Published October 11, 2025
Almost nothing in sports writing makes me roll my eyes as fast as when I see in a story that a team “shocked the world.” Especially if it’s in a headline.
Really, dude?
It’s a big world. Do you know what Russia has been doing in Ukraine? Have you kept up with the horrors in Gaza? Any idea what the Trump administration has been doing to people it has no jurisdiction over? Have you heard about global warming? Deforestation? The effects we’re continuing to see from the destruction of ecosystems?
Any idea what the tariff wars have done to people? The cruelty of USAID cuts? Did you hear about COVID? Do you know we’re not “past it”?
Get some perspective. “Shocked the world” is a pretty high bar in normal times, but impossible for an American sports team to reach in 2025.
I know there are athletes who will blurt that out upon winning a championship, and I suppose saying “shocked the baseball world” or something along those lines is not the worst thing in the world. But please show some restraint as a writer and a publication. Your voice should be more mature than that. If you want to be taken seriously as a writer, try not to write the way a frat boy talks. It demeans the topic and your publication.
I suppose a team could all but “shock the world” on an international stage such as the Olympics or World Cup, but short of doubling as SEAL Team 6 or something, your favorite MLB or NBA franchise isn’t going to do anything to justify writing that phrase.
This isn’t in reference to anyone specifically, so don’t think it’s about last night’s Mariners victory to advance to the ALCS. The timing is a coincidence. These posts have been written well in advance of publication and then checked again before they go live.
Sending love. Protect your peace.
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Live your life in such a way that nobody says that about you.
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Portland update
Still fine.
PNW webcams 2025-10-10 23:31:14
— PNW cams (@bs.pi.gs) October 10, 2025 at 11:31 PM
— Dawn Goeb (@dawnkgoeb.bsky.social) October 10, 2025 at 3:55 PM
Frogs for the win.