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Saints vs Tebow Breaking News: Coincidence or Orchestrated?

Discussion in 'Journalism topics only' started by 21, Mar 22, 2012.

  1. 21

    21 Well-Known Member

    Strikes me as somewhat unusual that two monster stories related to the same league would explode at essentially the same time. No question the NFL is the master of controlling the news cycle...any thoughts about the timing of these two stories breaking at once? Coincidence? Or was there some plan here, in hopes that one story would deflect the glare of the other?
     
  2. 93Devil

    93Devil Well-Known Member

    The NFL wants the Saints buried. If the NFL has a PR Department, this was timed.
     
  3. Whatwhat

    Whatwhat New Member

    I'm just surprised it's getting much coverage of all. The Pujols signing didn't even get this much coverage. The NCAA Tournament resumes today, why haven't they spent the last four days analyzing the Sweet 16?
     
  4. Boom_70

    Boom_70 Well-Known Member

    But if they wanted them buried, why put it out when Tebow story broke?
     
  5. Michael_ Gee

    Michael_ Gee Well-Known Member

    The Saints were front page of both the Times and WSJ this morning. Can't do better than that, pub-wise. It is a little weird that people are so interested in a case of football players being paid (a bonus) for violence. Old as I am, the memory is misty at best, but as I recall, the suspensions of Hornung and Karras got huge press (it was press, not media, in 1963) attention, too.
     
  6. dooley_womack1

    dooley_womack1 Well-Known Member

    This coincidence is the main cover story on Weekly World News
     
  7. steveu

    steveu Well-Known Member

    If I recall, wasn't it opening night of baseball season a couple years ago that Donovan McNabb went to the Redskins?

    Oh, you bet the NFL does this on purpose.
     
  8. dooley_womack1

    dooley_womack1 Well-Known Member

    OK, not cracking wise: If the perceived intent is to minimize the sting of the Saints decision, that did not work; ESPN just expanded its NFL coverage and weighed in heavily on both stories. If the perceived intent was to steal thunder from the NCAA tournament, mission accomplished
     
  9. joe king

    joe king Active Member

    I'm not quite old enough to remember that firsthand, but the Hornung/Karras suspension was bigger than big. Hornung was the "Golden Boy" Heisman Trophy-winning star of the league's dynasty and signature franchise at the time. His suspension was a bombshell of the first order.

    The one I do remember (though I was a little kid at the time) was when Joe Namath announced his retirement just after the Jets won the Super Bowl in 1969 after Pete Rozelle threatened to suspend him unless Namath sold his interest in his bar, Bachelors III (Rozelle's reason -- gamblers frequented the place). Oh, my God, that was the biggest story anywhere (cover of SI, etc.), Just before camp opened, Namath did sell and came back to play. That, of course, got giant play in the press, too.
     
  10. steveu

    steveu Well-Known Member

    I actually thought ESPN's coverage was quite good. You can bet there was probably someone at Sportscenter going "Can't we lead with an NBA highlight?" but the answer is hell no... this was the biggest news of the day. It deserved the coverage at the top, and I thought the interview with Roger Goodell was harder-hitting.

    My mother, God rest her soul, would have been devastated by this. She was a big, big Saints fan... but even she would not have approved of a bounty system.

    But yes, the NFL knows how to control the news cycle. I'll be suspicious if something big happens during MLB Opening Day or when the NCAA finals are on. lol
     
  11. Riddick

    Riddick Active Member

    See, I think the league was trying to make a statement, and wanted to make sure everyone was paying attention. Which is why it all happened right after a Tebow announcement.
     
  12. BillyT

    BillyT Active Member

    You are the people who think Elvis killed JFK.

    The NFL wanted as much publicity as possible. They certainly would not have coordinated it.

    Go back to Area 51.
     
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