Yahoo, Sporting News Slams Shreveport!

[912]

Link

Kinda harsh words, aren't they?

[Metlife]

I guess dude didn't get enough love when he was a kid...

[dimebag1980]

Link

Kinda harsh words, aren't they?

G

[dimebag1980]

On the actual Sporting News website there are comments after the article. Some basically saying what he said, but a lot in defense of Shreveport, college bowl games, and people in general.

I liked a lot of the comments, but one in particular really caught my eye and here is an excerpt:

"this is not an article about a terrible Independence Bowl, its an article about how bad Shreveport is apparently, with a few supporting facts. Being a South Carolina student, I know for a fact that the town was amazing during our game vs Missouri two years ago, I had a blast."

This sums up exactly what I said. So how about asking the people who have actually visited Shreveport to watch the bowl game? Lame article, Orson, lame article...

Edit: here's another user reply that I really liked, even if the writer doesn't use proper paragraphs:

"First of all, I was not born in Shreveport, nor was I raised there. I am from Upstate N.Y, and let me tell you all that I choose to live in Shreveport. Furthemore I am an Air Force Member currently deployed overseas right now, and can not wait to get back to my home in Shreveport!! Why do I love it there so much?? Well weather has alot to do with it, funny considering its so freakish and cold according to this article.. Strange how I hate cold weather, but Shreveport is warm enough for me to want to live in huh?? This article slams Shreveport and its really too bad, because the city is in the process right now of becoming a major southern city, and tourism is a big business. I hope this article doesnt scare alot of people off from our great city. When I get home shortly after the new years I plan to have my family come visit me all the way from N.Y. Maybe I should tell them not to come because this article dogs the place so bad, maybe its not a good place to visit after all right? Whatever, you know what Im sick of defending the place to people, why defend something that you like, because if you like it then thats all that matters right?? Let the author think whatever he wants and trash talk the place, the over 300 thousand people that live in the area must like it for some reason and I am sure the majority will not even waste their time reading this article. For any body that may have read this and have never heard or been to Shreveport, take it from an out of towner who now calls it home, it is a great place to live, and its about to really grow up thanks to a few businesses coming our way thats going to really impact the area in a big way. So maybe someday soon, if everyone would stop trash talking the place and actually comes down and see what we have to offer, it might grow faster and get a better reputation instead of the one that called it the "lowest of the low" college bowl games. Oh and felixthedeadcat, Glad your gone, we dont need people like you in the area anyway, Arcadia is a crap hole, but its not part of Shreveport, maybe thats why you didnt like it, should of got out of your crappy little town and came to the city once in a while!"

[NCB]

I hear ya Brian, it's just another jerk who probably spent two days in Shreveport ten years ago and now decides to trash the city because he didn't have a great time there. It's actually kind of sad that a writer for a major sporting publication like SportingNews wrote that. Give me a list of your all time favorite newspaper columnists and sports writers.....now how many of them took the time to write out a page-long article for the purpose of trashing a city? That's why this guy is nothing more than some blogger who probably found himself on the wrong end of a fist in Shreveport.

I also found it funny that he made a point of making fun of Shreveport's film industry, after he made fun of the gambling industry. So the guy trashes Shreveport's main economic engine, and when the city finds another profitable industry to bolster its economy...that doesnt work either? I guarantee you that when city and state leaders from across the U.S. come down to Shreveport and New Orleans and see how much money those cities have made off the film industry, they're not laughing. "HAHA....your city is making lots of money!!!"

Listen, I've spent enough time in Shreveport to know what it is and what it isn't. If I'm looking for world class attractions and nightlife, I'm not going to Shreveport. It's obviously not that kind of city. But it is a city with plenty of attractions and nice restaurants, some very nice hotels, and people who are very proud of their city and are kind and welcoming to those who visit it. I've got quite a few friends who spent months in Shreveport after Katrina, and while most of them say they couldn't see themselves living there because it's just a different atmosphere from what they're used to in New Orleans, they all say that they'll always remember how nicely they were treated and how hospitable the locals were. And IMO, you can't ask for much more than that in a city.

[jcasey]

I'd like to kick this guys teeth straight out of his @$$. He is a nobody, piss-ant writer that had a deadline and no sources so he decided to pick on Shreveport and it's bowl cause he came here one time and lost his mortgage payment at the boats. What a loser. I would invite him back and let him see how us hometown boys handle his trash talking kind. Of all the inconsequential bowl games out there he pick out ours? We also chose to live here. My wife is from Los Angeles and she also likes it here. Do I wish there was more here sometimes? Yes, but I do not slam the city and forget all that is good about it. I hate to tell this loser, but there are plenty of people that are not from here who enjoy it when they come than not.

Here is how I see this loser. He is trying to get hits on his blog, I will not even post the name for it, because he wants some advertising dollars (probably to make up for the money he lost at the boats). Look at the end of the article, it gives his name, alias and blog's name. He's just drumming up business by being an a-hole. Come back to Shreveport Spencer and see what happens to you.

