FOX Sports and Amazon Prime media personality (after yesterday’s revelation, we can no longer use the term “journalist” or “reporter”) Charissa Thompson admitted that she sometimes makes up her sideline reports. Thompson literally said that some of her “reports” are bogus. They’re fiction, lies, non-sense, ideas that exist only in her head etc. etc. etc.
Well, it is certainly not something we would expect the FOX corporation to do- hire a thin, blonde woman to go on television and spew lies! Well, I never! But all joking aside, this journalistic malpractice by Charissa T. and this should be a career ender for her.
I don’t know if it will, probably it won’t but, in an ideal world it should. Coincidentally, this broke on the same day that the political career of New York GOP Congressman George Santos officially ended. Is George Santos politics Charissa Thompson or is Charissa Thompson sports George Santos? That’s debatable.
But let’s run through the actual quote with context again just to make sure we’re on the same page.
“I’ve said this before,” Thompson said while appearing on Pardon My Take.
“I haven’t been fired to saying it, but I’ll say it again. I would make up the report sometimes, because A, the coach wouldn’t come out at halftime, or it was too late and I didn’t want to screw up the report. So I was like, ‘I’m just gonna make this up.’
“Because first of all, no coach is gonna get mad if I say, ‘Hey, we need to stop hurting ourselves, we need to be better on third down, we need to stop turning the ball over and do a better job of getting off the field.’ They’re not gonna correct me on that. So I’m like, it’s fine, I’ll just make up the report.”
More context, via Awful Announcing:
As Thompson noted, she has discussed this before on her podcast with Erin Andrews. Nearly two years ago, Thompson and Andrews both admitted to taking liberties with some of their sideline reports. But while Thompson previously alluded to paraphrasing or embellishing what coaches told her, this time, she admitted unambiguously to completely making up a sideline report.
When asked for comment, ahead of the Thursday Night NFL broadcast on Amazon Prime of which Thompson is an integral part, Amazon only said “Charissa Thompson was telling a story from 15 years ago.
So clearly, they don’t really care, but it’s interesting how
- this was out there already 15 years ago, and it didn’t land the first time. It’s only landing now.
2. If Erin Andrews did the same thing, why is no one holding her feet to the fire right now? (And again, a thin blonde woman lying into a FOX branded microphone)
Twitter, or X, is certainly not the real world by any means, but the reactions to this news on that platform have been interesting to say the least. Almost all of the responses (other than the fake news stories reported by Charissa Thompson tweets of course) have fallen into one of three categories. So let’s go through some of the better/funnier/entertaining and more intelligent reactions to the Charissa Thompson news.
The Gamut of Reactions
-
“This goes against everything journalism stands for. She is a disgrace to the profession”
No lies detected:
Charissa Thompson admitting she made up a sideline report & Erin Andrews saying she did too makes us angry again for the trailblazing Pam Oliver, who started with Fox Sports in 1995 as an NFL sideline reporter, and was later demoted in favor of Erin Andrews in 2014. ?
— First and Pen (@firstandpen) November 17, 2023
Here too:
These sideline reporters have access to coaches and players during the week that other reporters don’t. If Charissa Thompson didn’t have a storyline at the ready if she couldn’t get a coach at halftime, then she was just being lazy at her job. #SchwartzOnSports
— Peter Schwartz (@SchwartzSports) November 17, 2023
Accurate:
Charissa Thompson & Erin Andrews getting on a podcast to admit that they’ve “taken liberties with some of their sideline reports” is the peak of white woman behavior in 2023.
— Carron J. Phillips (@carronJphillips) November 16, 2023
2. “People are holding a sports reporter to a higher standard than our politicians. Everybody have some perspective.”
True:
If only we cared about political reporting integrity as much as everyone cared about what Charissa Thompson said about sideline sports reporting pic.twitter.com/zelUP4iOtY
— Phil (@PH1Losophical) November 17, 2023
He has a point:
The fake outrage over the Charissa Thompson stuff is hilarious to me. Is she wrong to do that? Sure.
But my god, we have people on the bird app acting like she murdered someone. Lets take it down a notch.
— Mike ? (@HuskerMike28) November 17, 2023
3. “No one cares about sideline reports, so no one should care about this” vs “here’s why sideline reporting needs to exist and is important”
LOL!:
The fact that Charissa Thompson could make up sideline reports for years and nobody even noticed tells you all you need to know about the importance of sideline reporters.
— Barry (@BarryOnHere) November 16, 2023
Bill Burr is a comic genius:
My take on the entire Charissa Thompson scandal, via @billburr. pic.twitter.com/PszJF6vxF6
— ???? (@LanceTHESPOKEN) November 17, 2023
Solid response:
Breaking: Over 12 NFL Sideline Reporters have agreed to wear matching t-shirts in response to the Charissa Thompson clip
During NFL broadcasts this Sunday, they will be wearing matching shirts with the words:
“We Are Authentic. We Are Honest. We Are Football.” pic.twitter.com/xS3b27wjQv
— NYJ Matt (@NYJ_Matt) November 17, 2023
Best response:
Shocked. Disappointed. Disgusted. What we heard today called all sideline reporters into question. My job is an honor, a privilege and a craft at which I have worked so hard…
(1/2)— Lisa Salters (@saltersl) November 17, 2023
The long and short of it is this- you can realize that hearing football coaches regurgitate the most shopworn and mind-numbing of cliches on the sidelines is pointless, AND denounce for Thompson for doing the wrong thing. Both things can be true. To be honest, I’ve never found her work to be worthwhile, in any way, shape or form, so if she is no longer a thing now….good riddance!
When she lampooned how football coaches talk in interviews, during that podcast appearance, it was the first time I ever heard Charissa Thompson say anything worthwhile.
But what is most telling here is this- not a single one of Charissa Thompson ‘s colleagues have spoken up publicly on her behalf while her name gets dragged through the mud. That speaks volumes!
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He’s written for numerous publications, including the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. He regularly appears on NTD News and WGN News Now, while writing for the International Baseball Writers Association of America. You can follow the website on Twitter.
