Final Stretch?

From Keith Goldberg:

Just read this story in Sunday's New York Post, from 1956 on the trade of Jackie Robinson.

You never see a news story written like this in a sports section any more. I'm halfway through the Best American Sports Writing of the Century, reading some great narrative newspaper pieces…all published at least 30 years ago. The annual BASW volumes are filled with great narrative pieces…nearly none of them from newspapers.

I'm loving all the enthusastic talk coming from the Nieman folks about working narrative journalism into newspapers. But as a guy who writes about the games people play, I sometimes wonder where my place is in all of this.

I'm fortunate enough to work at a paper that encourages narrative writing in its sports section. But how many other papers are like that? Not many. I read papers that have narrative pieces littered all over its pages…except in the sports section. Why?

Does narrative sports journalism have a future in newspapers?

Zack, any other sports people, I would love to get your take on this.