By: E&P Staff Citing recent controversies surrounding newspaper reporters and sports award balloting, the South Florida- Sun-Sentinel announced Sunday that it would withdraw from such voting on national honors.
"When the Most Valuable Player of the Super Bowl is selected tonight, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel will have very little to do with it," wrote Sports Editor Brian White. "Sure, we will report who won the award and why, but we will have no say in choosing the winner."
The ban will also apply to college football polls, baseball Hall of Fame balloting and the like.
"That's because beginning today, this newspaper's writers and editors no longer will take part in voting for the variety of awards and honors that fill the calendar year. Among those are college polls, the Cy Young Award, MVP awards, the Heisman Trophy and various halls of fame," White explained.
"It is not our role to be the news. Other newspapers, including the Los Angeles Times, Baltimore Sun, New York Times and Atlanta Journal-Constitution, have adopted the same guideline."
Exceptions will be local high school sports awards.
"On the larger scale, awards in most sports can mean hundreds of thousands of dollars to a player or coach who has incentives tied to them. For a college football program, selection as the national champion in The Associated Press poll, which includes writers, brings great prestige to universities and big bonuses to coaches. Election into a hall of fame raises one to the peak of his or her sport and usually is followed by plenty of endorsement or appearance fees. Again, sports writers play a large part in such elevation."
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