Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Hal Gordon (hot dog vendor)


 * The following discussion is an archived debate of the proposed deletion of the article below. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as the article's talk page or in a deletion review).  No further edits should be made to this page.

The result was keep‎__EXPECTED_UNCONNECTED_PAGE__. Liz Read! Talk! 06:46, 14 August 2023 (UTC)

Hal Gordon (hot dog vendor)
AfDs for this article:


 * – ( View AfD View log | edits since nomination)

This is not a relevant figure. This article was written in jest to depict an individual who is not noteworthy in any capacity. This individual is simply a graduate student who has done work as a hot dog vendor during sports games. Azakrzewska (talk) 07:01, 7 August 2023 (UTC)


 * Keep meets WP:GNG through articles in independent media (KQED, Mercury News, SFGATE) over two different baseball seasons. And a quote in the NY Post. Oblivy (talk) 07:44, 7 August 2023 (UTC)


 * Note: This discussion has been included in the deletion sorting lists for the following topics: People, Academics and educators, Basketball, United States of America,  and California. &mdash;  Karnataka  talk  10:15, 7 August 2023 (UTC)
 * Added to the list for baseball; probably shouldn't be on the basketball list. Typo? D. Benjamin Miller (talk) 18:38, 10 August 2023 (UTC)


 * Keep Appears to meet WP:GNG with the sources in the article. Alvaldi (talk) 12:34, 7 August 2023 (UTC)
 * Comment Please note that the nominator created his account six hours ago and has no contributions to Wikipedia outside of this AfD. Alvaldi (talk) 12:41, 7 August 2023 (UTC)
 * Keep. If we're going to insist on a standard of notability, GNG, that is based on how much media coverage a topic has rather than on how significant the topic is, we should not be surprised when that causes us to include some topics that have plenty of in-depth media coverage but are not in any way significant. —David Eppstein (talk) 18:12, 7 August 2023 (UTC)
 * Well said. Oblivy (talk) 04:40, 8 August 2023 (UTC)
 * Delete I don't want to help someone out whose first edit was an AfD nom, but he appears to fail WP:BLP1E - a living person, otherwise low-profile, notable for a singular insignificant event - and BLP1E is a part of NOT, which does trump GNG. SportingFlyer  T · C  20:36, 7 August 2023 (UTC)
 * He is notable for being an unofficial mascot of a major sports team for several years, that is not the same as being notable for a single event. Alvaldi (talk) 20:43, 7 August 2023 (UTC)
 * See the guidance at WP:PSEUDO. There's no reason we can't discuss him elsewhere though. SportingFlyer  T · C  22:48, 7 August 2023 (UTC)
 * You know that's an essay, not a notability guideline, right? —David Eppstein (talk) 01:36, 8 August 2023 (UTC)
 * As David points out, WP:PSEUDO is an essay but regardless the subject passes its suggested tests as reliable sources cover the individual themselves as a main or sole focus of coverage. Also, WP:BLP1E doesn't apply as he not known from being involved in a single event (i.e. a single game or a playoff series), his notability stems from his career as an unoffical mascot of the team for several years. And he passes WP:GNG as he has received significant coverage in multiple reliable sources that are independent of the subject over a period of several years. Alvaldi (talk) 09:49, 8 August 2023 (UTC)
 * Of course I know it's an essay and not a guideline. But you still haven't argued WP:BLP1E isn't met. Reliable sources cover him only in the context of a single event, he is likely to remain low-profile, and the event itself - being a hot dog vendor - isn't substantial. WP:BIO1E states Editors are advised to be aware of issues of weight and to avoid the creation of unnecessary pseudo-biographies, especially of living people. I think this easily qualifies - I understand I'm not going to convince you otherwise, but just because WP:GNG is met doesn't end the analysis: we still have to consider WP:NOT. SportingFlyer  T · C  12:13, 8 August 2023 (UTC)
 * If all that was written about him was that he sold a hot dog to some celebrity, that he fell down the stairs at a game or that he sold a record amount of hot dogs during a game, then yes, I would fully agree that he failed WP:BLP1E. But that is not the case as this popular figure has gained significant notice as an unofficial mascot due to his entertaining acts during his work as a hot dog vendor of a major professional sports team over multiple years that spans multiple events. An over decade long career, regardless of it being a hot dog vendor, laywer, professional athlete, doctor or an artist, cannot be considered a single event for quite obvious reasons and there are enough sources that cover his whole career outside of any single event he participated in, for instance Regarding WP:NOT, I'm not seeing anything particular there that the article goes against. Alvaldi (talk) 15:03, 8 August 2023 (UTC)
 * Keep the WP:BLP1E claims are invalid and nonsenical because this person served as an unofficial mascot for SEVERAL SEASONS. That's hundreds of "events." Several pieces of coverage of this person, spanning a period of over four years, are already present on the page. While they may not be the best coverage based on WP:GNG guidelines, there is certainly enough for the article to be kept.  Per WP:NBIO, If the depth of coverage in any given source is not substantial, then multiple independent sources may be combined to demonstrate notability. Carson Wentz (talk) 16:21, 8 August 2023 (UTC)
 * Keep (N.b., I was the original author of this article) There is no rule that says that people who sell hot dogs are (or aren't) notable. But WP:GNG and in particular WP:BIO spell out the requirements for notability. In this case, there are multiple articles from independent and reliable sources which cover the subject. In particular, he is the central focus of a number of these articles; a person who receives multiple biographical profiles in the major media outlets of a metropolitan area clearly passes WP:GNG. As for WP:BLP1E, as Alvadi remarks, "being a hot dog vendor" is not a single event; "people notable for one event" and "people notable for one thing" (e.g., one job they had) are two very different ideas — if having a job were an event, then many people would be notable for one "event." BLP1E would be applicable if he only were known for a single incident (e.g., selling a particular hot dog). D. Benjamin Miller (talk) 18:33, 10 August 2023 (UTC)
 * Keep -- Coverage has lasted more than four years, so it's more than One-Event coverage. Very few hot dog vendors will be notable; this one is.  (no WP:PROF pass though).  -- Michael Scott Asato Cuthbert (talk) 06:35, 11 August 2023 (UTC)


 * The above discussion is preserved as an archive of the debate. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as the article's talk page or in a deletion review). No further edits should be made to this page.