Trap of the Day: Coaching Turnover
I hate to admit it, but it’s easy to be a lazy sports fan sometimes. It gets tough to chase around a subject that is operating with too many moving parts.
Perfect example: the coaching carousel going on right now in NCAA college football. There are a ton of ex-coaches right about now looking like this guy, Rick Neuheisel, below:
After “bloody Sunday”–the first Sunday following the final regular season game–a deluge of head football coaches traditionally get axed. On top of that, there are rumors swirling about potential “hot seat” firings soon to come and speculation about which top candidates are likely to fill coaching vacancies, etc. I love trying to follow this type of juicy speculation in real-time (especially when a startling story pops up about MY team), but it can be rather overwhelming trying to keep up.
That’s where the beauty of Trapit comes into play. Rather than having to comb the web ’round-the-clock trying to predict if and when a hiring/firing is going to happen, I simply allow a trap to do the work for me. Using a few basic keywords like “NCAA coach fired,” a convenient bucket begins filling up with the content I desire.
Allow me to introduce to you my “Coaching Turnover” trap:
I wanted the trap to be as perfectly refined as possible. Inevitably, a keyword as vague as “NCAA” might initially rope in a story about a volleyball or cross-country coach getting the heave-ho. This might be your thing, but not necessarily my cup of tea. Using the “thumbs-down” button, I can train my trap to avoid content on these particular sports in the future. Content that hit the nail on the head, give it a “thumbs-up.”
Soon, the trap will be able to comprehend my personalized wishes, and discover the ideal mixed bag of stories I’m looking for. Once I feel satisfied on what’s pouring in, all there is left to do is browse and kick my feet up. Here’s a little snapshot example of a few ideal stories the trap has discovered so far!
Frankly, I am sick and tired of reading about the Penn State Sex Scandal. I already have a separate trap on that if I want to delve into the latest on Jerry Sandusky and company. But what’s cool is my Coaching Turnover trap still picked up stories on Penn State, but instead with an emphasis on who their next head coach might be.
Also, you can see there is an article in the bottom left corner about Northwestern State hiring a newbie to run its team. I had never even heard of this team’s existence a few moments ago, yet now I can name their mascot!
The monumental coaching story as of late is undoubtedly Urban Meyer heading to Thee Ohio State University. I had heard enough of this story as is via ESPN or sports talk radio. However, without the Coaching Turnover trap, some of the more minor stories like Northwestern State buzz likely would’ve slipped right past me. Here are a few examples of headlines that may have been moving too fast for you to catch:
If you fear being that guy left in the dust on the latest college football coverage, it’s simple–get your trap on!
-Geoff