I had once thought that sports commentary was forever bound by reality.
Young Johnny believed that there were things that either happened or were said, and then people would find out those things and write about them so that other people would know what happened or was said, and all of this would happen with a certain understanding that the first group of people doing the reporting to the second group of people would put in the necessary legwork to make all of this legit.
You turn on the TV to ESPN and someone says that one team beat another and you go "Oh, I was not aware that actually happened! How about that." You pull up Eleven Warriors on your Sega Game Gear and read a quote from a coach about a player and think "Huh! That's a fun and real thing to know. Thanks 11W!" You might read a Tweet from a reporter about a new type of hot dog that they're selling at the local stadium and think "Yum, I'm going to eat that, which I will be able to, because I know it exists!"
In other words, you trust the information because the person telling you that information is trustworthy. And that's usually the case!
Sports writers and reporters, both in this space and beyond, are for the most part kickass people who actually give a damn about their profession. They hustle hard for stories, uses sources responsibly, and do some amazing work uplifting or exposing unseen parts of This Thing We Call Sport. Yes, they screw up sometimes, and when they do they (like any other profession) deserve to be called out for it. But I am so, so proud of the fact that I know and work with so many pros who are dedicated to reporting true stories grounded in reality and an engaging and interesting way. I know that the thousands and thousands of men and women working really hard to craft stories about sports aren't just amusing themselves and spinning bullshit into the ether.
But uhhhh... maybe they should?
Because why not, right? It seems a lot more fun. I'm not calling out Dan Orlovsky, not exactly, in part because I don't think that dude is having much fun right now and also in part because who knows what he actually heard about Justin Fields and who he heard it from. Maybe Orlovsky really did hear what he claimed to hear and maybe it was from people he respected enough to give him good information.
The point though, is that Danny O spun a tale of laziness and lack of effort, couched it with "That's just what I heard, I certainly don't believe that!" and then backtracked and later said "Um uh further investigation by myself appears to indicate that other people say the exact opposite." He stirred the pot irresponsibly, attempted to distance himself from it, and then tried to have it both ways after he did. Which is genius! I mean seriously, I just respect the hell out of that.
Big dumb opinion-havers are not (read: might not believe that they are) bound by the traditional rules that actual professional sports reporters try to abide by. There was an audience craving a big mug of piping hot tea, an event in the NFL Draft that has as its lifeblood multiple months of breathless conjecture and commentary, and a topic of choice (first round quarterbacks) that no one will ever stop trying to over-analyze. In my big dumb opinion the only mistake Orlovsky made was not going even bigger with anonymous, poorly-researched info. "Doesn't put in 100%"? Pfft, we can do better than that.
BUZZ IN THE NFL THAT JUSTIN HILLIARD MAKES A DELICIOUS OATMEAL RAISIN COOKIE
"You know, linebacker Justin Hilliard came on strong at the end of the season for the Buckeyes and had an impressive pro day, but what I'm hearing that's really impressing folks around the league is that Hilliard has made these incredible Easter baskets for every coach and their families. According to those in the know that I trust with this sensitive information, the baskets include these unbelievably tasty homemade oatmeal raisin cookies that coaches are raving about."
RUMORS SWIRLING THAT WYATT DAVIS CAN FIT THREE SOFTBALLS IN HIS MOUTH
"Yeah, it's strange. Wyatt Davis had been falling on some draft boards until internal team reports allegedly came out last weekend that Davis, the star offensive lineman with the Buckeyes and one of the highest rated guards in his class, can in fact fit three softballs in his mouth. I've heard from people connected to an AFC North team that they're very interested in an offensive lineman that can fit three softballs in his mouth. But some teams could be questioning whether Wyatt Davis can actually fit three softballs in his mouth; Davis didn't even attempt to fit one softball in his mouth during Ohio State's pro day. They might be wondering about his commitment to being great."
WHISPERS AROUND FRONT OFFICES THAT PETE WERNER MIGHT HAVE EXTRA TOE
"The Ohio State linebacker is heard to be shooting up draft boards due to the possibility that he might have an extra toe (or even toes) that teams don't yet know about. Werner has a surprising athleticism that is intriguing to many teams, and if true, the number and location of these toes might just push him into the earlier rounds."
I'll of course add that none of the above is official; these are simply things that I've been hearing from sources that I trust, and by extension you must also trust because I'm a guy who just said them.
So goes the theory; if it's about the draft, you have to listen. That's the law of the offseason, which various unserious purveyors of information are desperately hoping you'll abide by.
They are begging you to buy into the ramshackle soap opera that is the lead up to the NFL Draft. Discard the work that established, dedicated writers and reporters have created over the course of a career in favor of incendiary anonymous storytelling on a radio show. Because if you don't, the mountain of garbage "insider" reports and mock drafts, the poorly-sourced, the badly-researched, the incredibly misleading, or the straight up lies, will go unheeded and unnoticed until the end of April when all of it is rendered completely moot anyway.
Does Justin Fields want to be great? I dunno, who are you going to believe? Anonymous reports, or your lying eyes?
