Comments on: Media polls — vote early and often http://sportsmediajournal.com/2009/06/06/media-polls-vote-early-and-often/ Tue, 20 Dec 2011 23:43:57 +0000 hourly 1 By: Jack Finarelli http://sportsmediajournal.com/2009/06/06/media-polls-vote-early-and-often/comment-page-1/#comment-2458 Jack Finarelli Wed, 10 Jun 2009 18:37:12 +0000 http://sportsmediajournal.com/?p=1186#comment-2458 Ray: The problem with a media poll is the same problem that exists with a coaches poll. In neither case will the voters have had the opportunity to see the thirty or so teams that might actually be the best 25 teams in the country. Without seeing the teams play, the most polite way to describe the basis for their voting is "hearsay". Less kindly - but more accurately - would be "ignorance". One group may be more objective than the other in their voting. Nonetheless, both polls will have "ignorance" at the basis of the voting and that is simply not a good thing. Your point that having a vote increases the credibility of the reporter/columnist is correct. However, there exists a core readership out there who looks for writing that is informative and entertaining and that core readership will take pleasure in such writing with or without voting privileges on the part of the writer. Ray:

The problem with a media poll is the same problem that exists with a coaches poll. In neither case will the voters have had the opportunity to see the thirty or so teams that might actually be the best 25 teams in the country. Without seeing the teams play, the most polite way to describe the basis for their voting is “hearsay”. Less kindly – but more accurately – would be “ignorance”.

One group may be more objective than the other in their voting. Nonetheless, both polls will have “ignorance” at the basis of the voting and that is simply not a good thing.

Your point that having a vote increases the credibility of the reporter/columnist is correct. However, there exists a core readership out there who looks for writing that is informative and entertaining and that core readership will take pleasure in such writing with or without voting privileges on the part of the writer.

]]> By: John http://sportsmediajournal.com/2009/06/06/media-polls-vote-early-and-often/comment-page-1/#comment-2450 John Sun, 07 Jun 2009 04:40:48 +0000 http://sportsmediajournal.com/?p=1186#comment-2450 The big problem isn't that college football uses a coach's poll instead of a media poll in their formula, it's that they are determining who plays in their championship game based on a freaking poll in the first place! I mean, come on, get real and institute a playoff system already. But, yeah, I agree with the thrust of the article. Media people should definitely be able to do polls like a top 25 for football and basketball, cast ballots for baseball's post season awards, cast Hall of Fame ballots, and so on and so forth. I have a lot of respect for sports journalists, I'm a big fan of their history and their present work, in many cases, but I do think the fact that they are covering sports and not governments or peace submits is relevant (not in any kind of a derogatory way). It's important that a political reporter just be reporting the facts and not be trying to influence the election, but part of the fun of the sports journalism is that it has a little bit of a different character to it -- it's supposed to be kind of a fun job (or at least something that looks like fun on the outside) and the reports are supposed to be kind of the gurus who get some sort of a say sometimes. The moves away from allowing media members to vote in polls and for awards is missing a subtle element of what sports journalism is and, a subtle distinction relative to some other forums of journalism -- journalism is not a monoculture with one size fits rules, a sports guy is different from a news guy is different from a business guy is different from an entertainment guy. The big problem isn’t that college football uses a coach’s poll instead of a media poll in their formula, it’s that they are determining who plays in their championship game based on a freaking poll in the first place! I mean, come on, get real and institute a playoff system already.

But, yeah, I agree with the thrust of the article. Media people should definitely be able to do polls like a top 25 for football and basketball, cast ballots for baseball’s post season awards, cast Hall of Fame ballots, and so on and so forth. I have a lot of respect for sports journalists, I’m a big fan of their history and their present work, in many cases, but I do think the fact that they are covering sports and not governments or peace submits is relevant (not in any kind of a derogatory way). It’s important that a political reporter just be reporting the facts and not be trying to influence the election, but part of the fun of the sports journalism is that it has a little bit of a different character to it — it’s supposed to be kind of a fun job (or at least something that looks like fun on the outside) and the reports are supposed to be kind of the gurus who get some sort of a say sometimes. The moves away from allowing media members to vote in polls and for awards is missing a subtle element of what sports journalism is and, a subtle distinction relative to some other forums of journalism — journalism is not a monoculture with one size fits rules, a sports guy is different from a news guy is different from a business guy is different from an entertainment guy.

]]>