Semi-Respected Newspaper Resorts to Barroom Heckles
>> Monday
Whenever internet sports polls are brought up, their results are inherently faulty, and usually measure something that most people would not be able to quantify. ie) "What will be the biggest upset this weekend?" You're clearly just guessing if you answer that question. An educated guess perhaps, but it's still a guess.
A new low in internet sports polling was reached by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel today. The question at hand: "Marquette and Syracuse shot a combined 27 for 50 (54%) from the free-throw line Sunday night. Could you do better? "
While many people probably could, we have officially crossed into the "My grandmother could have caught that pass" line of heckling usually made by people in the nosebleed sections or drinking their dreams of superstardom away in some po-dunk tavern (So, most of this staff).
At post time, nearly 85% of those who voted believed they could shoot free throws (in a Big East Conference game with thousands of people yelling at you, waving floating heads and spiral wheels in your face) better than Division I basketball players on scholarship. They must mean on their Playstation.
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3 comments:
I actually love this poll question. Being rooted in something quantifiable, it exposes the poor judgment, selective interpretation, and sheer dishonesty exhibited by anonymous poll respondents.
Of course, while we can safely assume that those 85% wouldn't all actually shoot 54% in a Big East game play, I suppose it's technically not lying. The question says "Could you do better?" which mentions nothing of how often the respondent would do better, or how probable it would be for the respondent to do better. The question could just as well have said, "Could Chris Dudley do better?" in which case the most accurate response would go 100% "Yes" and 0% "No."
By the way...Why the picture of video game Jason Kidd? Did you just Google Image "free throw shooter" and take the first image that came up? You lazy, lazy man.
Actually, "Free throw" and I didn't like any of the pictures that came before it.
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