Published September 8, 2024

Last night I heard an announcer refer to this as “LSU’s 100th season in Tiger Stadium.” I have read similar phrasing elsewhere, that it’s the 100th year of Tiger Stadium.

It’s the 101st, though. It opened in 1924. You have to count the first year, the first season, even if LSU played only one game there that year, and it wasn’t until late November. It happened. It might take a few minutes, but if you count them all, it’s not 100. It’s 101.

I’m not calling anyone out here. This is one of the most common mistakes in journalism. It happens A LOT. So I always check. It’s always worth checking, especially if you’re about to print a bunch of posters and T-shirts and bumper stickers.

Measure twice, cut once.

Whether it’s the ??th annual such-and-such jazz festival or the ??nd annual such-and-such parade of bands or the ??st annual state championship rodeo, the counting almost always goes wrong over the years.

If it started in 2014 and continued every year through this year, that’s 11 of them, although it’s true the event is 10 years old. Tenth anniversary also works. But it’s 11 times.

Mostly, people don’t want to know when it’s wrong. Trust me.

Also, if I ever hit 101, you have my permission to short me a year.

Photo of Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge by CRobertson via iStock.