User:LexMiraglia/sandbox

Article Evaluation: Pickleball


 * Relevance:
 * Brief history, rules, terminology
 * Short article containing relevant information about the rules
 * The history is brief and interesting; could benefit from more details on how the game has evolved and grown over time
 * Neutrality / Bias
 * No opinions or assumptions about Pickleball are shared
 * There is nothing that appears to be biased or slanted toward a particular position about the sport
 * Viewpoints
 * Again, nothing is really asserted about Pickleball in a way that chooses a particular side
 * If adding sections about Pickleball's growth and role in the world today, would need to keep this in mind
 * Anything related to optimism about the sport would need to be reliably sourced and referenced
 * Sources
 * Most links work
 * This link had problems: Pritchard, Joan (July 27, 2008). "Origins of Pickleball". The Parkersburg News and Sentinel.
 * All of the sources used backed up what was written in the article
 * More of the source material could be used to improve the History section or add a "Today" section
 * One of the most informative sources actually seemed to be from a blog format
 * "The History of Pickleball". Hoffman Estates Pickleball. Retrieved March 1, 2014.
 * References (Reliability)
 * A couple users previously noted problems with the history section related to speculation and inaccuracy
 * The issues noted no longer appear to be a part of the article
 * The brief history mentioned is backed up by multiple sources that all discuss the same story about its origin in Bainbridge Island, Washington.
 * There is some controversy over the origin of its name, but the sources referenced all agree on the same story
 * "Some people" tried to claim the name originated from the Pritchard family dog, but it is debunked based on when the dog was born
 * This story's mentioning seems to be included mostly because a story about a dog ignites more conversation than the true story about the "pickle boat."
 * Information
 * As mentioned previously, there is major room for improvement in the area of Pickeball's evolution
 * The article essentially goes from a brief description of the sport's origin to just describing the rules of play
 * There can be information added to include:
 * Tournaments, leagues, professionals
 * Number of sports facilities that have adopted pickleball
 * Growing number of participants around the world
 * Costs of equipment
 * Participation broken down by age
 * Talk Page
 * Only 4 total contributions
 * 3 related to accuracy and all resolved or removed
 * 1 user just asked about the sport's popularity, something that can definitely be improved about the article (as mentioned before)
 * WikiProjects
 * WikiProject Sports
 * This project is looking to improve reporting and information on sports-related topics
 * Start-Class on quality scale
 * No rating yet on importance scale

Pierre Thomas:
I also moved some information in the New Orleans Saints section to the introductory paragraph of the article.

2007:
Thomas’s rookie year saw him buried on the depth chart behind Reggie Bush, Deuce McAllister, and Aaron Stecker, only logging 79 touches all year. During Week 2, Thomas turned only the second touch from scrimmage of his NFL career into a 24-yard touchdown against the Saints’ longtime rival, the Atlanta Falcons. However, it was not until Week 17 against the Chicago Bears that the NFL world first witnessed the kind of production Thomas would display over the course of his NFL career. In a game that saw notable Saints’ players Bush, McAllister, Marques Colston, and Terrance Copper all sit or leave the game with injuries, Thomas was afforded the opportunity to touch the ball on 32 of the 83 offensive plays. He finished the game with 226 yards from scrimmage and the second touchdown of his career.

2008:
After once again starting the season buried on the depth chart, a mid-season injury to Reggie Bush gave Pierre Thomas the lead-back opportunity on the NFL’s highest scoring offense. During Weeks 11-16, Thomas averaged 112.8 scrimmage yards per game as the Saints went 4-2. He scored at least one touchdown in all six games, including two-touchdown performances in three of them.

