J
JDenz
Guest
Yesterday I expressed my lack of love for the endless list of end-of-the-year lists that cram the mainstream media like roaches converging near some spilled peanut butter. 'Endless contrivances,' I called them. But, especially when it regards wrestling, it gets worse.
The supposedly staid and respected sports section of the Boston Globe, which is owned by the New York Times, posted a list of bests and worsts on Dec. 25. This was the only list in the mainstream media which I saw that even mentioned wrestling. Written by Jim McCabe of the Globe staff, along with staffers Frank Dell'Apa, John Powers, and Michael Vega, who contributed to the list, there are all sorts of snide remarks about athletes and events in sports that I assume passes for humor, at least in a publication owned by the Times.
Here is their one and only listing involving wrestling: 'Worst sore sports: Iran's national wrestling team boycotts the world freestyle championship in New York because they were going to be subjected to finger-printing.'
Hey fellers, can I let you in on a little secret? Iran showed up after all. They finished third as a team, with one silver medalist, one bronze medalist, and two fourth-place finishes. Their team leaders were interviewed in Madison Square Garden by yours truly, as well as a reporter for the 'Only A Game' radio show, which originates from Boston University, of all places. They wrestled before a sell-out crowd of 12,757 during the finals, and 53,665 overall for the six sessions. And yes, they were fingerprinted by the U.S. government, but decided not to let their objections to this prevent them from competing on the mats.
Of course, had the Boston Globe bothered to send a reporter to cover the 2003 World Championships of Freestyle Wrestling, perhaps someone on its staff would have known all this. Maybe they were too busy concocting lists of sneering one-liners. Or maybe the Globe has hired as a fact-checker that former New York Times writer, Jayson Blair.
I was recently asked by a veteran newspaperman how I can trust what I read on the Internet. I replied by asking how anyone can trust what they read in the newspapers, and proceeded to list numerous blunders I had seen smudged on newsprint. I said that with either medium, you had to be able to think for yourself, check various differing accounts, and make judgments accordingly.
Had this battalion of Globe staffers checked any of the numerous wrestling web sites, even including the one run by the hapless FILA, or even any of the Iranian news and sports sites which are in English, they would have instantly found numerous reports about Iran's participation in the Worlds this year. But the culture of so many newspapers is to denigrate the Internet, while feeding us 'information' that is as healthy as a burger infected with mad cow disease. When they make a mistake, it is just occasional human error. When someone on the Internet is inaccurate, these blowhards condemn the whole thing.
So by reading sites like ours, you readers have obviously made a wise choice.
The supposedly staid and respected sports section of the Boston Globe, which is owned by the New York Times, posted a list of bests and worsts on Dec. 25. This was the only list in the mainstream media which I saw that even mentioned wrestling. Written by Jim McCabe of the Globe staff, along with staffers Frank Dell'Apa, John Powers, and Michael Vega, who contributed to the list, there are all sorts of snide remarks about athletes and events in sports that I assume passes for humor, at least in a publication owned by the Times.
Here is their one and only listing involving wrestling: 'Worst sore sports: Iran's national wrestling team boycotts the world freestyle championship in New York because they were going to be subjected to finger-printing.'
Hey fellers, can I let you in on a little secret? Iran showed up after all. They finished third as a team, with one silver medalist, one bronze medalist, and two fourth-place finishes. Their team leaders were interviewed in Madison Square Garden by yours truly, as well as a reporter for the 'Only A Game' radio show, which originates from Boston University, of all places. They wrestled before a sell-out crowd of 12,757 during the finals, and 53,665 overall for the six sessions. And yes, they were fingerprinted by the U.S. government, but decided not to let their objections to this prevent them from competing on the mats.
Of course, had the Boston Globe bothered to send a reporter to cover the 2003 World Championships of Freestyle Wrestling, perhaps someone on its staff would have known all this. Maybe they were too busy concocting lists of sneering one-liners. Or maybe the Globe has hired as a fact-checker that former New York Times writer, Jayson Blair.
I was recently asked by a veteran newspaperman how I can trust what I read on the Internet. I replied by asking how anyone can trust what they read in the newspapers, and proceeded to list numerous blunders I had seen smudged on newsprint. I said that with either medium, you had to be able to think for yourself, check various differing accounts, and make judgments accordingly.
Had this battalion of Globe staffers checked any of the numerous wrestling web sites, even including the one run by the hapless FILA, or even any of the Iranian news and sports sites which are in English, they would have instantly found numerous reports about Iran's participation in the Worlds this year. But the culture of so many newspapers is to denigrate the Internet, while feeding us 'information' that is as healthy as a burger infected with mad cow disease. When they make a mistake, it is just occasional human error. When someone on the Internet is inaccurate, these blowhards condemn the whole thing.
So by reading sites like ours, you readers have obviously made a wise choice.