Did you hear about the Joe Thomas trade?
Yep, people are talking. The Packers — watching their Super Bowl dreams go up in smoke because of their porous O-line — are first on the list. Bringing in Thomas would immediately stabilize the left side of the line and allow Aaron Rodgers the time in the pocket he needs to go from a very good QB to an elite one. It’s a big move, and from Ted Thompson’s perspective, a home run. You couldn’t ask for a better fit.
Of course, one of the reasons you couldn’t ask for a better fit is the source of the rumor: a bunch of Packers’ fans with Twitter accounts fantasizing as the trade deadline looms.
I think practically everyone in the country is sick of hearing about Twitter by now, especially since its presence in the sports world is unavoidable. But the element that sets it apart from other social networking tools like Facebook or the dead-and-buried MySpace is that it provides anyone with internet access an immediate path to public figures. Got a question about your NFL team for ESPN’s Adam Schefter? What about a basketball hypothetical for Yahoo! Sports’ Marc Spears or Adrian Wojnarowski? Send them a tweet! If you’re lucky, they’ll not only answer it - they’ll do it by reposting (“retweeting”) your question to the masses.
It’s a cool thing for a fan. But when this happens, there’s an interesting fallout: even as the reporter refutes the insane fantasy rumor, it takes on the illusion of validity because it’s being addressed by a reputable sports analyst.
In this case, a Cheesehead realizes some time this week that his skilled young QB is getting obliterated because his offensive line couldn’t hold back a fart, let alone a decent DT. The Cheesehead thinks about who he’d love his team to snare in a trade. Then, because acquiring Joe Thomas makes all the sense in the world to this fan, he logs onto Twitter and asks Adam Schefter or Chris Mortensen or Peter King about the possibility of it actually happening.
The NFL guru in question (in this particular case, Schefter) responds to the rumor by dismissing it. But by the very fact that Schefter has acknowledged the rumor by spending time on it, the rumor shifts.
Suddenly, it’s a rumor being addressed by ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Never mind that Ted Thompson never made that phone call. Never mind that ManKok (or Mankinis, in Peter King’s parlance - or KokGini, which may actually be my new favorite hybrid option) would rather be cattle-branded with a swastika than trade a 25 year-old left tackle who’s already made two Pro Bowls.
Once the “rumor” is mentioned by someone with an actual reputation, more fans jump onto it and propagate it. I’ve seen at least 3 different retweets by Schefter about this Joe Thomas-to-GB stardust in the past 24 hours. It’s snowballing, taking on a life of its own, whatever…even though it has no factual basis whatsoever. And if the rumor gains enough steam, it won’t be long before someone in the offline world starts spreading it around to less hooked-in fans, the source gets lost, and entire fan bases get sucked into a whirpool of baseless speculation.
There seems to be a new one of these trade fantasies that gains momentum every day. Don’t believe me? Before the scent of ”Joe Thomas to the Packers” had even left the room, the “Brady Quinn to Oakland” trade questions started pouring in this morning.
Yes, even if the Browns get smoked by the Steelers this Sunday, think about the fact that there’s a fan base out there so sick of their own young would-be franchise QB that they’re clamoring for “Check Down” Brady Quinn.
I’m not trying to demonize Schefter by any means. I think it’s great that he’s as open to replying to fans’ questions as he is. I’m just trying to draw attention to the phenomenon happening because of his and other analysts’ / journalists’ willingness to discuss specific questions from bored or desperate fans in a public forum.
The Browns aren’t trading Joe Thomas to Green Bay. I know it. You know it. Both organizations know it.
Schefter knows it and said as much to the people asking. But Twitter has created a monster. And it’s coming for every fan who isn’t smart enough to question what he’s hearing.
Don’t let the Cheeseheads win.
-T
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