My absolute favorite part of a SMELL Test assignment is deducing an articles motivation and purpose from the impliced clues and hints laced throughout the text. This article’s true intentions became very apparent the further I looked into it’s sources and its evidence. The author, Grant Gordon, is a seasoned sports journalist who spent over a decade writing for the LA Times, and In 2018, he moved onto writing online articles hosted on the official NFL website. In his article titled These Niners look a lot like ’94 Super Bowl champs, hyperlinks were only attached to players, teams, and Super Bowls, each leading to another player or team profile posted specifically on the NFL website. While these sources are high in proximity and expertise, their independence is questionable when considering how they are all linked to the NFL’s website. That is, if a source was present.
The only quote throughout the entire article cites the current 49er’s quarterback Jimmy Garappolo’s thoughts on the Shanahans’ embrace of the franchise’s history, along with seeing 49er legends still supporting the team to this day. While the sentiment is very touching, the article provides no source credits. Additionally, a google search yielded no credible record of Garoppolo making said statement. The only link that came up was back to that same article.
image source: Julio Aguilar
The evidence presented in this article, although widely trusted by fans and analysts, is very centralized in the NFL website. With zero external links, and no quote sources, the evidence is weak in some areas but credible in others. Gordon presents his points very logically, with thoughtful comparisons that measure up both eras of the team. From technical differences in yardage, to sentimental parallels in the Father and Son coaching duo, the author does a good job of covering all aspects of comparison.
At a glance, this article may seem very informative and credible at drawing parallels between the 49’ers in ‘94 and the 49’s today. I admit that I enjoyed reading the article, but the webpage also contained distracting ads that were very telling of its motivations. Before you can even begin reading, the page features a 30 second video ad for the Super Bowl, followed shortly by a pop-up ad in the middle of the article. At the end of the article, an FAQ informing the reader of when/where the Super Bowl is, as well as how to watch it, leads me to understand that the entire text is just one long ad playing off of nostalgia in order to generate hype for the Super Bowl.
Grant Gordon wrote an article that plays the heartstrings of the nostalgic NFL fan, using NFL linked-stats and the company’s likeness to establish credibility in his writing. Juxtaposed with several Super Bowl ads on the same site, it is very apparent that the article itself is an ad for the Super Bowl. Gordon very tactfully created an ad disguised as informative media, and within our own subconscious, readers are more susceptible to watching the Super Bowl and all the ads placed thereafter. This article speaks volumes on many forms of journalism published by large companies such as the NFL. Almost everything written, in one capacity or another, is an opportunity for companies to advertise their product. With motivations of advertisement and limited sourcing, this article cannot pass the SMELL Test and inadvertently has challenged me to consciously disseminate ad from article.
Alfred Bordallo // ASCJ 200 