Before we go any further with this little piece, let me stress that I'm not talking about the bloggers, I'm talking about the people who get paid to write for this site and others, as well as magazines, newspapers, etc.
I'm trying to get a handle on just how this whole NASCAR journalism thing works and I have to admit, I'm a little puzzled. More to the point, I'm confused as to how so many people are employed as NASCAR journalists when they all write the same damn thing and they make a good deal of it up as they go.
For example, I just finished reading a completely uninspiring piece by Jeff Owens which takes yet another shot at comparing Kyle Busch to Dale Earnhardt. How many articles have been written on this one subject over the past two weeks? Lots. How many of those articles were written well? Not many. Owens, being the daredevil he is, tries to play it up a little by adding Jeff Gordon into the mix as well, but it's pretty much the same thing we've seen written several times by several people.
I think the way this works is one person is allowed to have an original thought, and then everyone else has to hop on the bandwagon and beat that horse until there's nothing but a glob of glue left, which is why we keep getting these Busch/ Earnhardt comparisons.
Actually, it's sensationalism in all its glory and it's disgusting to see. These people don't care about reporting the news, they care about stirring the pot in order to get fan reaction and comments on their little pages. Fact based reporting is a huge inconvenience for them, especially when it's so much easier to just make stuff up and put it out there for the world to believe.
I received a piece by email the other day which highlights perfectly what I'm talking about. This came from the Associated Press, so it's not like I'm picking on something your Uncle Reginald wrote for the local newspaper and betting sheet.
The title read, "(Greg) Biffle A Solid Candidate To Replace Stewart", and the article went on to explain that Biffle should take over for Tony Stewart at Joe Gibbs Racing, even though, as far as the author knows, Biffle has had no contact with JGR and even though Stewart is still signed with JGR through 2009. So, in a nutshell, the article claims that Biffle is a "solid candidate" for a job for which he hasn't interviewed and which isn't even available. That, my friends, is some seriously lousy writing.
It's also just one example of a larger trend. Take a good close look as you read the "news" over the next few days. You'll notice that there are some very catchy headlines out there which have very little to do with what's actually written in the article. Hell, there's one woman out there who will put a driver's name in a headline and then never even mention him in the body of the article.
Also, take note of the many pieces which are simply rehashes of something someone else has written within the past day or so. Sure, a name like Kyle Busch is hot right now and readership is important, so it stands to reason that there will be lots of things written about him. But, why does everyone find it necessary to write the same thing?
One person comes up with an idea, and then everyone else grabs it and runs with it. No news today? Hell, let's just make some up. That's sad, but it is laughable when it backfires. Writer after writer last year reported with complete certainty that Dale Earnhardt Jr would be driving for Joe Gibbs Racing this season after Jeff Hammond said it was a done deal. Well, someone should have told Jr about that, because he got confused and has been driving for Hendrick Motorsports all year.
The only way this trend is going to change is when the fans that read these articles start standing up and demanding some credibility. When you read a piece that presents innuendo and rumor as fact, sound off! Leave a comment where possible and where it's not possible, email the writer as well as the writer's boss.
It's not too much for us to ask that we be presented with fact based news pieces rather than fiction passed off as news. NASCAR fans deserve better and as you may have guessed, I'm sick and tired of it. Aren't you?
At first glance, this may not seem to be about sports, so I'm recommending you skip past the first glance and move right to the second.
On any website where people interact, you'll find great people who have a lot of fun talking about the topic(s) of that site, and you'll also inevitably find some not so great people who take great delight in causing trouble. These people are often referred to as "trolls", presumably because they live under bridges and have really bad breath.
It's very easy to be one of the great people who always plays nice, but it takes a lot of talent to be a true troublemaker, so I'm here with your handy dandy guide to being the best internet troll you can be, which is entitled, "Your Handy Dandy Guide To Being The Best Internet Troll You Can Be". Let's get started, shall we?
First, you'll need a computer and an internet connection. Since you're reading this, it will be easy for you to Google these terms to see where you can find computers and internet connections near you.
