The Jackson Sun (newspaper) Top 15 Performers for 2015-16

[justdunkit]

http://www.jacksonsun.com/story/sports/high-school/2016/06/27/top-performers-season/86450450/

Edited July 1, 2016 by justdunkit

[justdunkit]

This article had only 2 girl basketball players mentioned for 2015-2016 season.  Do you think it was a fair representation of the talent in the West TN area?  Who would be some of your picks?

[RealisticFan45]

Nothing Michael Odom posts is fair. He is bias towards a lot of kids and schools. IMO

[justdunkit]

Ok, that explains a lot.  I am fairly new to the area and didnt quite understand the preferential reporting.  I saw some girls that changed entire programs and they hardly ever get mentioned. Thanks for the insight.

[NSHSIndiansFan]

How do you think Michael Odom is unfair? What teams does he show preference to?

[justdunkit]

If you are asking that question then you dont read the Jackson Sun that often.  One example is there is a D2 girls program that has won one playoff game in three years and that team and player is All West TN every year.  There is another program that hasnt been relevant for almost 20 years.  The past two years, with the help of ONE outstanding player, that D1 AA team has won the district, region and made it to state.  That player has changed a program and was only a sophomore but you rarely hear anything about her or the program.

 

Pay close attention and you will see 3 schools/players mention 85%-90% of the time by Jackson Sun.  I will not mention the girls because they are not the blame and are good players but so are so many others in this region.  If we are mentioning teams look for USJ, TCA and Chester County 

[burnalittle]

Hey Justdunkit,

Here is your girl at #1! (and well deserved!)

http://www.jacksonsun.com/story/sports/high-school/2016/07/19/top-rising-juniors-season/87319712/

Do you still want to claim a bias towards Chester, USJ and TCA?  Juat an FYI, the three girls that you claim that there is a bias towards are not just one sport athletes.  All 3 play and excell in multiple sports!  Two of the three kids you claim that Odom gives bias towards are allstate in  basketball AND soccer and the third is allstate in three sports (basketball, soccer and cross country).

PS  everything in this world revolves around the almighty dollar and I would bet that there are 20 times the subscribers to The Jackson Sun in Henderson and Jackson as there are in Brownsville.  So, if there is a bias, it is probably financially motivated.  Welcome to Earth!

[justdunkit]

Hey Justdunkit,

Here is your girl at #1! (and well deserved!)

http://www.jacksonsun.com/story/sports/high-school/2016/07/19/top-rising-juniors-season/87319712/

Do you still want to claim a bias towards Chester, USJ and TCA?  Juat an FYI, the three girls that you claim that there is a bias towards are not just one sport athletes.  All 3 play and excell in multiple sports!  Two of the three kids you claim that Odom gives bias towards are allstate in  basketball AND soccer and the third is allstate in three sports (basketball, soccer and cross country).

PS  everything in this world revolves around the almighty dollar and I would bet that there are 20 times the subscribers to The Jackson Sun in Henderson and Jackson as there are in Brownsville.  So, if there is a bias, it is probably financially motivated.  Welcome to Earth!

 

First of all I don't think if someone plays 12 different sports that should matter.  We are talking about 1 sport on this forum...BASKETBALL...and how the local paper represents the BASKETBALL talent. Second of all I dont live in Brownsville and I nor you, I suspect, know how many subscribers there are in either city.  And finally for you to say that the paper picks which athletes they report on based on subscriptions is a sad commentary for sports in this area.  I pray that this is just your view and not factual.

 

PS.  Also its got to be sad to think everything is financially motivated. Some of the best things in life are free.

[HCHSladyPats]

This article had only 2 girl basketball players mentioned for 2015-2016 season.  Do you think it was a fair representation of the talent in the West TN area?  Who would be some of your picks?

Ok here is the break down,

2 football players

1 boys basketball

2 girls basketball

1 girls soccer

1 bowling

2 softball

2 baseball

1 volleyball

1boys soccer

1 boys tennis

1 boys track

 

I am not sure why you thing that girls basketball should have so many more than every other sport.  Sound like a little bias on your end.    Congrats to the ones that made it.  If one doesn't have something positive to say, then they shouldn't say anything at all.   getting on here and saying that any of these kids don't deserve it, well In my opinion is quite tacky.    The writer of the article was quite positive in his article about each one of the young athletes.  If yours had been selected, do you honestly think that there would not have been others deserving?

[justdunkit]

I have not at anytime mentioned anyones name and actually stated that the players selected are good. So I dont see what your talking about saying, "getting on here and saying that any of these kids don't deserve it, well In my opinion is quite tacky"   I asked a question of who would be your pick? Someone stated that the reporter was bias and I agreed with them.  

 

At no time has anyone bashed any kid.  This post wasnt even about the kids it was the reporting. 

[TennesseeVol]

Odom is biased in a way. For example, he did an article on Double-A Volleyball and Chester County Eaglettes was one of the teams. He writes about to Eaglettes' players then he added something about Paige Pipkin (An athlete at Chester Co. who is going to UTM to play basketball.) Paige played 3 years as a soccer player at Chester County, then she switched to the volleyball court for her senior season. How and why is Paige brought up into that article? Second, he is towards to basketball. If a basketball team wins state, that state championship game will automatically be "top games of the school year." even if it is a blowout game.

 

I can see him being biased, but you have to take a good hard look at it.

[RealisticFan45]

Odom is biased in a way. For example, he did an article on Double-A Volleyball and Chester County Eaglettes was one of the teams. He writes about to Eaglettes' players then he added something about Paige Pipkin (An athlete at Chester Co. who is going to UTM to play basketball.) Paige played 3 years as a soccer player at Chester County, then she switched to the volleyball court for her senior season. How and why is Paige brought up into that article? Second, he is towards to basketball. If a basketball team wins state, that state championship game will automatically be "top games of the school year." even if it is a blowout game.

 

I can see him being biased, but you have to take a good hard look at it.

Ive been saying this and its not hard to see. He pushes more Single A and private school games and players more than anything. Maybe those are his favorite players. Their are way better players in the area that he looks over.

 

Top performers in girls is not hard if you follow girls basketball in the coverage area. Off the top of my head i can name pretty close to 15 girls that should be on the list.

 

Anna Jones

Jamirah Shutes

Brianna Fields

Kiya Sain

Erin Lannom

Tasia Jones

Asia Currie

Paige Pipkin

Katlin Kelley

Hailey Hardaway

#11 for South Side

Chelsey Perry

Brynne Lytle

#11 for Dyersburg

Cristen King -tie

#13 for Liberty-tie

 

Just from teams I saw