Should Wheldon story have been A1 in the NYT?

[Mizzougrad96]

So the NYT would put Dario on A1 because he's married to a past-her-prime actress? Is Zsa Zsa Gabor's husband making A1 when he dies?

A1 of TMZ... :D

 

[Dick Whitman]

What if multiple drivers had died?

 

[playthrough]

The other question is did the NYT have a writer at the event? That can be a factor as well... I'm not saying it should be, but we all know it can be...

No. I thought about that as a secondary factor too. They certainly could have gotten someone to put something together, but obviously it didn't motivate whatever high-up editors were working that day.

 

[imjustagirl]

Jesus Christ, people. I can let it slide once, maybe even twice. It's not that complicated.

Jimmy Johnson coaches football.
Jimmie Johnson has won five freaking Cup titles in a row.

 

[MileHigh]

Jimmy Johnson would be considered for A1 of the NYT. Jimmie Johnson too. :)

 

[MileHigh]

Jimmy Johnson coaches football.

Actually, he last coached football nearly 13 years ago.

 

[Mystery Meat II]

Schumacher and Franchitti might make the list as well. Emphasis on might...

Franchitti no way. Schumacher, again, I don't know the NYT that well. It would make the cover of every paper in Europe, but maybe not so much here.

The NYT might be the paper MOST likely to run Schumacher out front, because they have a global audience.

 

[jimluttrell1963]

A1 Wheldon story in Tuesday's paper. And a lengthy second piece by John Burns from London in the sports section.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/18/sports/autoracing/worries-circled-las-vegas-track-before-a-pileup.html?ref=sports

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/18/sports/autoracing/wheldon-soared-above-britains-sporting-medicority.html?ref=sports

 

[imjustagirl]

Jimmy Johnson coaches football.

Actually, he last coached football nearly 13 years ago.

I should have said "does **** drug commercials."

My bad. :D

 

[Mizzougrad96]

Schumacher and Franchitti might make the list as well. Emphasis on might...

Franchitti no way. Schumacher, again, I don't know the NYT that well. It would make the cover of every paper in Europe, but maybe not so much here.

The NYT might be the paper MOST likely to run Schumacher out front, because they have a global audience.

A1 Wheldon story in Tuesday's paper. And a lengthy second piece by John Burns from London in the sports section.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/18/sports/autoracing/worries-circled-las-vegas-track-before-a-pileup.html?ref=sports

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/18/sports/autoracing/wheldon-soared-above-britains-sporting-medicority.html?ref=sports

Did Garrett cover the race for the NYT?

 

[Mizzougrad96]

Schumacher and Franchitti might make the list as well. Emphasis on might...

Franchitti no way. Schumacher, again, I don't know the NYT that well. It would make the cover of every paper in Europe, but maybe not so much here.

The NYT might be the paper MOST likely to run Schumacher out front, because they have a global audience.

That was part of my thinking as well...

 

[Machine Head]

We discussed the placement of the Steve Jobs obit. What about Wheldon? There is a tease to sports at the bottom of A1, but no separate story.

Should there have been? Did the New York Times drop the ball today? East Coast bias?

East Coast bias? That seems to me to be an odd way to approach it.

Did any newspapers -- other say than Las Vegas -- play it on the front?

May he rest in peace, but he was not Dale Earnhardt.

I wonder what percentage of NYT readers even knew who Wheldon was before Sunday?

IndyCar is the wine and cheese crowd. I guarantee more NYT readers know Wheldon than they do Sterling Marlin, who also won his sport's flagship race twice.

I was at both.

When I read about the situation leading up to Wheldon's death it immediately reminded me of the 1994 Daytona 500 and the Hoosier tire deal. Right or wrong, that's what came to mind.

 

[murphyc]

Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon, Dale Jr. and Danica. That's all that potentially could rise to making A1 of the NYT.

I would add Tony Stewart to the maybe list, especially once Danica starts running some races for him. Dale Jr. would be at the top of my list. Helio would be on the maybe list for me as well, both due to Indy wins plus DWTS as **** Whitman mentioned.

