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"And it wasn't that close"

Discussion in 'Journalism topics only' started by TheMethod, Sep 26, 2007.

  1. TheMethod

    TheMethod Member

    Bumblefuck lost to West Dipshit 35-14 Saturday, and it wasn't that close.

    I make a move that we retire this little device. It's completely subjective. It's overused. And the score was, in fact, that close. It annoys me.
     
  2. Chi City 81

    Chi City 81 Guest

    Why do you have to pick on West Dipshit? They work just as hard as those rich kids from North Cumstain!
     
  3. John

    John Well-Known Member

    West Dipshit won. It's Bumblefuck that the paper is always picking on. And those kids DO work just as hard as the rich kids from North Cumstain.
     
  4. Chi City 81

    Chi City 81 Guest

    THIS IS WHY I DON'T READ THE NEWSPAPERS! THIS IS GARBAGE! THE EDITOR WHO RAN THAT IS GARBAGE!
     
  5. Babs

    Babs Member

    I disagree. Yes, it's subjective, but it gives a feel for how the game went. Isn't that the whole point of covering the game? As a reader, it helps me.

    Sometimes a team dominates the clock, etc. but the score doesn't reflect it. So no, the scores don't tell the whole story.
     
  6. pressmurphy

    pressmurphy Member

    You can't give that one the heave-ho without also banning its soulmate, "It was closer than the score indicated."
     
  7. Jeremy Goodwin

    Jeremy Goodwin Active Member

    This is kind of a d_b. This thread is a little buried, but I think both of pressmurphy and Themethod's phrases could go here:

    http://www.sportsjournalists.com/forum/threads/47188/

    "As long as we're throwing out phrases to be banned..."
     
  8. Some Guy

    Some Guy Active Member

    Eh, it has its place.

    It's not an every-gamer type of device, but it is useful. One man's "subjective" is another man's "analysis," which is what we, as sportswriters are supposed to be providing in our gamers.
     
  9. playthrough

    playthrough Moderator Staff Member

    I don't remember using it too often, but it's not cliched. Covered a lot of prep games that became respectable late when the losers' starters piled up cheap points on the winning team's backups. Readers might see a 49-35 scoreline and think shootout, but if that puppy was 49-0 midway through the third, you gotta say so in one way or another.
     
  10. Some Guy

    Some Guy Active Member

    Exactly.
     
  11. Jeremy Goodwin

    Jeremy Goodwin Active Member

    Using "and it wasn't even that close" or "It was closer than the score indicated" is lazy writing. I guess it's OK to use them, but you better have a sentence or graph right after it explaining how the game was/wasn't that close.

    Bumblefuck lost to West Dipshit 35-14 Saturday, and it wasn't that close.
    The Fightin' Dipshiters had a 35-0 lead at halftime then sat their starters in the second half. Despite playing against backups in the second half, Bumblefuck didn't score until 1:50 left in the game, then recovered a fumble for a touchdown on the last play of the game.
     
  12. awriter

    awriter Active Member

    Then just say it was 49-0 midway through the third. No need to say "it wasn't even that close." And if it was tied at 28, just say Bumblefuck scored the final 21 points to pull away from Dipshit. No need for "it was closer than the final score indicated."
     
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