I’ve said it before, and I’m sure I’ll say it again: I don’t like the way sports journalism is headed. It seems a bit more TMZ than Sports Illustrated, which is perhaps the most respected publication out there. And even SI has stumbled a bit in recent years.
What irks me today is a story that ran Saturday in the Detroit Free Press involving Michigan head coach Rich Rodriguez. The story claims Rodriguez was not compliant with NCAA regulations when it came to the amount of work his players put in during the season and throughout the offseason.
In a tearful press conference, Rodriguez had to defend himself against said allegations.
“That is disheartening,” he said. “To say that is misleading, inaccurate and goes against everything that I have ever believed in coaching.”
I’m not saying one way or the other if Rodriguez broke several rules, which were set to ensure adequate study time and prevent schools from gaining an unfair competitive advantage. Truth be told, he probably did only because every coach in big-time football bends them to some degree. This is what needs to be done if teams want to compete for a national championship.
My issue is with Free Press writers Michael Rosenberg and Mark Snyder, who interviewed six former and current Wolverines, all of whom spoke anonymously for fear of repercussions from the coaches.
The way I see it, responsible journalism begins and ends with naming sources. Nothing bothers me more. As far as I’m concerned, if a source doesn’t want to be named, he or she is not a source. Why? Because who’s to say these writers aren’t making this up? Who’s to say these aren’t scorned players overlooked for a starting position?
Furthermore, Mr. Rosenberg and Mr. Snyder should be flat out ashamed they didn’t allow Rodriguez the chance to defend himself. Instead, they went ahead with a story with very little credibility.
The NCAA and the University of Michigan are conducting an investigation, and just for the sake of good and honest sports journalism, I hope they find nothing. I hope it completely and utterly ruins the reputation of these two writers, who I hope will think next time before penning another smear job.
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On The Onion Web site's sports ticker, there is a fake headline that reads, "Rich Rodriguez: 'I Think It's Obvious That Michigan Football Does Not Practice That Much.'
A 3-9 season might be his best defense.
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