This is the Statt Mann Baby. Time to Scatt a little bit.

Michael SchumacherA friend this week brought something troubling to my attention. Sports Illustrated did a piece on motor racing legend Michael Schumacher and where he is now.

The piece talked about his greatness and seven Formula One championships and how he’s fighting back from head injuries suffered in a ski accident in 2013.

The piece, however, never mentioned the impact Lewis Hamilton had on Schumacher’s legendary career. It never mentioned that Lewis tied Schumacher for championships at seven and surpassed Schumacher for more than 100 Formula One wins.

Now obviously the piece was about Michael Schumacher and where he is now. But this was Sports Illustrated. You expect context to anything. Reading the piece, you expect Schumacher to still be the King of Formula One which arguably he isn’t.

Understand that I’m a Schumacher fan. I regularly wear memorabilia celebrating Schumacher.

And this could have been cleared up with one sentence. In fact, that one sentence could have celebrated Schumacher even more by noting it took Hamilton 14 seasons just to match Schumacher’s championships.

The point is this. If you’re going to tell a story, you have to put that story into context. Tell why it’s important.

Ignoring the nuance or context of a story, at the Sports Illustrated level of storytelling, it has to be done with some purpose in mind.

Peace.