2009:
After losing the majority of Week 1 to injury, Thomas got his first full-game action of the season going in Week 2 with a rushing performance that would end up as the best of his entire 9-year career. Thomas ran for 126 yards and 2 touchdowns on just 14 carries in a dominant 27-7 victory over the Buffalo Bills. Thomas only received more than 14 carries once more all season, but at 5.89 scrimmage yards per touch, he served as an efficient Saints’ contributor during their 13-0 start to the season. In the NFC Championship Game against the Minnesota Vikings, Thomas contributed 99 yards and 2 touchdowns in a narrow 31-28 overtime win that sent the Saints to Super Bowl XLIV. He produced another 85 yards and the Saints first touchdown of the game on his famous screen pass to help put the Saints in position to beat the Indianapolis Colts with a score of 31-17. This win marked the first championship in New Orleans Saints history, capping off an impressive 16-3 season and Thomas’s career best 1,095 yards from scrimmage.

2011:
After losing all but 6 games of the 2010 season due to ankle injuries, Pierre Thomas bounced back in 2011 with another productive season for the 13-3 Saints. He only had two games all season with over 100 yards from scrimmage, however he still finished with 987 yards on 6.17 yards per touch. After totaling 121 yards in the NFC Wildcard Round against the Detroit Lions, Thomas’s season ended earlier than expected against the San Francisco 49ers. In the NFC Divisional Round, he took a shot to the head on the 1-yard line that resulted in a concussion. The Saints lost the game 32-36 and Thomas did not see the field again until the 2012 season.

= Paige Spiranac = Paige Spiranac (born March 26, 1993) is an American social media influencer and golf media personality with millions of followers across Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. She played college golf at both the University of Arizona and San Diego State University (SDSU), winning All-Mountain West honors during the 2012-2013 and 2013-2014 seasons. Spiranac played a strong role in leading the Aztecs to their first Mountain West Conference Championship in the school's history. After graduating from SDSU with a bachelor's degree in communications, Spiranac went on to play professionally on the Cactus Tour. She earned her first and only win at Scottsdale’s Orange Tree Country Club in 2016. After initially creating her social media accounts to post trick-shot videos, Spiranac now has nearly 1.5 million followers on Instagram. She currently has signed deals with PXG, 18Birdies, and Cybersmile, and she has been featured in places such as Sports Illustrated Swimsuit and Golf Digest.

Early Life
She was born in Wheat Ridge, Colorado to an athletic family. Spiranac’s father, Dan, was a member of the 1976 Pittsburgh Panthers national championship football team and her mother, Annette, was a professional ballet dancer. Her older sister Lexie also received a university athletic scholarship, as she competed on Stanford’s track team.

Growing up in Monument, Colorado, she practiced gymnastics in hopes of competing in the Olympics. Spiranac was talented enough to skip from level six to Elites, as well as receive an invite from Karolyi Ranch, an offer given to those with an Olympic future. At the age of 12, a twice-broken kneecap derailed her gymnastics career and pushed her towards golf. She was a common victim of bullying among other gymnasts due to a hair condition, so golf’s isolation provided her with a sanctuary. Spiranac split time between Scottsdale, Arizona and Monument, Colorado as a home-schooled student so that she would have time to train.

Junior Golf
A brief recap of Spiranac’s early golf career saw her win five tournaments in seven tries on Colorado’s junior golf circuit, become a top-20 junior player in the world, a top-5 college recruit, and a two-time West Region Player of the Year and first-team All-American as a member of the Future Collegians World Tour. Her junior golf success resulted in her accepting a scholarship from the University of Arizona.

University of Arizona
Spiranac’s time playing golf for the Wildcats did not last long. Her freshmen year only saw her compete in three events during the 2011-2012 season, including the Windy City Intercollegiate, the Pac-12/SEC Challenge, and the Wildcat Invitational. Her best score of the year was a 73, which she met on two occasions during the Windy City Intercollegiate.

San Diego State University
After transferring to San Diego State seeking a change of environment, Spiranac went on to find much greater success as an Aztec. Her 2012-2013 season saw her achieve First-Team All-Mountain West honors on her way to finishing fifth at the Cal Classic, sixth at the Mountain West Championship, and nineteenth at the NCAA Central Regional Championships. Her 2013-2014 junior season resulted in Second-Team All-Mountain West Honors along with one top ten finish at the Mountain West Championship. Spiranac’s senior season ended with the Aztec’s first Mountain West Conference Championship in school history. Her team capped off the celebration by jumping into Mission Hill Country Club’s Poppy Pond, with Paige reflecting on the moment as “one of the absolute happiest moments of my life.”

