Mariotti Quits, Says Newspapers Are 'Dying'

Star Sports Columnist Says He Wanted Out Because Paper Can't Compete On Web

CHICAGO (CBS) ― In a bombshell announcement in the world of sports journalism, star columnist Jay Mariotti has abruptly resigned from the Chicago Sun-Times.

Only after taping his last ESPN TV from the Sun-Times newsroom today did Mariotti open up.

Mariotti told CBS 2's Dorothy Tucker that he decided to quit after covering the Olympics in Beijing because newspapers are in serious trouble, and he did not want to go down with the ship.

"It's been a tremendous experience, but I'm going to be honest with you, the profession is dying,'' Mariotti said, "I don't think either paper [Sun-Times or Chicago Tribune] is going to survive.

"To showcase your work ... you need a stellar Web site and if a newspaper doesn't have that, you can't be stuck in the 20th century with your old newspaper.''

Mariotti blamed the scandal-plagued past at the paper for its downfall. Former top execs Conrad Black and David Radler looted the company for millions of dollars, and both were sentenced to jail. The paper's ad revenues have been plummeting and more layoffs are expected.

What do you think of Jay's resignation and his assertion that newspapers are dying? |  Read what others have to say.

Mariotti's comments sparked a pointed response from his former employer.

Sun-Times Editor Michael Cooke said in an e-mail to CBS 2: "That's Jay's opinion. He has plenty of them. But the facts, of course, say something different. I'm going with the facts. Well, it's turning nasty ... and that's typical of Jay to throw a bomb on the way out of a place that cared for him, nurtured him, paid him well for 17 years.

Cooke said he learned of Mariotti's resignation in an e-mail, that said, simply: "I quit.'' Mariotti had recently signed a new contract with the paper.

"The reason Mariotti showed up at the Sun-Times 17 years ago was because the paper had the best sports pages in town. That was true then, and it's true now,'' Cooke said.

"And as in all sports, when the star leaves, some other young star-to-be skates on to the ice. The Sun-Times has a deep bench of talent, and we'll be using that depth.

"I am not hearing from grief-stricken fans,'' Cooke said.

Cooke pointed to e-mails that he received from readers, including this one: "I wish to inform you that due to recent developments on the Jay Mariotti front, I will now read your newspaper. In fact, I picked one up on the way to work this morning. Not a half-bad rag, I must say. Bully on you."

CBS 2 Chief Correspondent Jay Levine reports that Mariotti's resignation came on a day the Sun-Times hinted at new cuts on top of nearly 30 people who resigned or were fired earlier this year - and two weeks after the rival Tribune cut 80 newsroom jobs.

"I don't know if either paper in Chicago is gonna survive," Mariotti said. "I think all sports journalism is gonna be done on the Internet."

Charles Madigan now teaches journalism at Roosevelt University after 25 years of writing for the Tribune. He says those new publications can't afford expensive columnists.

"I think his future is on the Internet," Madigan said. "I think he made that decision for himself, but I see all kinds of niche publications - different kinds of publications aimed at different kinds of readers."

But others feel losing a drawing card like Mariotti will hurt the struggling Sun-Times.

"I don't think it necessarily spells the end of the Sun-Times," said Ann Sapir, Crain's media writer. "I don't think one columnist moving online means that, but given everything that's happening in the industry, the Sun-Times is on the edge."

As for the future of the Sun-Times, Cooke says "indications are, we'll be ok."

Others aren't so sure.

"I would say good-bye Jay and I would toast the people who decided to stay," Madigan said. "They're doing difficult work under difficult circumstances, but who knows where it gonna lead?"

Mariotti said he plans to pursue opportunities on the Web, and continue his regular appearances as a panelist on ESPN's "Around the Horn."

Mariotti joined the Sun-Times in 1991. He made headlines in 2006 when Chicago White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen went into a profanity-laced tirade against him before a game against St. Louis. Guillen later apologized.

Mariotti also got into a public spat this year with fellow Sun-Times staffers after writing a column that said he was Guillen's only critic in the Chicago media. Behind the scenes, Mariotti often clashed with colleagues and management, but was widely regarded as one of the most popular columnists among readers of the paper. He made a career of stirring the pot in a sports-crazed town.

The irony is that Mariotti's shift to cyberspace comes as the Sun-Times and everyone else - print, radio and TV is doing the same thing. It's the next battleground, the new frontier for all of us. Mariotti's beef with the Sun-Times is that it wasn't moving fast enough; something the Sun-Times denies, but which if true, would be an even greater threat to its survival than the defection of its star columnist.

CBS 2's Dorothy Tucker, Jay Levine and the STNG Wire contributed to this report.

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