[912]

Those who can, do. Those who can't become sports writers...or worse...lawyers!

[richyb83]

What a chump! The guy is an idiot! Is he from up-state New York?? He's just jealous his state will never host a Bowl game! "Cattle floating up the river"?? is really lame. There are other bowl sites with unpredictable weather too.

Shreveport has alot more going for it these days. He can't crank on the film industry..... but he can crank on the ditz Jessica Simpson, ha.

[woob]

What a chump! The guy is an idiot! Is he from up-state New York?? He's just jealous his state will never host a Bowl game! "Cattle floating up the river"?? is really lame. There are other bowl sites with unpredictable weather too.

Shreveport has alot more going for it these days. He can't crank on the film industry..... but he can crank on the ditz Jessica Simpson, ha.

[dimebag1980]

yeah I'd like to kick that guy in the sack

[jcasey]

Check out his picture! He's a cool guy, huh? Looking at the picture, I'm not sure he has a sack!

If you want to talk smack about someone's city, you really should be cooler than this!

[fla_tiger]

What is this guy trying to prove anyhow? What he writes is not important.

From the looks of most are not happy with his opinions, there are 8 pages of comments following the article.

BTW, I have always had a great time in Shreveport and always look forward to returning. I have always thought that BTR can learn a lot from Shreveport, especially in terms of nightlife and riverfront development, both things BTR is trying to improve upon. No reason to fly way out to Portland, Austin or North Carolina to see how they do it, just check out Shreveport's success!

[Metlife]

Pics and vid from last nite's pep rally at the Boardwalk...

http://www.shreveporttimes.com/apps/pbcs.d...9017/1084/VIDEO

http://www.shreveporttimes.com/apps/pbcs.d...0805&Ref=PH

[SlidellWX]

This guy is a complete ass. I had the pleasure of visiting Shreveport in May, and I had a great time while I was there. The Boardwalk and casinos are enough to keep you entertained for a while. I found it to be a very nice mid-sized city with alot of growth on Youree Dr. and a neat old historic area we drove through going to Superior Grill. Not sure what section of town that was.

I also know that my alma mater, OU, was extremely happy to be playing in the Independence Bowl back in 2000. It was our first bowl game in 5 years, and was a huge deal at the time.

I really don't know what he was talking about when he keeps mentioning "dead cows in the river". WTF?! I'm sorry you guys have to endure the bashing we down here in NOLA are more used to hearing about how crapty our town supposedly is.

[dimebag1980]

Someone who came to this guy's defense (perhaps one of his own online identities?) mentioned it being tongue-in-cheek. Okay, let me tell you that I understand humor, especially tongue-in-cheek humor, but since when does completely ripping apart a city to which you've most likely never been and making it look like a total P.O.S. hickville considered to be tongue-in-cheek!?!? I don't think so, it's more like foot-in-mouth or foot-up-ass humor.

Thanks, Slidell, for your take on our area. Sure, compared to many cities this place is small, and it certainly missed out on some major growth opportunities in the late 80s and early 90s before the casino industry came in and helped the area begin to rebuild. We literally missed out on about one full decade of growth. Instead during that time, our crime rate escalated out of control (and really has leveled out but hasn't gotten much better) and a lot of people left for greener pastures. You can't blame them... this place was falling apart.

But fast-forward to today and we're finally just getting some of the things that many cities our size and smaller have had for at least a decade because of the way this area fell apart. High-rise construction was moving along quite well from the 70s to the early 80s and then it just stopped when our oil-based economy essentially stopped and went in reverse. Think about all the high-rise office buildings that could have been built between 1983-1993.

Oh and Slidell, I think that area you're talking about must be the South Highlands area, since it isn't far from Superior and has some nice, older, larger homes. South Highlands was built back int he 1920s and was one of Shreveport's first suburbs at the time. Now it's just a neighborhood, since the city grew up around it back when it was growing rapidly. Unfortunately Shreveport's population hasn't increased at all since the 1950s. Sad, but true. I can only hope this trend doens't continue, but as modern suburbs begin to take hold in this area I unfortunately don't see this changing anytime soon. We did so well for so many years without any suburbs to speak of, and now all the close-in towns like Haughton, Benton, Greenwood, Stonewall, etc are becoming suburbs... and the city of Shreveport is on the losing end.

BUT this is still a great place and I'm glad you were able to see that. And the fact that our skyline impressed you also speaks volumes for our area. Thanks again...

[SlidellWX]

No problem...and Happy New Year. I have a feeling the new leadership at the state level will really get things moving along for the betterment of everyone.

Also...that sounds like the neighborhood. It had a ton of older homes and was really very beautiful.

[UptownNewOrleans]

Think of it this way, the bashing Shreveport is enduring is what New Orleans has been used to for years. It's a shame I haven't been to Shreveport Sad but true. In New Orleans case, people bash us on things we already know. New Orleans' murder rate is serious...........DUH. N.O. residents already know that. What they don't realize is that violent crime is typically concentrated in the following areas: Central City aka 3rd Ward, in or near the projects & wards related to the drug industry.