The Magazine Editor's Blog: Economics Briefing

We often forget to accentuate the positive. Economically speaking.

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Many in the media pretend this line stretches eight miles.

Dwight Howard is fronting The Magazine's latest issue—and I especially love the cover image, which shows the extent to which athletes trust us to do stuff that will make them look cool—but my favorite story in the current mix is in our NASCAR preview. It's about hypermiling, which is the "sport" of trying to go as far on a gallon of gas as you possibly can.

The germ of the story came from me, after I learned about hypermiling in one of the science mags I read, but in typical fashion my idea was elevated by one of our editors, in this case J.B. Morris, who thought it would be way more interesting to get a NASCAR driver to learn about hypermiling from the world's expert, a fellow named Jack Martin. That driver was Carl Edwards, another athlete who puts a lot of trust in The Magazine. Anyway the story, written by senior writer Ryan McGee, is fun and interesting. So thanks to Carl and Dr. Jack and JB and Ryan.

All of which brings me to … me! Well, really, the United States of America, but also me, in that I have a particular thought about the United States of America that I want to share. Specifically, I'm a little annoyed by the way the media—mainstream and otherwise—is covering the current economic crisis, which is brutal and difficult. My problem is the poor "framing" of most of the coverage. That is, as serious as the situation is, there are ways to present information so as not to be overly sensational or dramatic or apocalyptic. Take unemployment, which is awful for everyone, especially those who are unemployed and want to be working, a number that is growing. But it's important to remember that there are about 13 times more people who are working in this country than there are people who are out of jobs. That's not to diminish the pain or seriousness of unemployment. I just wish that every time a media outlet provided jobless figures they would provide employment numbers too. Maybe even a chart, using the most recent U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data. Something like this:

This won't make it easier for people who are out of a job, but it might remind everyone that large parts of the economy are chugging along, albeit fitfully, which is a good thing to keep in mind. And that's all I have to say about the subject now, except to hope that everyone who wants a job finds one quickly.

Now on to my list of THE 27 BEST SPORTS IN THE WORLD RIGHT NOW, ACCORDING TO ME. It's a doozy of a ranking, though much less important than another list I keep: OTHER WORLD SERIES (The Top 3: World Series of Barbeque, Little League World Series, World Series of Poker).

THE 27 BEST SPORTS IN THE WORLD RIGHT NOW, ACCORDING TO ME:

1. NFL ¹
2. College Basketball (Men's)
3. NBA
4. College Basketball (Women's)
5. NHL ²
6. Golf (LPGA) ³
7. NASCAR (Sprint Cup)
8. Golf (PGA)
9. MLB ⁴
10. Soccer
11. Bowling
12. Mixed Martial Arts
13. College football
14. Bull riding ⁵
15. Skeet shooting ⁶
16. Skiing ⁷
17. Triathlon
18. Cricket
19. Yoga
20. College Hockey
21. Wheelchair rugby
22. Drag Racing
23. Gator wrestling
24. Tennis (WTA/ATP)
25. Luge
26. Boxing
27. WNBA

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1. My Cardinals lost the Super Bowl. But my Cardinals were IN the Super Bowl. God Bless America and the National Football League.

2. Has anyone else noticed that the Blues are just one game under .500? Probably not, but still… (Though everybody wins in the NHL.)

3. No one admires Lorena Ochoa more than I do, but Michelle Wie remains the most captivating figure in the women's game. The LPGA should pray she is as healthy and ready as she looks.

4. I'm already tired of the A-Rod thing. Only an eternity to go!

5. Helmets, please.

6. Because guns don't kill people—people who don't use guns solely for sport kill people.

7. Bode Miller and Lindsey Vonn rock.

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