ESPN Is too Cool to Use Punctuation Marks

I'm generally not one to be a stickler on punctuation. I hate it when someone picks apart a high school or college newspaper and casts it off as trash because of misspelled words or grammar mistakes. It's the content that matters. As long as the article is coherent, who cares if there's a misplaced modifier or if the writer left out an apostrophe. That's the standard by which I edit this blog.

However, there are times when enough is enough. There are times when the improper grammar bothers me so much that I can't take it any more.

This is the case with SportCenter's "Who's Now" series.

How can there not be a question mark after "Now"?

The premise of the series is to "determine the ultimate sports star by considering both on-field success and off-field buzz." In every segment of the show, a panel of three must answer the question of who is more "now" of two selected athletes. Yet, despite the clear question and answer format, the question mark remains elusive.

Try to say in your head "Who's now" without the question mark. It is incredibly bothersome.

I might not be so upset if the segment wasn't so silly and irrelevant. How can you quantify who is "now?" Is it a national or international competition? Does the buzz have to be good (see: Barry Bonds, Kobe Bryant)? Why does Keyshawn Johnson get to be on the panel of experts?

There is no question that Tiger Woods will be a finalist after the useless month long series reaches its climax, and that he will be opposed by either Lebron James or Tom Brady. Either way, the panelists will be faced with the prospect that one plays in a team sport and one plays in an individual spot. One is a rising star, and the other has been on top for years.

The panelists will be faced with two athletes who cannot be compared. They'll probably just babble on for the segment and ultimately not answer who's the most "now" of the two. While it will be an irrelevant end to an irrelevant series, at least the missing question mark will make some sense.