‘Not an April Fools’ joke.’ Timing of Roy Williams’ announcement causes confusion
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The end of an era: Roy Williams announces retirement
Read more coverage about Roy Williams’ retirement as coach of the UNC men’s basketball team.
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The announcement of UNC men’s basketball coach Roy Williams’ retirement came at a strange time — on April Fools’ Day, a 24-hour span dedicated to practical jokes and hoaxes.
Many people hoped the news was just that — a joke.
And basketball fans were quick to peg the timing as, well, unfortunate.
“Shoutout to all the brands on here the last few years because you have conditioned me to think the Roy Williams retirement news is the most elaborate April Fool’s joke of all time,” one Twitter user wrote.
A former Charlotte Observer sports reporter who now covers UNC and Duke basketball for The Athletic had to spell it out for those still in doubt.
“Just so everyone knows: This is NOT an April Fool’s Joke,” Brendan Marks wrote on Twitter.
There has been speculation about whether Williams would retire after finishing his 18th season as head coach at UNC. He kissed the basketball court following his team’s win over Duke on March 6.
Even after it became clear the news was real, some people still didn’t believe it.
“Like Roy Williams retiring,” one Twitter user wrote. “I bought so hard into that and then realized it was an epic April fools joke proliferated throughout the whole of sports media.”
But maybe the sports world has a right to be wary.
Most recently, “Good Morning America” host and former NFL star Michael Strahan confused the country by posting a video on Twitter on Tuesday about getting rid of his signature tooth gap.
The opening line of a Los Angeles Times article about the video reads, “If this is an early April Fool’s Day joke, Michael Strahan, you’re in big trouble.”
Strahan hasn’t confirmed whether the video is real.
In 1985, Sports Illustrated published a fake article about Sidd Finch — a fictional New York Mets pitching prodigy who “wore a single hiking boot, had mastered the art of pitching in a Tibetan monastery and could throw a baseball 168 miles per hour,” according to the online magazine Mental Floss.
And a few decades later, Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban pretended to beat up a referee in homage to his repeated fines for criticizing NBA officials, Sports Illustrated reported. Some players even tried to hold him back before the announcers called it for what it was — an April Fools’ prank.
The cycling magazine Velonews also once tried to sell its readers on a new company by U.S. Olympians Connie Carpenter and David Phinney called “Olympic Genes,” according to Bleacher Report. The company claimed to be selling the pair’s eggs and sperm for $250,000 a piece or $1 million for a complete set.
The fictional company’s fake spokesperson reportedly said “any couples who want champion children would find them at Olympic Genes.”
This story was originally published April 1, 2021 at 11:56 AM with the headline "‘Not an April Fools’ joke.’ Timing of Roy Williams’ announcement causes confusion."
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