On Friday, Fox Sports’ Kevin Vaughn broke the story that Florida State and Tallahassee police hindered the original investigation into Seminole quarterback Jameis Winston’s alleged rape of a coed in 2012. It’s a story which is gaining traction on this college football Saturday and as Florida State continues to play Winston, the school is coming under fire for its handling of the case.
This is a story that can give Fox Sports some credibility as a serious newsgathering organization. One can count on one hand how many times Fox has taken the lead on a story and owned them. We can look to ESPN’s Outside the Lines which has broken many stories over the years and has brought critical acclaim to the network.
Since Fox Sports 1 launched last year, it has tried to establish itself as an alternative and competitor to the Worldwide Leader. And while getting live inventory has been its priority, one way to stand out is to provide original storytelling. In the early days of Fox Sports 1 and Fox Sports Live, there were some longform stories that aired on Sunday nights, but has been abandoned for highlights and discussions. If Fox could bring the longer stories back, it would be a way to get some buzz for the network.
Investigations and longform stories tend to be expensive and there’s not much immediate payback unless they’re huge bombshells. But as Fox Sports executives will tell you, this is a marathon and not a sprint, so if Fox can form a good investigative department and a documentary unit, create a film series like “30 for 30” and a regular magazine like Real Sports or E:60, the stories can be produced.
It takes patience and time to investigate stories. If the Jameis Winston investigation is the beginning for Fox Sports investigations, then the network may be on to something, but if this remains part of just a handful of stories that the division breaks, then it will remain running in place and ceding the investigation category to ESPN.
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