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Coach inflated stats — story?

Discussion in 'Journalism topics only' started by BertoltBrecht, Aug 12, 2007.

  1. Tom Petty

    Tom Petty Guest

    buck - i think knowingly printing lies is a big deal.
     
  2. Re: Coach inflated stats — story?

    "If the coach is trying to pull a fast one on you, or the award voters in the state association, then call him on it."

    This is what Brecht is saying the coach is very likely trying to do. So...what am I missing? We seem, then, to agree he should call him on it.

    "Do you always make mountains out of molehills like this?" Whaddya mean? We're having a civil debate about a journalistic dilemma...it's not a molehill, and I'm not making a mountain out of it. It is what it is. You DID invent facts on which to premise your argument, which was the fundamental flaw with your argument, so I called you on it - in the interest of rebuttal-age, not calling you Jayson Blair.
     
  3. buckweaver

    buckweaver Active Member

    Re: Coach inflated stats — story?

    Well, it all depends on the evidence, doesn't it? I'm of the opinion that there's about a 2 percent chance that he's going to find enough concrete proof to back up his accusation that the coach is deliberately cooking his stats, let alone finding anyone who will talk to him on the record for this story.

    And if he can find that type of substance for this type of story ... about a high school coach and high school stats ... bravo fucking bravo. I'll be glad to call the writer an effin' stud.

    Me? I don't think it's worth it, at least from what little I can gather on this thread (admittedly not knowing the full story, or the coach.)
     
  4. Re: Coach inflated stats — story?

    You know what would be really easy? Call the kid. If he's like every other kicker who plays a 10-game season, he remembers everything about every single kick. Tell him straight up what's going on, then ask HIM what he thinks his stats are - what his longest kick was, how long the game-winners against Jones High and Smith High were, etc. Say to him (if this is indeed true), "It seems that Coach told the awards committee you kicked a 56-yarder against Thompson High." My guess: he says something like, "56 yards?! Really? I wish...my longest ever was 52, in practice. Weird...I don't know what to say...I don't know how that happened...I guess you'll have to talk to Coach."
     
  5. BertoltBrecht

    BertoltBrecht Member

    Maybe he won't think it's a big deal, like she (see link) did

    http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11163752/

    “I’ve always voted like this,” Lee said, explaining her vote for Robinson High School quarterback Marcello Trigg, who edged Hillsborough High School quarterback Jarred Fayson in the balloting. “When you want a desired outcome, you are going to eliminate the closest opponent to that desired outcome.”
     
  6. Tom Petty

    Tom Petty Guest

    buck - i believe this gentleman probably is from a smallesque paper. i believe he said they had 10 high schools and the only guy to make all state from their area was the player in question ... if that's true, i'm guessing the fact the kid made all state probably received a page 1 story for his accomplishment.

    obviously the guy is convinced the coach is a lying sack of shit and doesn't feel good about regurgitating the coach's line of, what he perceives to be, lies.

    why does that piss you off so much?
     
  7. Re: Coach inflated stats — story?

    Another thing I don't get about the don't-report argument (again, as always, assuming there is good proof of deception): the human drama in the reaction to this story will be fascinating to everyone in town, football fan or not. How will the coach respond? How will the school principal respond? How will the kicker respond? How will the kicker who came second in the voting respond?

    It's a stor-ay.
     
  8. buckweaver

    buckweaver Active Member

    Re: Coach inflated stats — story?

    Doesn't piss me off at all, and I've worked in a similar situation so I know how big preps can be in those areas.

    The skeptic in me questions just how much evidence there really is. Are there a ton of examples of 40-yard field goals turning into 56-yarders? If so, then OK, it's worth digging into.

    But as a writer, you're going to have find quite a bit of evidence to make an accusation like that stick -- or get a confession out of the coach/someone close to him. It can't just be, "Well, we reported this run at X yardage, and you said it was X + 10," unless you've got independent proof that your own yardage was correct, too.

    Again, it all depends on the evidence. You can't just write this story unless you KNOW -- and can back it up -- that this coach is lying, and doing it intentionally.

    It's like the scene inside the car in ATPM: "We need more facts. I've got to have more facts." "How many facts do you need?!?!" "... More than we've got."
     
  9. Tom Petty

    Tom Petty Guest

    i'll buy that.
     
  10. I completely agree with Buck. With everything he said.
    Do NOT make this a story.
    You want to call the coach on this crap do it in private. When you submit the kid's stats at the all-state meeting, tell your fellow scribes the coach is noted "Book Cooker."


    What is to be gained be writing such a story? Inflated stats are as much a part of high school football as the band.
    Coaches, fans, students, whoever is keeping the stats - besides a (supposed to be) objective sportswriter - will give their team the benefit of the doubt. Half of them don't even know how to keep track of yardage properly.
    It happens are nearly every school. Your coach in question is just one of the worst offenders - but he is hardly out of the ordinary.
    Wanna make it a story? Cover a game. When the coach sends in his stats or after the game, when tells you Johnny Jockstrap had 216 yards with three TDs, point out (both to him and in print) that the Podunk Press tracked Jockstrap for 116 yards with 3 TDs on 24 carries.
    We had a coach who was/is notorious for this. So much so, we stopped taking his stats and compiled our own based on the game boxscores.
    He would call in every Tuesday, when our stats ran and say we were wrong; tells us his staff breaks down film every Sunday.
    We told him tough shit and called him on his lies (in private!).
    This is the same guy who tell a reporter right after a game that "Speedy Stevens had a heck of night. He ran for what 175, 200 yards?"
    "Um... No coach, he had 103 yards."
    Coach: "What, you sure about that? You can't be right?"
    Us: "Well coach, it is part of OUR job to keeptrack of that stuff."


    This is not and should not be a story .... Unless it is for a national or state record (Hi Yogi Kinder!).
     
  11. MilanWall

    MilanWall Member

    Sounds like the logic contestants use on the game show "The Weakest Link." How a propos.

    Goodbye!
     
  12. chazp

    chazp Active Member

    I caught a coach doing the same thing last football season. He sent in inflated stats to the All-State selection meeting. I had brought the stats we had added up each week after game call ins from the coach. They were way off. The kid was a quarterback and he had thrown more picks and than TDs, but the stats his coach sent to the All-State meeting had more TDs than picks. The yards passing was also inflated. When his name came up, I told the group we should not nominate him. I didn't explain why. He was not nominated. After three weeks later, the largest newspaper in our state had this kid on their All-State team for his class. I guess they thought the numbers were legit.
    Surprise, surprise there are some honest coaches out there. This spring, we had a girl make our All-Area softball team. About a week and a half later, the girls coach came by my office and showed me that her stats I had received were not correct. Her dad keeps stats for the team, but she has a different last name (previous marriage), so I didn't know it was the stat guy's girl. The coach showed me where her stats were padded and told me he was going to change stat keepers next year. I was stunned, not once, but three times. One - the coach coming to me and telling me about it in the first place. Second - saying the girl was not good enough for all-area. Three - the coach deciding to change stat keepers.
     
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