Sports fans are now living in what I like to call the ‘Sources Said’ Era.
While use of the anonymous source has always been a hotly-debated aspect of journalism, I think it’s gotten a bit out of hand in the sports world. Understandably, the use of anonymous sources is sometimes necessary, but I believe they dilute the credibility of any article that could have reasonably been written without them.
Anonymous sources should only to be used as a last resort. But apparently much of the sports media, including The Boston Globe reporter Bob Hohler, think that nameless sources are perfectly okay in non-last resort situations.
Take, for example, the dissection of the atrocious ending to the 2011 Boston Red Sox season.
Wednesday’s “Inside the collapse,” The Globe’s recap of the “epic failure,” did quite a number on both manager Terry Francona and just about every major contributing player minus Dustin Pedroia.
The highlights: Starting pitchers Josh Beckett, Jon Lester, John Lackey and Clay Buchholz all drank beer, ate fried chicken and played videogames on off-days. Manager Terry Francona, sidetracked by marital issues and painkiller abuse, was unable to take control of the team. And clubhouse camaraderie, leadership, will to win? All non-existent.
The bashing “is based on a series of interviews The Globe conducted with individuals familiar with the Sox operation at all levels,” the article said, and “most requested anonymity out of concern for their jobs or potential damage to their relationships in the organization.”
It’s quite astounding to me how Hohler, without the use of one named source to put an identity behind these allegations, can allow himself to present his readers with this sensationalized, tabloid-like coverage.
Regardless of the truth to the allegations, I refuse to believe that beer, videogames and fried chicken are reasons for Boston’s late-season breakdown. Let’s be real: the Red Sox are far from the only team whose players indulge in clubhouse shenanigans. White Sox catcher A.J. Pierzynski, in reaction to the news about the beer drinking in Boston, admitted on the “Dan Patrick Show” that, “sometimes you just need a rally beer.”
Furthermore, had Boston made the playoffs, none of these issues would have been blown out of proportion like they are in “Inside the collapse.” Remember that 2004 group of so-called ‘idiots’ that brought Beantown its first World Series title since 1918? The media embraced their loose mentality in the clubhouse. But I guess in Boston, one bad September can erase nearly a whole season of good memories.
“You never heard any of these complaints when we were going 80-41 (from Apr. 15 to Aug. 27) because there was nothing there,” Francona pointed out in the article. “But we absolutely stunk in the last month, so now we have to deal with a lot of this stuff because expectations were so high.’’
I do not doubt the veracity of the Hohler’s article. Rather, I’m questioning the motivation behind it. “Inside the collapse” makes Hohler and The Globe look like really, really sore losers. Emotion-laden writing and anonymous sources turn what could have been a fair and objective piece into a heartbreak-driven, take-no-prisoners exposé.
And if their slaughtering by the nameless in The Globe wasn’t enough, more salt was flicked in the Red Sox’s wound on Wednesday afternoon.
ESPN.com’s front-page headline for the news? “Sources: Theo Epstein, Cubs agree.”
Reach the columnist at kjnewma2@asu.edu
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