Sports journalists play a huge role in not only communicating game results and play reports, they give rise to the image of certain athletes and certainly fill the gap between spectator and athlete. They give us stories from on and off the field, allowing full access to the lives of top athletes. Journalists and the media in general are not the only factor that influence the image of an athlete, but they are one of the biggest. Writers that do full features of an athlete in ESPN magazine or Sports Illustrated have all the power in their hands to make someone look good or bad on print, and the same goes for the anchors of major sports networks. This is why elite athletes have the best agents, public reps and image consultants not only to help them look good in the public eye, but to keep them there since popular athletes are advertising gold. I don't see more journalists becoming critical of sports like Dave Zirin because the media makes millions off of the coverage and stories they sell, and organizations like the NFL and NBA arn't going to give special rights to certain media giants if the reporting and coverage they provide critiques and analyzes the views and beliefs of the organization and the impact that these have on the sporting world.