ESPN says, "Please use bots on our polls"

[knapplc]

Someone wrote in to Brian Bennett's Big Ten blog over at ESPN complaining about the shenanigans on this poll. Bennett's response:

Scott R. from Chadron, Neb., writes: Pretty sure there was voter fraud on that Osborne/Paterno matchup. Am I the only one who noticed there were as many international votes as domestic? And that those international votes were 87% for Paterno? Every other poll on ESPN.com is about 75% domestic, 25% foreign. This one was 50/50, and the international vote was OVERWHELMINGLY for Paterno. Seems a little suspicious.
Brian Bennett: File this one under "You Can't Please Everybody, Vol. 734." For the past two weeks, my mailbag was full of comments like Scott's, claiming some sort of voter fraud as Paterno got a huge international vote against both Tom Osborne and Woody Hayes. I have neither the technical expertise nor the time to figure out whether there was some sort of computer tomfoolery going on. But you'd have to be really naive not to raise an eyebrow at the fact that more than half the votes (17,000-plus) in the title matchup came from outside the United States and that those votes were wildly in favor of Paterno. Maybe there's a simple explanation why so many non-U.S. residents care about Big Ten football -- Italians for JoePa, perhaps?

The bottom line is that we placed no rules on this tournament, other than the most votes wins. If someone was ingenious enough to rig it, more power to them. Paterno certainly had the résumé and accomplishments that were deserving on their own. I had no personal stake in the outcome, and I found it to be a fun exercise to go along with March Madness. I hope everyone enjoyed it.

So, Bennett tacitly approves of botting these polls.

Brilliant, ESPN.

EDIT - From post #14 later in this thread, because apparently I wasn't clear in the above...

The point is that these polls are meaningless and utterly stupid, not that OH NOES TEH POLL WUZ NOT LEGIT!!!

 

 

Thought that was pretty clear, especially considering the source (noting my usual disdain for all things ESPN) but apparently people are thinking there's some expectation of legitimacy. Nope.

 

[sd'sker]

even if these polls were held to the highest standards of internet voting, they are still pretty meaningless.

 

[Hujan]

"Paterno certainly had the résumé and accomplishments that were deserving on their own."

Didn't he only win one MNC? His biggest "accomplishment" was simply living long enough to coach the team for 50 years and winning a pretty decent number of games along the way. Kinda cool, I guess, but it does not make him an elite coach.

 

[Scratchtown]

Who cares what everyone else thinks? Its all subjective anyway. All are great coaches. You can't convince a Penn State fan that Osborne is better and vice versa.

I find it kind of funny that the first time we lose a polling and someone screams "Voter Fraud!"

C'mon...

 

[Redux]

Brian Bennet just solidified his place between the 9/16 wrench and the claw hammer.

 

[Creighton Duke]

Must be the "global campus" at work...

 

[Saunders]

Who cares what everyone else thinks? Its all subjective anyway. All are great coaches. You can't convince a Penn State fan that Osborne is better and vice versa.

I find it kind of funny that the first time we lose a polling and someone screams "Voter Fraud!"

C'mon...

That's because it was.

 

[commando]

Apparently most Penn State fans have fled the country

 

[Scratchtown]

Who cares what everyone else thinks? Its all subjective anyway. All are great coaches. You can't convince a Penn State fan that Osborne is better and vice versa.

I find it kind of funny that the first time we lose a polling and someone screams "Voter Fraud!"

C'mon...

That's because it was.

Even if it was. Who cares? Its an opinion. Too many of us seem to forget that opinions are not facts.

 

[BigRedBuster]

even if these polls were held to the highest standards of internet voting, they are still pretty meaningless.

Why in the world does anyone even care about these? I'm pretty sure Dr. Tom isn't losing any sleep at night wondering if he is losing in a poll to a dead Penn State coach on a web site that the only reason why they hold the poll is to create clicks to their site.

I have never understood why grown people care a flying rip about voting in these.

But...hey....I guess I always marked it up to everyone has different things they find meaningful.

 

[Saunders]

even if these polls were held to the highest standards of internet voting, they are still pretty meaningless.

Why in the world does anyone even care about these? I'm pretty sure Dr. Tom isn't losing any sleep at night wondering if he is losing in a poll to a dead Penn State coach on a web site that the only reason why they hold the poll is to create clicks to their site.

I have never understood why grown people care a flying rip about voting in these.

But...hey....I guess I always marked it up to everyone has different things they find meaningful.

Because it's the offseason and it's beats the hell out of arguing about Bo Pelini.

 

[zoogs]

Maybe he should take the 'time' to post the results of the domestic vote -- or is that out there already?

 

[True2tRA]

No offense but I'll file this one under the who gives a sh#t category.

Someone rigged a meaningless poll? I love the fact that Nebraska usually owns these types of things and it pisses people off, but for me that's the only glory of it is pissing those other fans off. Probably because I think it's funny that they take it so seriously.

This little poll doesn't change the fact that Osborne is probably the greatest coach in the history of college football, with the resume' not only as a coach, but as a man, to beat just about all competition.

It also doesn't change the fact that Paterno's fame comes from mostly coaching at a good level, but for a long long period of time. Also doesn't change the fact that he housed a pedophile amongst his staff for a majority of that time, and didn't investigate those allegations to the level an accusation like that should be investigated. Regardless of Paterno's coaching career, as a man, that's a stain on his record and will always come to mind when I hear his name.

 

[knapplc]

The point is that these polls are meaningless and utterly stupid, not that OH NOES TEH POLL WUZ NOT LEGIT!!!

Thought that was pretty clear, especially considering the source (noting my usual disdain for all things ESPN) but apparently people are thinking there's some expectation of legitimacy. Nope.

 

[True2tRA]

The point is that these polls are meaningless and utterly stupid, not that OH NOES TEH POLL WUZ NOT LEGIT!!!

Thought that was pretty clear, especially considering the source (noting my usual disdain for all things ESPN) but apparently people are thinking there's some expectation of legitimacy. Nope.

Oh. Well then, we agree.