It's Always Sad ...

... when the press (whether print or electronic), the supposed defenders of our liberties, just doesn't seem able to get some of the most basic facts of a story straight.

In this particular case, it was an April 26, 2016 follow-up story by Simon Barbato on the Econsultancy website of the controversy surrounding the Scottish Airdrieonians football club's armorial logo and why they may be required by law to change it.  (I have noted this controversy before at http://blog.appletonstudios.com/2015/04/tempest-in-scottish-teapot.html, http://blog.appletonstudios.com/2015/07/a-scottish-call-to-arms.html and http://blog.appletonstudios.com/2015/11/scottish-football-and-heraldry-continued.html)  Mention is also made of the unauthorized use of arms (also in Scotland) by the town of Deal and its football club, and by Donald Trump.

The biggest problem with the story that I had is that the author has confused events occurring in Scotland, under the jurisdiction of the Court of the Lord Lyon King of Arms, with that of the College of Arms in London, whose jurisdiction does not include Scotland.

He then goes on to note that these events in Scotland could now somehow affect football clubs "south of the border" in England, despite the fact that the laws (and the ability to enforce those laws) are entirely different in England than they are in Scotland.

I think it's great that he did a little research and spoke with Richmond Herald at the College of Arms, but to have so completely missed the actual body tasked with enforcing the heraldic laws of Scotland left me with the impression that the whole article was nothing more than a "puff piece" and hardly worth the effort to read it all the way through.

(The fact that at one point he talks about some of the club badges being in the form of "shielded crests" didn't help his credibility with me. It's bad enough to mistakenly call a coat of arms a "crest," but to call one a "shielded crest" just about sent me over the edge.)

Your mileage may vary, however, and if you'd like to see it for yourself, it can be found on-line at https://econsultancy.com/press-releases/8208-where-next-for-the-football-club-badge-asks-simon-barbato-of-mr-b-friends/