"Narrative Science" to replace sportswriters?

[Pendleton]

http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/10_19/b4177037188386.htm

 

[TrooperBari]

Re: Oh brother: Narrative Science....

If regurgitated stats are all you want, you're golden.

Want something other than what a competent fan can pick up from the box score? Sorry, that costs extra.


EDIT: Multiple threads merged

 

[WaylonJennings]

"Next year it plans to approach Little League about using the service. It's 'certainly something I think we would consider,' says Little League spokesman Steve Barr. 'It sounds pretty innovative.'"

 

[HejiraHenry]

Science!

 

[Armchair_QB]

Good ****ing Lord.

 

[fossywriter8]

From the article:

Below are the opening lines of three stories written about a recent college baseball game. Two are from schools' sports information departments. The other was produced by software that takes box scores and spits out news articles. Which one was done by machine?

a) "The University of Michigan baseball team used a four-run fifth inning to salvage the final game in its three-game weekend series with Iowa, winning 7-5 on Saturday afternoon (April 24) at the Wilpon Baseball Complex, home of historic Ray Fisher Stadium."

b) "Michigan held off Iowa for a 7-5 win on Saturday. The Hawkeyes (16-21) were unable to overcome a four-run sixth inning deficit. The Hawkeyes clawed back in the eighth inning, putting up one run."

c) "The Iowa baseball team dropped the finale of a three-game series, 7-5, to Michigan Saturday afternoon. Despite the loss, Iowa won the series having picked up two wins in the twinbill at Ray Fisher Stadium Friday."

The correct answer: b). It was composed by the computers of Narrative Science, a five-month-old company in Evanston, Ill., that specializes in "machine-generated content." "There's no human author and no human editing," says Stuart Frankel, 44, the company's CEO and a former executive at DoubleClick. "But the stories sound really good."

But the stories sound really good? Not choice B from the above group, the one the software spit out. Granted, none of them are scintilating reads, but it's not good.

 

[fossywriter8]

By the way, the article's title ("Are Sportswriters Really Necessary?) is a bit misleading. The rendering provided by the software is compared to write-ups by two SID offices, not two sportswriters.

 

[WaylonJennings]

By the way, the article's title ("Are Sportswriters Really Necessary?) is a bit misleading. The rendering provided by the software is compared to write-ups by two SID offices, not two sportswriters.

Exactly.

But this is what people - including a writer at Business Week, which should come as no shock - think that we do.

 

[SF_Express]

I'm not sure anybody remembers this, but some do: This sports story writing software has been discussed and around in some fashion for at LEAST 10 years, and I wouldn't be shocked if it was 20. Actually, I'm positive it has been around since I moved online, which will be 13 years in August.

Choice B was obvious above. None of this is extremely innovative, to me. This might be useful for small staffs that could save time from doing routine roundups to do other things. As a major source for a major paper, I'm not seeing the point anytime soon.

 

[ringer]

I'd love to see the program for this: Insert score - insert cliche - insert stat.... If team has a bird name, insert cheesy reference to bird anatomy. If team includes the word Sox, insert cheesy laundry reference...

I still want to know where will the quotes come from. Or will those be made up by the machine, too?

 

[Armchair_QB]

I'd love to see the program for this: Insert score - insert cliche - insert stat.... If team has a bird name, insert cheesy reference to bird anatomy. If team includes the word Sox, insert cheesy laundry reference...

I still want to know where will the quotes come from. Or will those be made up by the machine, too?

A. Just happy to be here.

B. Just want to help the ballclub.

C. Good Lord willing everything will work out.

D. Fastball, about **** high.

E. All of the above.

 

[Bob Cook]

Time to bring back Don Carmen's list of cliches, which he posted to his locker, inviting reporters to use any and all as needed.

http://www.baseball-almanac.com/legendary/licarmn.shtml

1.
I'm just glad to be here. I just want to help the club any way I can.
2.
Baseball's a funny game.
3.
I'd rather be lucky than good.
4.
We're going to take the season one game at a time.
5.
You're only as good as your last game (last at-bat).
6.
This game has really changed.
7.
If we stay healthy we should be right there.
8.
It takes 24 (25) players.
9.
We need two more players to take us over the top: Babe Ruth & Lou Gehrig.
10.
We have a different hero every day.
11.
We'll get 'em tomorrow.
12.
This team seems ready to gel.
13.
With a couple breaks, we win that game.
14.
That All-Star voting is a joke.
15.
The catcher and I were on the same wavelength.
16.
I just went right at 'em.
17.
I did my best and that's all I can do.
18.
You just can't pitch behind.
19.
That's the name of the game.
20.
We've got to have fun.
21.
I didn't have my good stuff, but I battled 'em.
22.
Give the guy some credit; he hit a good pitch.
23.
He, we were due to catch a break or two.
24.
Yes.
25.
No.
26.
That's why they pay him _____ million dollars.
27.
Even I could have hit that pitch.
28.
I know you are but what am I?
29.
I was getting my off-speed stuff over so they couldn't sit on the fastball.
30.
I had my at 'em ball going today.
31.
I had some great plays made behind me tonight.
32.
I couldn't have done it without my teammates.
33.
You saw it... write it.
34.
I just wanted to go as hard as I could as long as I could.
35.
I'm seeing the ball real good.
36.
I hit that ball good.

