Being a sports fan, you hear insiders reference their "sources" all the time...with them being wrong most of the time. And most notably, a big NHL television personality went on the radio about a month back saying Anaheim Ducks forward Corey Perry wouldn't be re-signing with the team.
Now, he is one of the most respected analysts in the game, but all he said was that "sources" told him it wouldn't happen. Fast-forward to Monday night and news broke that Corey Perry did in fact choose to re-sign with Anaheim. Whoops.
One thing that has always bugged me about sports journalism has been the "sources." With the NHL trade deadline soon approaching, the three major sports networks (TSN, Sportsnet and The Score) will have their top analysts feeding us rumours from these unnamed sources.
It bugs me because in many cases, they will be wrong during the day and it won't affect anything. The NHL trade deadline is the only example where these journalists can get away with being wrong...not that they try to. The goal is to break every trade first. And if that means they get it wrong - and I've seen them get it wrong many times - then so be it.
As an aspiring sports journalist, I can't stand it...but I also understand the importance of being first on days like the trade deadline. It's really hit and miss. Sports journalism is just a different kind of beast.
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