ESPN announced today that it has hired two new investigative reporters, both with a history of breaking major stories relating to steroids in sports. The sports network said Mark Fainaru-Wada of the San Francisco Chronicle and T.J. Quinn of the New York Daily News will join its enterprise reporting unit and will be involved in developing long-form, investigative features.
Fainaru-Wada gained a reputation as one of the best investigative reporters in the country when he and Chronicle colleague Lance Williams broke the news the Barry Bonds admitted to a grand jury that he used steroids. Their reporting led to the publishing of a book "Game of Shadows" that further exposed the relationship between Bonds and other athletes to the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative (BALCO.)
Quinn, as part of the Daily News' investigative team broke several stories relating to BALCO and Major League Baseball's investigation into steroid use. He also wrote several stories about the use of HGH in baseball.
These are excellent hires for ESPN, which in recent months appears to be getting more serious about its role as the top dispenser of sports news and information. The network last month debuted a 60 Minutes-style news show featuring in-depth reports from its better reporters, including Jeremy Schaap and Washington Post alum Rachel Nichols. The launch of E:60 followed several key scoops, including a story by reporter Kelly Naqi featuring an undercover agent who knew of NFL star Michael Vick's involvement in dogfighting.
I have always been frustrated with ESPN's penchant for hiring people to comment on news developments, rather than report on them. (Of course, I say this as I am boldly commenting on a news story, rather than breaking it myself.)
But it does appear that ESPN is ramping up its enterprise and investigative units. And that is very good news for everyone.
UPDATE (Thursday, 5:37 p.m.)
About 24 hours after ESPN announces that they've hired Fainaru-Wada, Barry Bonds gets indicted on perjury and obstruction of justice charges. And of course, it's Fainaru-Wada on ESPNews discussing the indictment this afternoon.
I'm not a conspiracy theorist, but it's easy to imagine the following conversation taking place:
Fainaru-Wada: I have a great scoop for you. Pay me lots of money and I'll talk about it on your airwaves.
ESPN executive: What's the scoop?
Fainaru-Wada: Bonds is getting indicted. My price is ... $100 billion dollars!
ESPN exec: We can't afford that. But we'll pay you $200 more than Phil Bronstein's paying you, and we'll let you get ESPNU for free.
Fainaru-Wada: Can you kill Chris Berman for me?
ESPN: No. He's immortal. We might be able to make Kenny Mayne disappear. No promises.
Fainaru-Wada: Deal.
