AP Daytona runup=Groundhog Day?

[HanSenSE]

On Monday: 67-inch story on 10th anniversary of Dale Earnhardt's death.
On Tuesday: Story on Kevin Harvick and his reactions 10 years after Earnhardt's death.
Today: Top item on the sports budget is a story on Dale Earnhardt Jr. and the 10th anniversary of his dad's death.

Is this the only thing going on in Daytona this week, Dale Earnhardt still dead? Or has AP's crew suddenly been sapped of whatever creativity they're allowed and they keep writing the same story over and over?

 

[KYSportsWriter]

I think it's a pretty big deal. No problem with the AP writing these stories. The Monday story was pretty damned good.

 

[geddymurphy]

I'd like to see a story on why they hold their "Super Bowl" at the beginning of the season.

 

[HanSenSE]

I think it's a pretty big deal. No problem with the AP writing these stories. The Monday story was pretty damned good.

It was a good read, and hopefully I'll have enough space to run it this week. I'm no motorhead, just follow NASCAR enough to know what's going on, but a story every day seems a bit much though.

 

[playthrough]

It's all anyone's talking about down there, for better or worse. And just wait until Junior miraculously (wink, wink) wins.

 

[Shoeless Joe]

It is THE story. Has to be. It will be the same in 2026.

I have always had a problem with Daytona being called the "Super Bowl of racing."

As far as I'm concerned, the NFL championship game is the "Daytona 500 of football." ;D

 

[slappy4428]

Hey, there's a different Earnhardt story today... dumbass wrecked his car and will start at the back of the field
http://sports.espn.go.com/rpm/nascar/cup/news/story?id=6128841

 

[SoCalDude]

Some local "motorhead"(blue type) talk radio guys are down there and today's report was on "the late Dale Earnhardt Jr."

 

[HanSenSE]

It's all anyone's talking about down there, for better or worse. And just wait until Junior miraculously (wink, wink) wins.

Yep, just ask Tony Kornheiser.

 

[inthesuburbs]

It is THE story. Has to be. It will be the same in 2026.

Anniversaries are the crutch helping lame journalists get through the day.

When the boss says, let's do a story on the 10th anniversary of..., the right answer is:

Are we going to write "the same" ****ing story over and over again? If AP could put it on its budget months and months ago, then it's not news.

Why don't we go out and find some real news? Why don't you, the editor, try something new: Trust the reporter to go out and do some reporting, and bring back something the reader doesn't already know.

 

[geddymurphy]

It is THE story. Has to be. It will be the same in 2026.

Anniversaries are the crutch helping lame journalists get through the day.

When the boss says, let's do a story on the 10th anniversary of..., the right answer is:

Wait until September ...

 

[inthesuburbs]

Oh, well, you nailed it: Dale E. dying was exactly the same as the terror attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

Seriously, there are a few anniversaries worth noting with a full story (in addition to your wedding anniversary). Pearl Harbor every 10 years, Sept. 11, Easter. You can count a few others.

Now compare that list with the actual list of anniversary stories we waste time on. They're like sick-kid-fundraiser stories. Why do we do them? They're easy. And predictable. Editors can pencil them in without having to trust the reporters to go dig up something fresh.

If news organizations do stories that the readers expect, over and over again, they die.

 

[slappy4428]

He's still dead, you know...

 

[BTExpress]

There can be a place for an anniversary story that has something for everybody.

To a 15-year-old kid, reading about the xxth anniversary of Rosie Ruiz at the Boston Marathon may give him a story he otherwise didn't know about.

To a 45-year-old, it can mention some details long forgotten and/or missed the first time as well as providing a "Where are they now?" update.

Anniversary stories can be lame. But they don't have to be.

 

[linotype]

Seriously, there are a few anniversaries worth noting with a full story (in addition to your wedding anniversary). Pearl Harbor every 10 years, Sept. 11, Easter. You can count a few others.

I'm curious why the anniversary of Easter merits a mention. Especially since it's on a different day every year.

 

[Batman]

I'd like to see a story on why they hold their "Super Bowl" at the beginning of the season.

Heard it explained once and it sort of made sense, so here goes.
Besides the fact it has the biggest purse of any of the races, more preparation goes into Daytona than any other race. From November to February, that's what teams are gearing for. There's also a spectacle about it, with the different format (qualifying races) and the history of the race.
No one doubts that the Indy 500 is the "Super Bowl" of open wheel racing, and it's in the middle of the year. So why is it such a joke that NASCAR's biggest race is first on the schedule?

 

[Mark2010]

I didn't think the Earnhardt anniversary death piece (we ran a great one from New York Times) was too much. It was a major event. The piece we ran talked more about Earnhardt's life and what he did to bring NASCAR into the sports mainstream and how the sport hasn't had a personality like him since. Very good read, even though we are nowhere close to being in motorsports country.

As for Sept. 11.... crank up the hype. I bet CNN and MSNBC do a 24-hour commemorative special. Fox News will do a week-long special highlighting "the history of violence in the Arabic World" and hail to the troops. I just hope someone does a report on how horrible it is to fly on a commercial airline these days.

It's an event worth remembering, but I suspect the overkill will be unlike anything since D-Day or Pearl Harbor.

 

[Mark2010]

I'd like to see a story on why they hold their "Super Bowl" at the beginning of the season.

Eh, it's more akin to the Masters or Wimbledon, a single event with a lot of history and prestige. The real "Super Bowl" is the Chase for the Championship that comes at the end of the season.

 

[Shoeless Joe]

The Indy 500 is in the middle of the year, but it's really early in their race season.

They can't move Daytona to later in the year. That's where my parents went on their honeymoon, so I know pretty close to when their anniversary is and when it's time to get them a card!

 

[User 11148]

The Daytona 500 simply evolved into being the series' blockbuster event. It grew out of earlier stock car races that were run, partially, on a stretch of the beach. In the late 50s Daytona International Speedway was built and from there the Daytona 500 as we know it emerged. Back then NASCAR series participation was much more fluid, with lots more races, but the Daytona 500 quickly became a must for most of the legitimate top-tier drivers.