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Coach inflated stats — story?

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

  1. spnited

    spnited Active Member

    I do not see any sense in chasing this "story."

    Brecht, do you have conclusive proof that the coach faked the stats? Do you have video of all of the team's games so you can check the distance oin every FG the kid kicked? Could he have kicked on from the 40 -- 50 yarder, right-- and your string called it 40 becuase it was from the 40?
    Can you than prove that the coach intentionally lied or just wrote down numbers that he "thought were right?"

    And in the end, who gets hurt the most...the 16-year-old kid who gets embarrased and whose opponentrs will taunt him for being a bogus all-State pick.

    There is nothing good to come out of this story and despite what someone said, there is no great human drama here. There is a 16-year-old kid about to be made to look foolish, even if it wasn't his doing.
     
  2. Cadet

    Cadet Guest

    My experience is that every coach inflates stats. Some more, some less, but they all do it.

    I'm a complete stat nerd, I know I do it right, and not once last football season did my numbers from any game match with what either coach called into the major metro. And I didn't expect them to.
     
  3. awriter

    awriter Active Member

    Couple of things.
    It's possible the stringer or staff writer fucked up and short-changed the kicker. But I have a feeling that if he really did boot a 55-yarder, the coach would be willing to show the tape. If he does, and the kick did boot a 55-yarder, then there's no story. Otherwise, there's a story. You have a coach who possibly lied (or just has incompetent statisticians), a kid who probably didn't deserve to make all-state and another who got screwed.
    Two people at a game can easily come up with different rushing numbers for a player, but a kicker either booted a 55-yarder or he didn't.
     
  4. broadway joe

    broadway joe Guest

    Brecht, if a coach intentionally inflates a player's stats to get him postseason honors, that's a story. In fact, it's a classic example of a good prep story. Don't let anyone tell you differently. You have a lot of questions to ask before you determine whether this coach was being intentionally dishonest, but for god's sake, ask them. That's what a good reporter does. I hope you pursue this, and that you'll let us know what you find out.
     
  5. What really is the story here? "Coach gave media artificially enhanced player stats."

    That makes the media the story.

    And we are not the story.

    We are never the story.

    Readers don't give a shit about us. Never have, never will.

    And if we're going to write a story with a headline that says "Coach Boosted Player's Stats", I have some other huge stories to suggest.

    "Sun Sets In West"

    "Water Freezes Into Ice"

    "Cubs Fall Short of World Series"

    "Democrats and Republicans Disagree"

    Whether it's a big market or a small market, this kind of stuff happens everywhere. It happens at baseball stadiums where the scorekeepers practice "home cooking", and in football stadiums where the stat guys will credit the home team with an extra yard here and there, and not do it for the visiting team.

    Is it honest? Nope. But it's also not Watergate.

    And know what happens if you do write a story that says "the coach gave us incorrect stats on a player"?

    The general reaction is going to be, "shouldn't you guys be keeping track of that in the first place?"

    Brecht, take my advice and approach the coach in private to suggest the matter. DO NOT make this shit public.
     
  6. Some Guy

    Some Guy Active Member

    Re: Coach inflated stats — story?

    Well, it could be, "Coach lied to get kicker on all-state team."

    Has a nice ring to it, don't you think?

    Obviously, the key would be to discover if the coach intentionally lied, and maybe it's not possible to find that out. But it doesn't hurt to look into it, eh? Isn't that the essence of being a reporter?

    If the SIDs at the college I cover send bogus stats out to Heisman voters, is that not a story?
     
  7. Tom Petty

    Tom Petty Guest

    i think some of us remember our days at a small paper more than others, but i also think buck hit the nail on the head. brecht needs to determine the degree of intent to deceive and to what degree the coach lied.

    as i said earlier, any news person would look into voter fraud and some kid out there could have gotten screwed out of an honor he deserved because some adult lied his ass off for his own kid.

    there is one thing and one thing only that we owe our readers and that's the truth.
     
  8. DGRollins

    DGRollins Member

    Re: Coach inflated stats — story?

    [ i ] Italics [ / i ]

    But, get rid of the spaces
     
  9. broadway joe

    broadway joe Guest

    The issue is not the stats the coach gave to the media, it's the stats the coach gave to the state awards association. Go back and read Brecht's first post.
     
  10. Tom Petty

    Tom Petty Guest

    thank you joe.
     
  11. Fascinating thread. All I can offer here is that it doesn't hurt for a reporter to approach something like this in increments before deciding whether it's a story. Doesn't have to be all or nothing.

    Take it a step at a time. For instance, find out exactly what facts you have. Evaluate. Then decide what's next, perhaps you want to talk to the coach or player in private - doesn't even have to be a formal interview. Evaluate. Is it still worth pursuing? If yes, take the next step. Evaluate and so on.

    Hope that helps.
     
  12. slappy4428

    slappy4428 Active Member

    Inform the association that you believe that the player made the team based on inflated stats; give them time to check -- based on your counter evidence --- after they sort it out, call them back.
    Ask him to give you the games of the field goals. Call the opposing coach and ask if he still has the stats.
    Show the differences....
     
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