Oct 3, 2006

Is Sports Reporting THIS bad?

I'm skimming articles on ESPN and CNNsi quickly, and I read two separate stories with factual errors in it. This is not a question of bias - but just out-and-out facts the writer gets wrong!

First, from the quick recaps of NFL Week 4 action on ESPN.com:

Cleveland 24, Oakland 21It's so bad in Oakland that Cleveland's Charlie Frye -- Charlie Frye! -- can lead a fourth-quarter comeback win.

Gratuitous shot at Charlie notwithstanding - it was not a 4th quarter comeback. We had the lead 24-21 in the 3rd. Nobody scored in the 4th quarter.

Now, from CNNsi, talking about a possible move of the Lions-Vikings game to Monday night because of the Twins-A's series:

Notes: Lions vice president Tom Lewand talked to NFL commissioner Roger Goodell Monday morning about the possible shift for the Minnesota game and said the league and the Vikings had not decided how long they would wait before making a decision. In 1997, the Bears-Dolphins game was switched from Sunday to Monday when the Florida Marlins beat the Cleveland Indians in Game 6 of the World Series on a Saturday, forcing a Game 7 in Miami the next day.


Again, no. The Indians won Game 6 behind World-Series-to-be MVP Chad Ogea's pitching. That Tribe win forced a game 7.

I know these are little things, but doesn't anybody have editors or fact-checkers anymore? And if I can quickly spot out these Cleveland-related errors, what other errors are out there for teams that I don't know much about?

Has anyone else noticed this in reporting? Jees, I never want to hear about how the "blogosphere" can't be trusted again, with this crap coming from the established media...

3 comments:

jorge blogsada said...

Citing factual errors in mainstream media +1
Using Chad Ogea story as factual touchstone for making your point -1
Blogsphere's ultimate contribution to society 0

jorge blogsada said...

Nice to see street get that save that he blew six times in the last week of the season. Nice win today.

dzahn07 said...

read the post by Aaron Gleeman of yesterdays Twins-A's game and how Miller and Morgan couldn't pronounce the Twins names.