What’s the big deal if you’re only wrong 1% of the time? That’s one perspective, but when you spread rumors from trusted “inside sources” that players are drafted or committed and those rumors turn out to be false, credibility is damaged – not just yours but that of everyone associated with the story. The Scouting News commonly extols its accuracy while ignoring its (arguably comparative) errors as insignificant. Let me ask you this, “If you’re an aspiring athlete, and someone publishes something untrue about you that affects your future, how would you feel?” This is exactly why people who subscribe to and support The Scouting News should cancel their subscriptions immediately. Today, an announcement was made about a player based on unsubstantiated rumor. Now, that player who is completely without blame, will be linked by association with that deceit by some. Will he be overlooked by CHL scouts who believed he was committing to NCAA? Probably not but once rumors get going, they’re hard to stop. Wake up and smell the coffee, people. Don’t subscribe, don’t renew, and don’t even read their teaser pages. Boycott The Scouting News and support our youth – support the Game!
Did The Scouting News start the rumor? We can’t say for sure, but they posted an article about NCAA commitments on their page today, they run the forum at Network 54, posted a message about Smith-Pelly there today, and as soon as someone called them on it and blamed them for starting the rumor, they deleted the message from the forum. It’s your call.
