Thursday, February 13, 2014

Sensationalism Sells Newspapers--And Increases Comments On A Blog


Everyone who reads a newspaper or watches the news on tv or the internet knows that sensationalism is what attracts readers and makes the profits grow.  Its also what seems to encourage people to express their feelings more openly (or anonymously as some do) on a blog comment section.  We can publish a blog about supporting tennis or encouraging officials and we get very few comments but it we post something that is controversial or sensational, the comments flow.

One of the goals of any blog is to encourage discussion and promote comments and thoughts from the readers.  Sensationalism is just another tool that is used in our society to promote interest and participation but it needs to be carefully handled.

Since we get a lot of emails and phone calls with suggestions about various blog topics it is always fun to finally decide on something that might be interesting to our blog partners.  Here are a few that have been suggested:

"A Comparison Of The Pay For NFL Referees And Pro Tennis Officials"

"An Expose Of The Sex Lives Of Women Pro Officials"

"What To Do With An Official Who Shows Up Drunk"

"Should A Fat Official Be Required To Undergo Weight Reduction Training?"

"Is It Time For A New Sectional Chairman of Officials In Texas?"

"Are Gay Officials More Sensitive Than Heterosexual Officials?"

"What Does Diverse Really Mean?"

"Why Do We Freeze Our Kids In A Zat Tournament?"

"Should There Be Stronger Penalties For Devil Children In Our Tournaments?"

"How To Tell If Your Referee Is Demon Possessed"

"How Much Money Does The USTA Really Take In Every Year?"

"What Happens To The Sanctioning Fees That All Tournaments Are Required To Pay?"

"Should Tournament Directors Be Required To Publish A Profit/Loss Statement After Each Tournament?"

"Do Tennis Officials Really Only Work For Money?"

"Why Don't I Get More Assignments?"

"Should There Be A Weight Limit For Officials?"

"What Do You Do If An Official Can't Fit Their Posterior In The Chair?"

"How To Deal With An Official That Has Bad Breath"

"What Do You Do If Your Fellow Official Smells Bad?"

"Why Do Pro Officials Have To Be So Arrogant?"

"What Do You Do When A Collegiate Coach Questions Your Birthright And Ancestry?"

"Why Is Gender Equality Fine For Men's Events But Not For Women's?"

"Should Sexual Preference Be A Determining Factor In Hiring Officials?"

"Should There Be A Required Retirement Age For Officials?"

"Should Myron Krueger Be Required To Annually Attend Defensive Driving?"

"We Demand Monthly Updates On Carol Bruehler's Hip Surgery"

"Should A Tournament Director Also Be A Referee?"

"Should Melvin Gabel Have A Maximum Beer Consumption Limit Placed On His Meals?"

"Should Waco Officials Be Required To Undergo Sleep Regulation Courses?"

"Should The President Of Any Large City's Officials Association Be Required To Be A Woman?"

These are just a few of the suggestions.  I'm sure there are more...


3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Here's another for you - "Should psycho officials be allowed to have concealed handgun permits"

Anonymous said...

How about: "Should the USTA edit and pre-approve the contents of this blog?"

Anonymous said...

HOW ABOUT...

Should our Referees grow a set and stand up for their Officials when it comes to NUMBER OF OFFICIALS for each event!

Instead of trying to just "save" their job by cutting down on Officials!!!???

Love, BACO