Next, you need an agenda. You can be a general troll, meaning that you'll criticize people for pretty much anything they say, or you can be a specific troll, meaning you'll only go after people who say things about your favorite team or your favorite driver or your favorite serial killer, etc.
No matter which route you choose above, there are some very important components to being a great troll and you must embody them all if you want to be truly effective.
It's very important to be a poor speller. I can't stress this one enough. It's against the troll code of conduct to spell words correctly, so proper spelling will give you away as a wannabe very quickly.
You must be creative with profanity. It's not enough to use profanity, you need to be able to use it in new and exciting ways. Sure, you might get a reaction if you call someone a mother somethingorother, but you'll get a much stronger reaction if you specify just whose mother that person has been somethingorothering.
TYPE IN ALL CAPS. I DON'T THINK I NEED TO EXPLAIN THIS ONE, DO I?
Accuse the other person of being ####. When you get into a war of words with someone, odds are they will win it. Why do I say that? Because most trolls are mental midgets and you're a troll, right? So, you'll need a back up plan for when you lose an argument, and few things will do more damage than accusing a complete stranger of being ####. Of course the other person will be humiliated that you've somehow deduced the sexual orientation he's kept hidden from family and friends for all these years and he'll likely be so ashamed that he'll never show his face on the site again. Or maybe not, but it's free to try, right?
Don't let facts get in the way o####ood opinion. This is a biggie for a good troll. Go right ahead and state whatever is on your mind and when confronted with evidence to the contrary, stand your ground. Question the other person's sources, as in, "Elias WHO?", and when the source can't be questioned, question the context, as in, "sure, but does it list how often he scratches himself after all base hits, or just home runs?"
When in doubt, threaten physical violence. This one will really show them. Nothing strikes fear into the hearts of others like being threatened by some faceless name on a computer screen. Sure, you're a scrawny, 120 pound geek sitting in front of his computer wearing three day old underwear, but tell someone you're going to kick his butt and everyone will think you're 7 foot tall and bullet proof. All the other people on the site will instantly become afraid of you and no one will ever dare disagree with you again.
Your head must be up your rear end. This is not negotiable, all trolls have their heads up there, without exception.
These are the most important components of being a great internet troll, but explore a little and see how many new ideas you can come up with. You're only limited by your imagination, profanity filters and, in certain cases, law enforcement agencies, so have at it.
If you're looking for real world examples, odds are that a few will show up in the comments section below this post.
We see tons of NASCAR articles everyday, but there are some headlines we’ll never see written, which may be for the better or for the worse.
Edwards: Stewart Too Polite “Tony Stewart is a great driver and a great guy,”, said Carl Edwards, “but he’s never going to be successful until he learns to stop being so darn nice on the track all the time.”
France: We Value Our Fans’ Opinions In a major announcement, NASCAR CEO Brian France announced today that NASCAR will begin soliciting opinions from fans when considering making changes to the sport.
Johnson: Totally My Fault Following the wreck, which took out six other cars, Jimmie Johnson said, “That was totally my fault and I apologize to everyone I wrecked.”
Mark Martin: I Was Only Kidding About That Retirement Thing
Jack Roush: NASCAR Has Always Treated Me Fairly “They (NASCAR) have always treated me fairly and with the utmost respect,” Roush said. “I have nothing to complain about.”
Yates To Field Chevy’s In 2008
New Book: “A Guide To Using Proper English”, by Larry McReynolds
Kurt Busch Voted Most Popular Driver
Kyle Busch Voted Most Popular Driver
Dale Jr: My Life As A Mormon
Ryan Newman Gets Neck Extension
Fans In The South Welcome Toyota With Open Arms
Fearing Overexposure, NASCAR Scales Back TV Coverage
Knaus: We Can’t Win If I Don’t Cheat
Talladega Infield Rated Calmest In NASCAR
Mike Helton: Appealing To The Masses Matters More Than Competition
Citing Fan Boredom, Bristol Converted To Road Course
New Hampshire Closed; Races Moved to Rockingham and North Wilkesboro
Pocono Closed; Races Moved To Darlington and Kentucky
Bill France, Jr: I REPEAT; My Son Brian Is An ####
