Must we dim a flickering candle?

In a time of internet posts for shock value, maybe it's time of softer approach when it comes to covering local sports.

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Sports

February 5, 2026 - 2:15 PM

Shown here is Iola Register sports editor Jimmy Potts. Photo by Richard Luken / Iola Register

I often use the word blowout, but lately I’ve been pulling back a bit. It happened after a conversation with a coach, who viewed the term as offensive in the context of a recent result. 

I could have defended myself. I could have argued the finer points of a blowout. I could have articulated how it’s not really the final score that determines a blowout. It’s about how many successful consecutive possessions a team must have while holding an opponent scoreless.

I could have stood my ground, but I don’t attend games to bloviate to coaches, who undoubtedly know…

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