CWGA Match Play
In July of 2015, the Colorado Golf Association hosted the 100th Colorado Women's Golf Association Match Play Championship at Raccoon Creek Golf Course. Just a couple months after graduating from SDSU, Spiranac competed against some of Colorado's talented young golfers. In a 35-hole title match against Brittany Fan of the University of Colorado Boulder, Spiranac finished nine holes under par in an effort to secure the win. Already a winner of the 2010 CWGA Junior Stroke Play, this tournament win was her second CWGA championship.

Colorado Women's Open
The CoBank Colorado Women’s Open is a tournament at Green Valley Ranch Golf Club in Denver, Colorado. It is hosted by the Colorado Open Golf Foundation as a way to benefit a major youth golf program called The First Tee. During the 2016 event and the 22nd edition of the tournament, Spiranac competed with 94 other golfers for the top prize of $11,000. She finished the event with rounds of 74, 71, and 70 to place ninth in the tournament at one-under-par. Her ninth-place finish included a $1,750 prize.

Professional Golf Career
In 2015, a Total Frat Move article encouraging people to check her out online resulted in Spiranac’s Instagram following jumping from under 10,000 to over 100,000 in just two days. Her new social media presence led her to being invited to play in the Omega Dubai Ladies Classic in 2015. She went on to miss the cut, but the online attention provided her with many sponsors and endorsement deals. Her 2016 golfing season saw her play on the Cactus Tour, finishing the season with $8,010 in winnings and another invite to Dubai.

(I need to figure out how to make this section flow better)

Cactus Tour
Spiranac debuted on the Cactus Tour at Las Colinas in Queen Creek, Arizona. The event saw her finish tied for 14th place at one-under par, mostly thanks to a final round of five-under-par. Her finish resulted in a prize of $100 out of a $12,080 purse, a small figure even amongst women's professional golf tournaments. Her second event at Lookout Mountain resulted in a third place tie at one-under with Hannah Arnold. Once again, Spiranac used a strong final round showing to propel her up the leaderboard by shooting the best score of the day at three-under-par. This time she took home a $950 prize. Winning for the first time at Scottsdale’s Orange Tree Country Club, her Sunday-round of 68 propelled her to a playoff victory in just her third event. Finishing with rounds of 71, 74, and 68, Spiranac earned the sudden-death victory over Hannah O’Sullivan, the top-ranked amateur in the world at the time. Spiranac continued her strong play with a ninth place finish at Stallion Mountain and an $800 prize. She started the final day near the top of the board, but struggled to a round of six-over-par. At the Aliante Golf Club, Spiranac competed to a 17th place tie amongst a field of 52 golfers. Her twelve-over-par finish netted her a $575 prize. She finished eight-over-par for a seventh place finish at Walnut Creek in Mansfield, Texas, earning $600 for her efforts.

Spiranac's first event in nearly two months resulted in a second-place tie with Jane Rah and Caroline Inglis. This tournament at Legacy in Phoenix, Arizona was her second best finish of the year, rewarding her with a $935 prize. She produced another top-five finish at Trilogy when she shot two-under-par during the final round. The $800 prize continued a string of strong finishes at Arizona golf courses on tour. The final event of the season took place in Sun City, Arizona for the 2016 Arizona Women's Open. Spiranac showed improvement over each day, but her first round score of 78 ultimately kept her further down the leaderboard and out of the money. She ended the season with a 30th place finish at the tournament, but with a lot of success to look back on.

Spiranac changed her agent to Jeremy Aisenberg of Octagon after the season so that she could focus on growing her social media presence and influence. After missing the cut once again at Dubai in 2016, she has not played professional golf since.

Business Life
Among companies Paige Spiranac has signed deals with are PXG, 18Birdies, Cybersmile, Octagon, Descente, Golf Digest, and Barracuda Networks.

