I Believe Two Things

This may be one of the most confusing headlines ever written:

Life bans reduced for shoplifting boxers

Go ahead, read it through a few times until you think you’ve got it.  Now, which meaning did you choose?

1. After shoplifting some boxer shorts, two or more people have been banned from being alive
2. After shoplifting some boxer shorts, two or more people had been banned from shopping for the rest of their lives, but now that ban is reduced to a shorter period of time
3. Two or more people who fight in a boxing ring (boxers) have shoplifted something, and consequently were banned from boxing for the rest of their lives, but now that ban has been reduced to a shorter period of time

If you guessed #3, you’re right!

I understand the need for economy of language in newspaper headlines, but once in a while you just have to throw a verb or two in there.