Erroneous Steelers/Redskins draft trade illustrates problem in modern sports writing
The story was started by Jim Wexell of Steel City Insider, a Scout.com site. He tweeted on Saturday that Redskins owner Dan Snyder was on Sirius Radio last week saying the Skins were offering the Steelers the 16th pick. The supposed deal was in place, but the player the Steelers wanted was gone.
The trouble is, according to Pro Football Talk, Snyder hasn’t done any radio since the Super Bowl.
The further trouble is that Peter King of Sports Illustrated noticed Wexell’s tweet. Since Wexell has a fair amount of credibility, King ran with it in his Morning Morning Quarterback column on SI.com today.
Of course, that led to several others, including PFT, to rewrite King’s theory that the Steelers wanted to pair the Pouncey twins on their offensive line. Blogs and mainstream sites alike ran with it this morning.
If you ever wanted an illustration of the trouble in modern day sports news reporting, this is it. Wexell is clearly in the wrong. King is as well for not doing his due diligence and fact checking.
Neither, however, is complicit in today’s age of sports writing. In a time where rewriting the work of others or simply running with anonymous quotes is the norm, make sure you trust who you read.
