Football (North America: NFL, CFL, Arena Football, minor leagues)

[1995hoo]

An e-mail just came announcing that Washington will announce the new team name and logo on February 2.

Lets go groundhogs!!! 

Exactly... why announce on February 2 if a "hog" isn't somehow involved.  Washington Warhogs it is.   The wingtipped W letter logo they've been using still works.  It alliterates.  It isn't War*t*hog which others have already trademarked, and/or used (not that anybody remembers MiLB Winston-Salem Warthogs...)

I believe there used to be a Washington Warthogs indoor soccer team; its main claim to fame was having a female player for a time.

[LM117]

Looks like Tom Brady is calling it quits.

https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/33173652/tom-brady-retiring-22-seasons-seven-super-bowl-wins-new-england-patriots-tampa-bay-buccaneers-sources-say

[US 89]

Or not.

https://www.si.com/nfl/2022/01/29/tom-brady-has-not-told-buccaneers-coach-bruce-arians-he-is-retiring

[Ted$8roadFan]

Someone may have jumped the gun.  Not sure if it was Adam Schefter or someone in Brady's camp.

[tdindy88]

Screw Adam Schefter. He's the one who broke the news about Andrew Luck retiring a few years ago while Andrew was still in Lucas Oil Stadium. The fans inside (many who were there for cheap preseason tickets and likely somewhat drunk) starting booing him leaving a bad memory for Luck and a bad image for us Colts fans. All because Adam couldn't wait until a better moment to "break the news." Now he may have robbed Tom the same opportunity to announce any retirement on his terms. 

[TheHighwayMan3561]

Screw Adam Schefter. He's the one who broke the news about Andrew Luck retiring a few years ago while Andrew was still in Lucas Oil Stadium. The fans inside (many who were there for cheap preseason tickets and likely somewhat drunk) starting booing him leaving a bad memory for Luck and a bad image for us Colts fans. All because Adam couldn't wait until a better moment to "break the news." Now he may have robbed Tom the same opportunity to announce any retirement on his terms. 

Unfortunately that's journalism. If he sat on it knowing what he knew and someone else scooped him, Schefter and ESPN look stupid and incompetent. Especially with how many liberties ESPN takes in pretending they "broke" things they didn't.

[oscar]

Now he may have robbed Tom the same opportunity to announce any retirement on his terms. 

Public figures of all kinds yearn to make their retirement announcements "on their terms", only to be frustrated one way or the other. For example, Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer reportedly was unhappy that he was denied the kind of well-orchestrated retirement announcement that Justice Anthony Kennedy managed to pull off.

Keeping the decision really, really close to the vest (as in not talking about it with anyone but his wife) might help. But expecting totally leak-proof decision-making is not always realistic, especially for the most high-profile public figures.

[Billy F 1988]

That's a low blow. ESPN definitely owes an apology to the Brady camp for this scam article. It shows how dead journalism is in sports just like political journalism. Nowadays it's "find me a hot take". I say that it isn't TB12 being the attention whore. It's the editorial upper management at ESPN. Septillionaire sloths they are. I do think Brady at some point will have a proper announcement on his own time under his own terms and isn't going to let some lazy sloth from ESPN tell him otherwise.

[webny99]

Screw Adam Schefter. He's the one who broke the news about Andrew Luck retiring a few years ago while Andrew was still in Lucas Oil Stadium. The fans inside (many who were there for cheap preseason tickets and likely somewhat drunk) starting booing him leaving a bad memory for Luck and a bad image for us Colts fans. All because Adam couldn't wait until a better moment to "break the news." Now he may have robbed Tom the same opportunity to announce any retirement on his terms.

I'll never forget Andrew Luck's retirement. A stunning sports moment made even stranger by the timing.

[KeithE4Phx]

Screw Adam Schefter. He's the one who broke the news about Andrew Luck retiring a few years ago while Andrew was still in Lucas Oil Stadium. The fans inside (many who were there for cheap preseason tickets and likely somewhat drunk) starting booing him leaving a bad memory for Luck and a bad image for us Colts fans. All because Adam couldn't wait until a better moment to "break the news." Now he may have robbed Tom the same opportunity to announce any retirement on his terms. 

Unfortunately that's journalism. If he sat on it knowing what he knew and someone else scooped him, Schefter and ESPN look stupid and incompetent. Especially with how many liberties ESPN takes in pretending they "broke" things they didn't.

