH teamed up?
November 17th, 2011 at 1:27 PM ^
He tries to be on camera with some of his interviews, but he is too short to show up when talking to big football players.
November 17th, 2011 at 1:50 PM ^
i'm gullable, really?
November 17th, 2011 at 11:57 AM ^
HEAVEN
Jennings
Schembechler
____________________________
EARTH
Chenglis
Rothstein
Albom
Carr
____________________________
HELL
Rosenberg
Hitler
Tressell
Sandusky
Sandusky and Hitler's lovechild
Sandusky and Sandusky's lovechild's lovechild.
November 17th, 2011 at 5:26 PM ^
Man, I'm not sure that Tressell deserves to be put with Michael Rosenberg, Hitler, and a child molester. Covering up NCAA violations just doesn't seem to be as bad as molesting children, killing Jews, or even printing outright slander and lies.
On the other hand, I probably have issues because I think Michael Rosenberg belongs in that group with Sandusky and Hitler.
November 17th, 2011 at 12:08 PM ^
For the medium he's in, he's a very traditional newspaper type. He makes a lot of assertions without backing them up and mostly repeats conventional wisdom. He's not the worst, but he doesn't add much as an analyst.
November 17th, 2011 at 12:09 PM ^
Jennings. She's hot.
November 17th, 2011 at 12:56 PM ^
Damn!!!!
November 17th, 2011 at 12:22 PM ^
She is pretty smart and really likes UofM sports. She writes a lot of good material. She is really passionate about UofM. It's pretty good to have her working at ESPN and is a great representative for Michigan.
November 17th, 2011 at 12:24 PM ^
This is a total mismatch, baby!!!
November 17th, 2011 at 12:33 PM ^
He looks like a serial killer in his ESPN photo, while Jennings looks like a Greek goddess. There's no way to avoid the bias based on that.
November 17th, 2011 at 6:15 PM ^
I'm so glad that someone else noticed the serial killer thing. I'm assuming you could submit any standard headshot to ESPN for that purpose. If you're Rothstein, why would you be ok with a serial killer mugshot?
November 17th, 2011 at 1:02 PM ^
my favorate reporter covering wolverines. She really does her homework and provides in depth coverage that those sport pundits never bother to do.
November 17th, 2011 at 1:04 PM ^
He does mix up his words from time to time. I don't think either of them are AWESOME. However, they're both young and you have to crawl before you walk. I see him getting better as he gets more comfortable in front of the camera. I do agree that Jennings is better.
November 17th, 2011 at 1:14 PM ^
At least Jennings is ok looking. Not sure why everyone thinks she's hot though. Their videos are insufferable. Articles are much better. Funny how Heiko called out Rothstein indirectly on the Countess-Woodson comparison question. Not that Countess isn't legit, but come on.
November 17th, 2011 at 1:53 PM ^
OK, Jennings is no Erin Andrews. We know. But Erin Andrews is no Chantel Jennings in a lot of areas as well.
Also, Countess is CLEARLY Leon Hall. Leon Hall was a great CB here, and started about halfway through his freshman year and never gave up his spot. That is exactly what Countess has done. I don't understand the Woodson comparison (one of the greatest ever), or those to Donovan Warren (just because he's the most recent good CB we've had?) or Marlin Jackson (Countess will never play safety). He's Leon Hall, damnit.
November 17th, 2011 at 2:00 PM ^
November 17th, 2011 at 2:11 PM ^
Eddie Munster is so awkward on video that it makes my face turn red!
I think it was an interview with Glenn Robinson III which he did that made me feel like I was in middle school stuttering in front of the class with everyone looking at me horrified at my butchered speech....
November 17th, 2011 at 3:21 PM ^
Rothstein: Good writer and terrible on camera.
November 17th, 2011 at 4:15 PM ^
Somehow Rothstein looks nervous on camera even though he's a sports writer while watching Chantel Jennings do a Michigan Football analysis makes me nervous
November 17th, 2011 at 5:44 PM ^
Rothstein isn't comfortable in front of a camera, and probably shouldn't be doing that kind of work often. Also, if his work at A2 dot com is any indication, he is much more passionate about basketball than any other sport, and seems to have a much better knowledge base there, too.
Jennings would have to be terrible to look much worse than Rothstein does on camera, and she is decent. Also, there seems to be a very nice tradition at the Daily of their writers being better at covering Michigan than most of the MSM.
That being said, I'm happy to see Rothstein working at ESPN and no longer having to be a part of what is becoming, from all appearances, a shoddy operation whose management is utterly overwhelmed.
November 17th, 2011 at 7:37 PM ^
seems to be a much better writer than reporter. Just doesn't seem like he's comfortable live. I rather enjoy his writing though.
November 17th, 2011 at 8:03 PM ^
Rothstein is a good writer with a great face for radio. The ESPN mugshot must be someone's idea of a cruel joke. It looks like the kind of picture you take of yourself when no one's looking, cackle with glee at the harsh truth of the camera eye, and then delete immediately.
Jennings definitely knows her stuff and has a high ceiling as a sports journalist, both on and off camera. Still needs to work on her pad level, however.
Overall the Wolverine Nation site is ok and starting to improve, but I was still hoping for a bit more. Perhaps the most disappointing part is discussion forum (The Den). It could be a case study for horrendous user experience. ESPN needs to overhaul how those forums work. Plenty of better examples out there including mgoblog.
November 18th, 2011 at 11:07 AM ^
#TeamTomVH