For the second straight year, Penn State has bagged the AP Sports Story of the Year. In 2011, the Sandusky scandal was just over a month old when voters acknowledged the ignominious accomplishment. In 2012, there have been peaks and valleys, particularly after the Tickle Monster was convicted; however, there is no doubt that “Jer” inspired the production of more column inches by far than Lance Armstrong, the runner-up.
The New Orleans Saints’ player bounties finished third.
Votes were submitted by U.S. news organizations, who were asked to rank the top ten stories. The top story was given ten points, the second was given nine, and so forth. Top ten results (157 ballots cast):
- Penn State scandal (1,420 pts.)
- Lance Armstrong titles stripped (1,008)
- New Orleans Saints bounties (724)
- Concussions and football (518)
- London Olympics (491)
- BCS-FBS playoffs announced (481)
- NFL replacement officials (394)
- Giants win Super Bowl (362)
- Pat Summitt retires (331)
- Peyton Manning signs with Broncos (317)
And so, here we are, still in the Hall of Notoriety, the Wall of Shame, …
The real story should have been NCAA hegemony, but no one is writing about that. Sara Ganim is at CNN now, so no chance of her reporting on it. Emmert needs to be exposed for his power mongering. Yeah, he does.
