Why not let the facts stand on their own?

As much as I want to be a sportswriter, I am often wary of becoming a member of the media, even the sports media, because I see so much irresonsbility in reporting these days, as it becomes less about the facts and more about getting a story that people are interested in. Every so often, I see something in print and it just boggles my mind. This morning was one of those times. This article was linked from the front page of ESPN.com, probably the most read sports site out there: Fisher: QB Young likely to start against Raiders Seems like a pretty simple, harmless article, and really it is. But in discussing the return of QB Vince Young to the Tennesee Titan lineup, the reporter says this about his replacement: "Kerry Collins, who started in place of Young, went 25 of 42 for 280 yards without an interception. But without Young there to finish drives, the Titans went 2-for-9 inside the red zone, relying on kicker Rob Bironas to build their lead." The implication of the bolded statement is obviously that the Tennessee offense suffered without Vince Young. And if you were a casual fan who wasn't paying attention to the larger picture, you could easily believe that.

Let's look at the facts of what went down in that game on Sunday. First of all, the Titan offense scored 38 points, which is 14 more points than they had gotten from their offense in any of the 5 games that has Vince Young started for them this season. Secondly, they piled up 422 yards on offense, again, their best performance of the season, and by over 70 yards. Additionally, the two offensive touchdowns they scored marked only the second time this season that they had scored more than one touchdown on offense. Collins' 280 yards passing represented the teams best passing total this season by almost 100 yards. And, lastly, the Titans won the game. Any implication that the Titans offense suffered without Vince Young in this particular game takes a shortcut through virtually all the facts. They were as good or better than they've been all season in virtually every aspect of the game. And yet this reporter seems to want me to believe that the exact opposite is true.

And so I have to ask, why not let the facts stand on their own? Look, I'll be the first one to admit I think that Vince Young has been dramatically overhyped in his short time in the league. But this isn't about me taking a run at him. I'm not suggesting that Kerry Collins should be the Titans QB, only that he played very well in this game and that as a result the offense had their best game of the season. At this stage of both their careers, Young clearly represents the Titans best chance to win consistently, and he should be back in the lineup if he's healthy. But my point is, if Vince Young really is the kind of player this reporter obviously wants me to think he is, why skew the facts? Why not say it like I just did? It would be one thing if this was an isolated incident, but it's just a representative example of a trend I see throughout the sports media, and the larger media in general. We've gone from reporting the stories to creating them. Not a positive development, from where I sit.