Parsons Xtreme Golf
In 2017, Paige Spiranac signed with PXG, or Parsons Xtreme Golf, to represent their golf clubs across social media and television commercials. PXG has deals with several PGA and LPGA players due to its increasing popularity as an international brand. Some of her clubs include the PXG 0811X Driver and the PXG Gunboat Black putter. Spiranac’s four promoted areas of focus as a PXG Troop include Growing the Game, Inspiring Women, Healthy Living, and Promoting Anti-Bullying.

18Birdies
In 2017, Spiranac became a brand ambassador for 18Birdies to help market the golf app nationwide. 18Birdies is a golf app designed for increased social interaction and competitions among golfers, statistic and score tracking capability, and a GPS system with over 30,000 courses in its database. Spiranac’s position has included an integral role in the company’s national television advertising campaign, the first commercials she has ever been a part of. One of the giveaways of the company’s DreamGames program included a chance to play a round of golf with Spiranac.

The Cybersmile Foundation
In 2017, Spiranac became an ambassador for Cybersmile, an award-winning non-profit organization working to combat cyber-bulling by providing global support and educational programs about online abuse. One of her roles within the organization is to speak to kids across the country about bullying and how to take measures to protect themselves from it. Spiranac dealt with a condition as a child that restricted her head from growing hair, so difficult conditions and bullying have followed her for most of her life. Her own experiences with bullies and foul comments online have motivated her to work against bullying for organizations like Cybersmile.

Six Zero Six Fitness
Six Zero Six Fitness is a website that contains workout programs designed by Steve Tinoco with collaboration from Paige Spiranac. Together, they developed a workout program called the Six Week Peak Fitness Challenge aimed at improving one's health. According to the company's website, the basic program costs $34.99 and has both male and female preferences.

Social Media Impact
Traditional positions in the golf industry have included broadcasters, golfers, and instructors, but Spiranac has found a role unique to golf's history. It is difficult to define or classify that role, but her social media presence has opened up opportunities for impacting and innovating the sport. Considering her social media following compares to golf's elite like Rory McIlroy, Jordan Spieth, and Rickie Fowler, her presence is certainly being felt. Spiranac's fame has both opened doors for her, as well as brought out criticism from those who disagree with or question what she brings to golf. In its nearly seven decades of publication, Golf Digest has only displayed a woman on the cover twenty-three times, with just eleven of those being solo covers of professional female golfers. Some people feel it is fair to question whether Spiranac's media attention and inclusion in professional golf is warranted based on what she has actually accomplished on the golf course. Sarah Spain of ESPN even went as far as to suggest that the only reason Golf Digest considered Spiranac for their cover was due to the type of clothes she wore. Spiranac has received criticism for "sexualizing women's golf," and even though she has mentioned the ways people's comments have hurt her, she has continued to work to find her place in golf.

In February 2018, Paige Spiranac was featured in the 2018 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue for the first time. Spiranac used the experience to promote her anti-bullying message as well as continue to fight for a woman's right to feel comfortable in her own skin. A trend in Spiranac's features across various publications is the message she attempts to send about bullying. She has used her platform to continuously speak about her own painful experiences with bullies and what she believes society needs to do about fixing the problem. Spiranac opened up for publications like Sports Illustrated Swimsuit and Golf Digest to share her accounts of random internet users harassing her online. After once reaching a point where she "didn't want to live anymore," she has since used that experience as motivation for her fight against online mistreatment.

On April 11, 2018, Golfweek shared a video of Steve Tinoco, Paige Spiranac, and PGA golfer Tony Finau attempting to break a golf trick-shot Guiness World Record. The challenge required them to catch hit golf balls from 100 meters away over the course of one minute. At the start of the video the world record was 11 caught balls, but Spiranac and company broke the record with 12 catches in one minute.

Feedback from Alyssa for copyediting
This article had a very good, neutral tone. I corrected some typos (ex/ unintentional double words), I also added some commas, and changed some run on sentences (although there weren't very many). For the Professional Golf Career section, I moved around the paragraphs to make it a bit more chronological. Overall good job, and really interesting article!