Bissinger, who wrote "Friday Night Lights," has since apologized for painting the sports blogosphere with too broad a brush, overlooking sites that he respects such as ProFootballTalk, the Big Lead and Beerleaguer, which focuses on the Philadelphia Phillies.
The journalist says he hopes the medium will improve but worries that blogs such as Deadspin traffic in "snarky, obnoxious comments" while others rely on disinformation and sexual innuendo.
"I think blogs pose a threat to journalism," he said. "And blogs can pose a threat to society because of the information they put out there."
His concern stems from the fact that not all blogs aspire to sophisticated content. Recently, Bissinger appeared on a radio show with Nik Richie, creator of thedirty.com.
Thedirty.com specializes in candid, salacious photos and has become known in the sports world for posting snapshots of famous athletes in private and sometimes embarrassing moments.
The site featured Arizona Cardinals quarterback Matt Leinart drinking beer with a group of apparently underage women. Also, the site had shots of Lakers center Andrew Bynum and New York Giants tight end Jeremy Shockey at parties.
Richie, who goes by an alias and declined to give his real name, has been aggressive in writing about the Bryant rumors despite receiving a cease-and-desist letter from the player's attorney. He said his blog is based on "pure entertainment" and, with traffic increasing, will not change.
"All these other sites are evolving because everyone's putting pressure on them for their journalistic integrity," he said. "That's kind of a sell-out. . . . I think it's 100% less fun."
Rival bloggers say they are adapting because it makes business sense.
"What's the shelf-life for a website that only has women in bikinis?" McIntyre asked. "Eventually, there needs to be substance to back up the fluff."
So the Big Lead now seeks to confirm information before posting. Florio expects that more and more blogs will hire reporters, and Ness wonders if he and his competitors should start policing each other.
For some bloggers, the wild days are coming to an end.
"It's almost like the difference between Eddie Murphy and Bill Cosby," Florio said. "Can you still be funny without cursing?"
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david.wharton@latimes.com