37.
I don't get paid to hit.

 

[goalmouth]

Example A says ffith-

From the article:
a) "The University of Michigan baseball team used a four-run fifth inning to salvage the final game in its three-game weekend series with Iowa, winning 7-5 on Saturday afternoon (April 24) at the Wilpon Baseball Complex, home of historic Ray Fisher Stadium."

b) "Michigan held off Iowa for a 7-5 win on Saturday. The Hawkeyes (16-21) were unable to overcome a four-run sixth inning deficit. The Hawkeyes clawed back in the eighth inning, putting up one run."

One of these accounts is incorrect. Can you suspend software without pay?

 

[Pete Incaviglia]

Example A says ffith-

From the article:
a) "The University of Michigan baseball team used a four-run fifth inning to salvage the final game in its three-game weekend series with Iowa, winning 7-5 on Saturday afternoon (April 24) at the Wilpon Baseball Complex, home of historic Ray Fisher Stadium."

b) "Michigan held off Iowa for a 7-5 win on Saturday. The Hawkeyes (16-21) were unable to overcome a four-run sixth inning deficit. The Hawkeyes clawed back in the eighth inning, putting up one run."

One of these accounts is incorrect. Can you suspend software without pay?

You must be a copy editor!

Seriously though, nice catch.

 

[ringer]

They're both right. I found the box score.

Michigan did score four runs in the fifth inning.

And at the top of the sixth inning, the score was 6-2, so Iowa did have a four-run deficit at the top of the sixth.

 

[henryhenry]

can't be long before software plagiarizes other software.

 

[Bubbler]

Time to bring back Don Carmen's list of cliches, which he posted to his locker, inviting reporters to use any and all as needed.

http://www.baseball-almanac.com/legendary/licarmn.shtml

1.
I'm just glad to be here. I just want to help the club any way I can.
2.
Baseball's a funny game.
3.
I'd rather be lucky than good.
4.
We're going to take the season one game at a time.
5.
You're only as good as your last game (last at-bat).
6.
This game has really changed.
7.
If we stay healthy we should be right there.
8.
It takes 24 (25) players.
9.
We need two more players to take us over the top: Babe Ruth & Lou Gehrig.
10.
We have a different hero every day.
11.
We'll get 'em tomorrow.
12.
This team seems ready to gel.
13.
With a couple breaks, we win that game.
14.
That All-Star voting is a joke.
15.
The catcher and I were on the same wavelength.
16.
I just went right at 'em.
17.
I did my best and that's all I can do.
18.
You just can't pitch behind.
19.
That's the name of the game.
20.
We've got to have fun.
21.
I didn't have my good stuff, but I battled 'em.
22.
Give the guy some credit; he hit a good pitch.
23.
He, we were due to catch a break or two.
24.
Yes.
25.
No.
26.
That's why they pay him _____ million dollars.
27.
Even I could have hit that pitch.
28.
I know you are but what am I?
29.
I was getting my off-speed stuff over so they couldn't sit on the fastball.
30.
I had my at 'em ball going today.
31.
I had some great plays made behind me tonight.
32.
I couldn't have done it without my teammates.
33.
You saw it... write it.
34.
I just wanted to go as hard as I could as long as I could.
35.
I'm seeing the ball real good.
36.
I hit that ball good.

37.
I don't get paid to hit.

So awesome. Here's to you, journeyman pitcher!

 

[JayFarrar]

Um, in a grad school class in the way back year of 1996, software to write roundups and capsules were discussed by the professor.
He said that while some publishers would consider the negatives outweighed the positives. Like the initial high cost of the software and equipment, you would still need to someone to input the data and what would you do in the case of a catastrophic computer failure.

 

[henryhenry]

inevitable: alcoholic software that pads expenses
mails in its stories
jumps to radio gig at first chance

 

[fishwrapper]

About two years ago I extensively tested copy editing software.