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Sports Illustrated cover gets Michigan State coach Mark Dantonio’s name wrong
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Michigan State has been one of the most successful programs over the last six seasons, and the Spartans will be out to prove its place among the elite schools in the country when it faces Alabama in the College Football Playoff semifinals.
Or at least to gain enough respect so people start getting their coach’s name right.
Sports Illustrated became the latest to butcher Mark Dantonio’s name, calling him “Mike” on the cover of a regional issue previewing the big game. One can only wonder if the publication confused Dantonio with former NBA head coach Mike D’Antoni.
What also makes it a little embarrassing is the fact that the main headline on the cover says, “The Case for Michigan State.”
"How Mike Dantonio rebuilt the Spartans" appears on this SI cover leading into the playoff. pic.twitter.com/c2hMjyNa0s
— Mike Wilson (@ByMikeWilson) December 17, 2015
The Spartans have won 11 games in five of the last six seasons. Their 64 wins since 2010 are 6th-most in the FBS. Apparently that hasn’t been enough.
Sports Illustrated apologized for the error:
“On one of the covers of Sports Illustrated’s special newsstand-only College Football Playoff Preview issue — there are regional editions for each of the four teams — Michigan State coach Mark Dantonio was misidentified. The Spartans-themed issues are being reprinted and will be available on newsstands shortly. Sports Illustrated apologizes to Mark Dantonio, Michigan State and its fans for the error.”
However, SI is far from the only news outlet to get his name wrong. Add FOX to the list.
Embarrassing. Fox can't even get his name right… pic.twitter.com/HVwy4YmPYC
— Mike Sullivan (@MikeSullivan) December 6, 2015
This Twitter user replied to that in order to reveal a few other egregious errors. One news station thought he was a volleyball coach, while another got his first and last name wrong.
https://twitter.com/mweaver41/status/673316770862792705
Even the worldwide leader has gotten his first and last name wrong. You can even see Dantonio’s reaction off to the right.
https://twitter.com/lyonpete/status/629043933780127744
Don’t worry, Mark. If anyone shares your pain in this regard, it’s me.
Born and raised in Gainesville, Talal joined SDS in 2015 after spending 2 years in Bristol as an ESPN researcher. Previously, Talal worked at The Gainesville Sun.