 

[KYSportsWriter]

What if it had been Trevor Bayne?

Now you're really reaching ...

 

[Dick Whitman]

What if it had been Trevor Bayne?

Now you're really reaching ...

I only brought him up because he's the reigning Daytona 500 champ, as Wheldon is/was the reigning Indy 500 champ. So it was a question about whether NASCAR's popularity makes a difference

I'm wondering by today's story placement if the Times knows it messed up on Monday.

 

[Mystery Meat II]

What if it had been Trevor Bayne?

Now you're really reaching ...

I only brought him up because he's the reigning Daytona 500 champ, as Wheldon is/was the reigning Indy 500 champ. So it was a question about whether NASCAR's popularity makes a difference

I'm wondering by today's story placement if the Times knows it messed up on Monday.

But Dan Wheldon was a two-time Indy 500 winner, had 16 victories and was the 2005 champion. Definitely not a straight-across trade for Bayne, who not only hasn't won since Daytona, but hasn't finished in the top 10.

 

[KYSportsWriter]

What if it had been Trevor Bayne?

Now you're really reaching ...

I only brought him up because he's the reigning Daytona 500 champ, as Wheldon is/was the reigning Indy 500 champ. So it was a question about whether NASCAR's popularity makes a difference

I'm wondering by today's story placement if the Times knows it messed up on Monday.

How did the Times mess up? They weren't the only paper to NOT put it out front ...

 

[RickStain]

What if it had been Trevor Bayne?

Now you're really reaching ...

I only brought him up because he's the reigning Daytona 500 champ, as Wheldon is/was the reigning Indy 500 champ. So it was a question about whether NASCAR's popularity makes a difference

I'm wondering by today's story placement if the Times knows it messed up on Monday.

But Dan Wheldon was a two-time Indy 500 winner, had 16 victories and was the 2005 champion. Definitely not a straight-across trade for Bayne, who not only hasn't won since Daytona, but hasn't finished in the top 10.

Given that you are crossing from an extremely popular motorsport to a fringe one, I'd say Bayne is the one getting shorted in that comparison.

 

[Mystery Meat II]

What if it had been Trevor Bayne?

Now you're really reaching ...

I only brought him up because he's the reigning Daytona 500 champ, as Wheldon is/was the reigning Indy 500 champ. So it was a question about whether NASCAR's popularity makes a difference

I'm wondering by today's story placement if the Times knows it messed up on Monday.

But Dan Wheldon was a two-time Indy 500 winner, had 16 victories and was the 2005 champion. Definitely not a straight-across trade for Bayne, who not only hasn't won since Daytona, but hasn't finished in the top 10.

Given that you are crossing from an extremely popular motorsport to a fringe one, I'd say Bayne is the one getting shorted in that comparison.

Mitigated by two factors:

a) Wheldon has a much longer career while Bayne has been a non-entity since February, at least as national attention goes. Even conceding a large gap between NASCAR and IndyCar in the national conscious, and working off the assumption that the casual sports fan probably doesn't think much about either sport other than in their big race, Wheldon has two signature race wins to Bayne's one. Plus Bayne was only in 10 Sprint Cup races this season, and two since finishing 40th in the Aaron's 499 on April 17. Most of this year was spent in the Nationwide Series, which is closer to IRL in interest. And there, his best finish was third.

b) that NASCAR-Indy Car gap is probably a lot narrower for the NYT's audience is presumably than it would for, say, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution or the Charlotte Observer.

 

[Dick Whitman]

What if it had been Trevor Bayne?

Now you're really reaching ...

I only brought him up because he's the reigning Daytona 500 champ, as Wheldon is/was the reigning Indy 500 champ. So it was a question about whether NASCAR's popularity makes a difference

I'm wondering by today's story placement if the Times knows it messed up on Monday.

How did the Times mess up? They weren't the only paper to NOT put it out front ...

The others aren't national newspapers. The Times is. The front page of the Times is supposed to reflect that day that was, not locally, but nationally and even globally (from a United States's point of view).