I don’t know why I’m sharing this video because it is just awful. But, I just needed to share (and vent) about this representative example of the type of quality information and work that exists on the interweb today.
When I first came across this video I was actually kind of excited, especially since I could tell that it was approximately 4 minutes long. So, of course with four minutes of video we will be treated to some really good memories and dunks! Right? Riiiiiiiiiiight. The video purports that they will profile some of the best dunks in NC State history, but we quickly learn that by “some”, they mean to TWO dunks. WOW!! *sarcasm* That’s really impressive. Don’t stretch yourself, guys.
So, once I realized that the breadth of the content that was to be covered was limited to just two dunks, I made the next mistake of presuming that the information about those two dunks will be pretty solid. I mean, if you’re going to spend FOUR minutes discussing two dunks then SURELY you would be motivated to have some interesting information and specifics about those two dunks nailed down!? Right? Riiiiiiiiiiight.
The first dunk is the famous Damon Thornton dunk against Maryland from the 1999-2000 season in Raleigh. The dunk happens when Thornton elevates almost clears the head of SEVEN FOOTER, Mike Mardesich. But when you watch the one video of the dunk that they show – despite the fact that multiple angles of the dunk exist – you will never once hear Mardesich’s name. In fact, Mardesich is referenced as “the other guy is taking a charge”. Isn’t the name of one of the only two players in the video remotely important to the discussion? How much time and research would that have taken? Here I am recalling Mardesich’s name from memory in real time. Don’t you think there are a few other folks available to the ACC Digital Network who could immediately have filled in that gap? How hard would it have been for these Jack legs to have simply run a Google search of the video that I’m sure someone has documented with Mardesich’s name!?
The power and speed and beauty of Thornton’s dunk is impressive in its own right. However, when you consider that he executes this dunk by elevating over someone who is SEVEN FEET TALL then the dunk takes on a completely different profile. This information couldn’t be more valuable or relevant to the exercise. How in the world is it missed?
The next dunk was Gavin Grant‘s break away slam in the Wolfpack’s win RBC Center against arch rival and third-ranked North Carolina in the 2006-2007 season, Sidney Lowe’s first as head coach. Again, I think that all of the facts included in the first sentence of this paragraph are relevant to frame the interesting context of the situation around Grant’s dunk. How hard could of it have been to provide some data to go along with the play? Instead, the guest commentators embarrassingly refer to “Grant” as “the second guy” and Thornton as “the first guy” before the host mistakenly cites Grant’s dunk as happening in the year 2000 (which was Thornton’s dunk).
The more I think about some of the mistakes in this video, the more perplexed I become. How hard would it have been for the ACC Digital Network to actually know the names of the ACC players in the videos that they are choosing to feature? If they simply watched the video then surely they had to recognize that claiming Grant’s dunk happened in 2000 was a mistake. Were they really too lazy to simply re-shoot 15 seconds of video in an effort to actually be accurate? Are they working under some kind of evil North Carolina Republican legislature law that forces them to film with just one take?
My parents always told me that if you weren’t going to do something right, then don’t do it at all. My advice to the ACC Digital network and these jokers on camera is that this kind of shoddy work stays with you forever; have some self-respect and PREPARE a little bit. Do better, or just don’t do it at all.
