Do pro sports teams have a designated messenger to help them see the big picture?

Question

Most of the time, coaches make the best decisions for their teams.

Most of the time.

They know all the players. They know the strategy. They know a lot of little things about injuries and attitudes and intangibles.

But sometimes, maybe just rarely, the fans and commentators see something they don't.

Answer 1

Well, it's the manager who makes the decision. He get input from his coaches, sure, but he makes the call. As for what people see on TV, maybe they have someone watching. They ought to to pick up information and video, but, really, I don't see how knowing what the commentators see and the fans think would really help in the decision making.

Answer 2

Put it this way -- any pro sports team that is smart is willing to look at information from any source. It's a little difficult to get stuff straight from fans, and their viewpoint often is a little too emotional. But someone in an organization is watching games on TV, reading the newspapers, etc.

Funny story along those lines: Around 1961, the New York Giants received a letter that said Jim Brown used to put one hand on the ground when he was carrying the ball, and no hands on the ground when he wasn't. The assistant coaches checked the game films, and it was true! The coaches tipped off the players before the next game with the Browns.

Oh, yeah. Brown gained something like 150 yards rushing in a Cleveland victory.