“How did we all get it so wrong?”
That’s what I found myself thinking yesterday, only a few short moments after the unveiling of the Sean Taylor Memorial.
Honoring 21 💛
The unveiling of the new Sean Taylor memorial pic.twitter.com/NGTH0l910u
— Washington Commanders (@Commanders) November 27, 2022
When the Sean Taylor memorial was unveiled, I was quite shocked. I waited a few moments, was preparing some lunch and I asked if the team had used the word “statue?”
I wondered if the team had led us on to believe it was a statue. As the game was beginning, I even tweeted asking,
Is it just me or did #Commanders lead us to believe it would be a statue and not a mannequin? pic.twitter.com/Y1gb6448eM
— Ivan Lambert (@IvanLambert18) November 27, 2022
But then I thought, “Why would Jason Wright knowingly deceive the fan base?” Why would Wright open himself to such valid criticism and the questioning of his being honest with the fan base? There had to be another explanation, but now the game had started.
So, last night late, I began to look through some communication regarding the Sean Taylor memorial.
First of all, yesterday’s responses by the fan base, local and national sports media were very unfavorable to the Sean Taylor memorial, not being a statue. There was much ridicule of the organization, even mocking the “statue” that was actually a mannequin.
The tone and content revealed that most of us following this event did understand it was going to be a Sean Taylor statue. But how? How did we all come to such a wrong conclusion?
I looked to find the Commanders official release and here is how it read:
“Headlining the day, the team will reveal the Sean Taylor Memorial installation pregame at 11:45 a.m. on the main concourse outside of section 132. This reveal is the culmination of the Sean Taylor Memorial Project, launched on Sean’s birthday earlier this year that provided fans an opportunity to pay tribute to one of the most beloved players in franchise history.”
In defense of the Commanders, their statement on November 22 does not say it will be a statue, saying only “the Sean Taylor Memorial installation”. Yet here is what I found. At 2:58 p.m. JP Finlay inserts “statue.”
Commanders will unveil new Sean Taylor statue at this Sunday’s game and wear 21 decals on helmets.
— JP Finlay (@JPFinlayNBCS) November 22, 2022
Now, do I think JP intentionally wanted to mislead everyone in the DMV? Not at all. Not in the least. This is a prime example of how communication now travels at break-neck speed in our era. When we assume something and convey it to the masses, it’s out there because many are quickly going to repeat it, thinking it is true.
John Keim was tweeting the news next at 3:35 p.m. again stating a “statue.” From there the floodgates opened. Ari Meirov at 4:03 p.m., We here at Commanders Wire at 4:25 p.m., NBC Sports Commanders at 6:04 p.m., you get the point.
No telling how many hundreds or thousands of times over the next five days leading up to the game it was repeated on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, etc.
Lesson to be learned?
Keep in mind you are almost always reading, listening to secondary sources. Go back and check the original source. In this case, it was the Washington Commanders themselves under Jason Wright’s leadership. In their defense, they did not publicly state or mislead any of us that it was going to be a Sean Taylor “statue.”