This is typical of ESPN.  They don't have reporters; they have "insiders," which somewhat allows them to take liberties with journalistic ethics.  Since the "insiders" are marketed as being buddies (at least in theory) with who they report on, they can and do get away with less ethical and less accurate reporting.  Schefter is among the worst of the bunch.

Being first is far more important to ESPN (and they're hardly the only ones) than accuracy. 

[Ted$8roadFan]

This is mostly correct.


https://awfulannouncing.com/espn/espn-tom-brady-retirement-reporting-adam-schefter-darlington.html

[formulanone]

Unfortunately, the only way to beat the media to the punch is to be trivial or just die unexpectedly.

[golden eagle]

It was brought to my attention that Brady is owed $15 million on February 4 (this Friday). I believe he is waiting for that and may announce his retirement sometime afterwards, if he does retire.

[thspfc]

Sorry, I had to laugh at this one...

https://twitter.com/NFL_Memes/status/1487559301359099905

My favorite was the 49ers fans explaining why they lost because of Cooper Kupp . . . might not be appropriate for the forum though.

[1995hoo]

On the 6:00 news tonight, Channel 4 in DC had their helicopter flying over FedEx Field and they said the pilot spotted "Commanders" signs in the team store. The lights in the store were cut off almost immediately when the report aired.

[triplemultiplex]

Ooh, that's a hot scoop, channel 4!
Seems like such a silly oversight at the stadium.  That means they were already stocking new gear before the official announcement and just hoping no one would spill the beans?  But then left the place lit up for any looky-loo to see?  That's hilarious.

[1995hoo]

Ooh, that's a hot scoop, channel 4!
Seems like such a silly oversight at the stadium.  That means they were already stocking new gear before the official announcement and just hoping no one would spill the beans?  But then left the place lit up for any looky-loo to see?  That's hilarious.

They covered over the ground-level windows with opaque black tarps and other coverings, but they evidently didn't think about the prospect of someone spotting it from the air.

[abefroman329]

Well, the good news is, it'll be easy to spot the assholes, since they'll be the ones who insist on referring to the team as the Redskins.

[kevinb1994]

The new name is as dumb as ever. I can see all sorts of jokes now.

The Washington Commandos.

The Washington Commodes (accurate for FedEx Field).

The Washington Ant Traps (anyone seen the superhero lying around somewhere?).

The Washington Ant Hill (It's a people trap set by the government).

You could probably add more to the list.

[1995hoo]

^^^^

The Washington Commandos were a real team–an Arena Football League team that participated in three of the first four seasons before folding.

Washington Commodes fits well with the team's initials ("WC").

[triplemultiplex]

Probably says something about me that when I read "Commandos" in the previous posts, my brain first went to the thought that they are playing without underpants.

[Stephane Dumas]

The new name is as dumb as ever. I can see all sorts of jokes now.

The Washington Commandos.

The Washington Commodes (accurate for FedEx Field).

The Washington Ant Traps (anyone seen the superhero lying around somewhere?).

The Washington Ant Hill (It's a people trap set by the government).

You could probably add more to the list.

Some guys on others forums suggested the name of the Sentinels, as a nod the the fictionnal team from the movie The Replacements (don't confuse it with the Disney cartoon).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I4gMECNA1Ss

[Max Rockatansky]

I prefer Football Team, way more distinct and memorable.

[abefroman329]

The new name is as dumb as ever. I can see all sorts of jokes now.

The Washington Commandos.

The Washington Commodes (accurate for FedEx Field).

The Washington Ant Traps (anyone seen the superhero lying around somewhere?).

The Washington Ant Hill (It's a people trap set by the government).

You could probably add more to the list.

Some guys on others forums suggested the name of the Sentinels, as a nod the the fictionnal team from the movie The Replacements (don't confuse it with the Disney cartoon).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I4gMECNA1Ss

My suggestion was renaming them the Bullets, but no one listened to me.

[triplemultiplex]

Some guys on others forums suggested the name of the Sentinels, as a nod the the fictional team from the movie The Replacements

Hell, I pitched that in this very thread.
https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=7349.msg2694900#msg2694900

I like the Keanu connection to the name Sentinels because those were also the seek-and-destroy robots the humans were fighting in The Matrix.