According to the shared ESPN/NFL Network draft coverage, the defining trait of Notre Dame wide receiver Chase Claypool (drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers 49th overall in the 2020 NFL Draft Friday) is being Canadian. Claypool is from Abbotsford, British Columbia, a suburb of Vancouver with a population of around 141,000 (as per the 2016 census). But if you listened to ESPN draft host Trey Wingo’s discussion of Abbotsford, you’d think it was on the moon. And the graphic they used (seen above) was even more wildly erroneous, putting Abbotsford out near the Alberta border. Here’s what Wingo said on this:
And here’s how that graphic looks next to an actual map of B.C. (via MapTrove):
A closer look at the ESPN graphics department:
And this isn’t even the first time that ESPN has wildly erred on Canadian geography. But at least Claypool didn’t have to have all his family tragedies brought up on this broadcast, unlike many other players.
[Clippit]
