In the past, folks have made major mistakes caught on websites that have sometimes cost them their jobs. Take for example when Onward State falsely reported that former Penn State football coach, Joe Paterno had passed away and the managing editor later issued a retraction and resigned.
The New York Giants made a similar mistake. This time, it wasn’t a death but a major win. The site accidentally announced the winner of Super Bowl XLVI more than a day before the big game even kicked off.
And of course, the site announced the Giants as the winner.
“The Giants are Super Bowl champions!” read a premature posting on the New York Giants site.
While the Vince Lombardi trophy was displayed and players like Eli Manning were pictured cheering, the page also directed users to buy the team’s championship clothing and accessories.
According to Mashable.com, the error was caught in a TwitPic that later went viral though no signs of the mistake could still be found on the New York Giants site.
Many wondered if it was just a prank. While a prank is a very good possibility, web designers do typically want to have the page ready if the team does win. Better to be prepared than lose out on sales.
The NFL commented on the website mishap, according to TheBostonChannel.com, saying that the website was prepared for release at the end of Sunday’s game if the Giants are victorious at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.
“It is common practice for both teams to create web pages in advance of the conference championship games and Super Bowl,” the NFL reportedly said in a statement.
One thing the website did do with the premature post was show fans what they want to ultimately see. The website blunder has definitely amped up extra excitement for today’s game.
The Giants play the New England Patriots Sunday at Indianapolis Lucas Oil Stadium at 6:30 p.m. EST.
