Going back to the days of Norm Van Brocklin and even before, that jersey has always had a target on it. But in the 10 years that McNabb has worn it, it has become even larger with an unprecedented explosion of alternative media. Where once not so very long ago the coverage of a team consisted of the local print, TV and radio outlets, the emergence of the 24-hour news cycle and the proliferation of the Internet has been an aspect of playing quarterback that not even fairly contemporary players such as Randall Cunningham had to face. In the first generation of athletes who have had to adapt to the plethora of technology that surrounds us, McNabb has found it has certain advantages and certain disadvantages.
"I think it has given fans an opportunity to learn more about their favorite players," says McNabb. "But I think there is a negative aspect to it where there may be too much information out there. I think some things should be obviously private."
The upside for someone in the position of Donovan McNabb is that he can communicate with the fans directly. With the help of Burg, he has retooled his Web site, donovanmcnabb.com, where he updates fans on forthcoming events that involve him and shares his views on a variety of subjects on his blog. (The blog is also picked up by yardbarker.com, which includes a consortium of such fare by star athletes.) Somewhat tamer than the blog produced by Red Sox and former Phillies pitcher Curt Schilling, 38pitches.com, which can be occasionally newsworthy, McNabb says it is a opportunity to weed out the "fact from fiction" when it comes to his public persona. He says, "Sometimes, you have no idea where some of this comes from."
