|
People
question the media at times, wondering if facts are being
twisted, if truths are being distorted, or if stories are being
manufactured just to keep readers and viewers interested. But
once in awhile, someone in the media will say or do something
that is just plain incorrect. And when it’s done on national
television, it can catch the eye of a great number of people.
At the end
of the Pepsi 400 this weekend was a great example of media
personalities getting a fact wrong, and broadcasting it to
millions. After Tony Stewart won the Pepsi 400 for the second
consecutive year, Larry Mac and DW had a short conversation (10
or 15 seconds is all it took) about how this is where Stewart
started his winning streak last year, leading up to his
championship run.
I did not
tape the broadcast, so I cannot go back and double check the
exact quotes, but it was something like “Isn’t this where
Tony started his winning streak last season?” “I do believe
you’re right”
The
implication, of course, is that Stewart is right on pace to do
what he did last year, getting hot in mid-season and racing past
the competition for another championship.
But the
FACT is that the boys in the booth are off by a week. Stewart’s
2005 winning streak started in Sonoma, where he won the race at
Infineon. This year he had a much poorer finish at that track,
thanks to an engine problem.
It may
have been a minor fact. Actually, I’ll admit that it’s a VERY
minor fact. But let’s face it. These guys are paid huge sums
of money to know their sport inside and out. They are hired as
the “experts”. And casual viewers, who don’t follow the sport
week in and week out rely on them to explain what’s
happening on the track. When they misinform the public on even
the smallest of facts, it lessens the value of having experts in
the booth. And when that fact is something that would be known
by anyone who has even casually followed the sport for the past
two years, it really makes you wonder what these guys are
thinking.
Do not get
me wrong. I like the broadcast team on FOX/FX. Some
people seem to be getting tired of Larry Mac. And some have had
their fill of “Boogity Boogity Boogity”. I’m not one of those
people. I think FOX does a very good job of covering the races.
But when
obvious mistakes are made by the “experts”, it makes me wonder
if the announcers themselves are getting a little burned out as
the season wears on. In fact, as far as the FOX broadcasts are
concerned, the season has worn on to it’s end. This was
their season finale. They are done with NASCAR for 2006. So
maybe the guys were a little tired, and weren’t as sharp as they
were earlier in the season. Maybe there was a little let down,
now that the race was over, and the excitement of the moment had
passed for the final time this season. That can happen to
anyone after a long run without a break. But it’s still no
excuse.
These guys
are on the national broadcast teams because they’re supposed to
be the best at what they do. If they can’t get the facts right,
who can?
Next week,
NASCAR broadcasts are turned over to NBC and TNT. Here’s hoping
their “experts” can keep ALL of the facts right. |
