Gainesville Sun gets it very, very wrong

[dixiehack]

If you are going to report that the No. 1 recruit in America by some sources got sent packing early for being disruptive, you might want to make sure that the story is actually, you know, true.

http://www.gatorsports.com/article/20080124/NEWS/945006662/1016

The juicier details start at the bottom of page 2 of this story.

http://www.al.com/alabamafootball/birminghamnews/index.ssf?/base/sports/120125256642090.xml&coll=2&thispage=1

 

[Batman]

What is meant by "recruiting for Oklahoma"? Was he trying to get other recruits to go there? Talking to them while on his visit to Florida? That line doesn't make sense to me.

 

[black dude with pompano]

What is meant by "recruiting for Oklahoma"? Was he trying to get other recruits to go there? Talking to them while on his visit to Florida? That line doesn't make sense to me.

Yeah, that's rumored to happened a lot in the recruiting world.

A kid will be a "silent commit" to State Tech. So State Tech urges him to take an official visit to rival State U. in order to influence other kids to attend State Tech, or just generally be a disruptive presence for State U. during the weekend.

It doesn't happen as often as fans like to believe it does, but it does occur occasionally.

 

[Simon_Cowbell]

What is meant by "recruiting for Oklahoma"? Was he trying to get other recruits to go there? Talking to them while on his visit to Florida? That line doesn't make sense to me.

Yeah, that's rumored to happened a lot in the recruiting world.

A kid will be a "silent commit" to State Tech. So State Tech urges him to take an official visit to rival State U. in order to influence other kids to attend State Tech, or just generally be a disruptive presence for State U. during the weekend.

It doesn't happen as often as fans like to believe it does, but it does occur occasionally.

I'd be very worried encouraging a recruit to visit any other school.

It would be like me working over someone for a roto trade and letting him/her off the phone with the deal almost closed.

 

[Stone Cane]

i've never gotten why people care where high school kids are going to college to play football (or hoops)

i understand this has become a massive industry

i just don't get why

who freaking cares

 

[Ace]

Why do newspapers feel the need to publish what one "trusted source" says happens during a recruiting visit if you can't validate it in some way?

A lot of the scuttlebutt you hear is just wrong. And you publish something controversial like this and even if you have a source, he's likely to recant under pressure to keep the kid still in line for the beloved Gators.

This is just dumb.

 

[silentbob]

I agree with Stone.

If I ran a sports section, I wouldn't touch recruiting until signing day. Don't know how many times in the past years we've run a story that says so-and-so is going to State U. Then a week later: So-and-so changes his mind. A week later: So-and-so might be going back to State.

What's scary is there are people -- reporters and fans -- who live for recruiting. How that happens I have NO idea.

 

[SEC Guy]

You gotta love a paper that's website is "Gatorsports.com"

I think this is also the paper that had "We're No. 1" as the main headline after one of the recent titles.

 

[SEC Guy]

Read the main Tebow story on that link. The writer, who has been covering the team for well over a decade, has to refer to a quote from the Florida student paper.

I give him credit for giving proper credit, but how embarrassed would you be if you had been on a beat that long and you get beaten badly by the student paper?

I think that's more embarrassing than the error.

 

[King Of All Media]

Read the main Tebow story on that link. The writer, who has been covering the team for well over a decade, has to refer to a quote from the Florida student paper.

I give him credit for giving proper credit, but how embarrassed would you be if you had been on a beat that long and you get beaten badly by the student paper?

I think that's more embarrassing than the error.

Robbie is a great guy. But he's having a brutal week.

 

[Batman]

I agree with Stone.

If I ran a sports section, I wouldn't touch recruiting until signing day. Don't know how many times in the past years we've run a story that says so-and-so is going to State U. Then a week later: So-and-so changes his mind. A week later: So-and-so might be going back to State.

What's scary is there are people -- reporters and fans -- who live for recruiting. How that happens I have NO idea.

Our biggest problem is dumbasses. We've had some great players in the last few years, who've signed with D-I schools. Usually one a year, which isn't bad for a small town. We do a story or two during recruiting season, maybe one if they commit early, make a big "it's official" splash on signing day — then have them score a 3 on their ACT and end up at a juco in the fall.
I'm so glad for this year's class. We have two guys who are likely to go D-I. One has his grades and has been firmly committed for months. Our next story on him will be on signing day. The other was one of those old juco guys who pulled his **** together and signed with a four-year school last month. We've already done something on him. The rest we can handle with a roundup on signing day.

 

[GuessWho]

i've never gotten why people care where high school kids are going to college to play football (or hoops)

i understand this has become a massive industry

i just don't get why

who freaking cares

I totally agree. My standard comment is I'll worry about them when they get here. But a crapload of our readers seem to care. In our daily internet reports, hits on recruiting stories are off the freaking charts and nearly double anything else in the paper on those days.

Sucks, but a lot of folks eat up those stories. Thank God I don't have to write them.

 

[Ace]

Are newspapers really in the position to be blowing off something that readers want to know about?

 

[WaylonJennings]

Are newspapers really in the position to be blowing off something that readers want to know about?

Exactly. When we run a football recruiting story in our paper, the hits for it are universally the top Web draw in the paper that day. They outpace even major controversies in the program or the university, big games, etc., etc. The only thing bigger is when a big-name recruit gets to campus, before he plays his first game or if it's leading up to his first start or after his first big performance/breakout game.

Once they hit sophomore year, they're practically yesterday's news.

 

[HoopsMcCann]

readers also may enjoy pictures of naked 8-year olds

 

[Ace]

readers also may enjoy pictures of naked 8-year olds

Would you include their 40 times?

 

[steveu]

readers also may enjoy pictures of naked 8-year olds

on steroids

 

[Mizzougrad96]

readers also may enjoy pictures of naked 8-year olds

Well, it is the SEC...

 

[SF_Express]

i've never gotten why people care where high school kids are going to college to play football (or hoops)

i understand this has become a massive industry

i just don't get why

who freaking cares

People caring about things that mean nothing in the grand scheme of life is why a whole lot of us here have a job.

 

[Fourth and 8]

You gotta love a paper that's website is "Gatorsports.com"

I think this is also the paper that had "We're No. 1" as the main headline after one of the recent titles.

Isn't it permissable to think that a community paper, read by community readers, could embrace the community's university during a moment of joy? I really don't see this as homerism. It doesn't sway anyone with a bias. At least not in my view.