Is this a good gamer lead?

Note:This was not written by yours truly.

“Wow!” “The most amazing game I’ve ever seen in person!” “I still don’t believe it!” Those were quotes from Jackson State fans moments after the Tigers snatched a victory from Southern University. Oh, I forgot, “OMG! OMG!! OMG!!!” That means “Oh my gosh” for those unfamiliar with the popular initials used worldwide by text messagers, facebookers, and twitter users.

Saturday, Oct. 16, 2010 will be logged in Jackson State University football history. Three lead changes in the last 38 seconds. The only thing that was more shocking than the victory, was the fact that the announced attendance was 42,059. If that was the case, about 8,500 people got free tickets. It was easily over 50,000 in attendance. However, when the story is being told about the greatest Jackson State win in school history, it will be told as if 500,000 were in attendance. No Tiger alumni will admit to not being
there.

http://www.mississippilink.com/sports/article_8d2ae810-dd31-11df-b6fd-001cc4c002e0.html

 

That's umm.........ahh who cares? This business is dead in five years anyways.

 

Should "facebookers" have a capital F?

 

It drags readers in the same way watching a wonky carnival ride collapse would.

 

No.

 

Props to Devin, who has never written a bad lede that someone could post on the Internet for a cheap laugh.

 

Was gonna ask if this was from a weekly or a high school paper, but the legend under the masthead said it all ... and, yes, it's garbage.

 

An experienced writer who'll probably be tomorrow's Frank Deford for all any of us know. Not a good lede but sounds like a great game.

 

it's pretty shitty to embarrass a fellow sports writer like this

 

Cut from the top. The second graph works as a lead and tells a better story.

 

Yes ... Facebookers should have been capped.

Beyond that, writer tried something. I got news for you: Bill Plaschke, et al, would tell you that they tried things like that when they were young, and it didn't always work.

All that got them was to the top of their profession.

Meanwhile, all the people who used this opportunity to write "Casey Therriault threw five touchdown passes, including a 28-yarder to Rick Richardson with 2 seconds left, as Jackson State outlasted Southern University 49-45 in a wild Southwestern Athletic Conference finish Saturday night" are NOT at the top of their profession.

That's not a knock on the AP guy; he has to write it that way.

 

Any decent copy editor just would have hacked the first graph.