Explain the leaking of sports stories to me

The Game Room
1

I was just reading an article about Asdrubal Cabrera apparently signing a two-year contract extension for $16.5 million. Of course, there has been no official announcement from the Indians yet, and neither the GM nor the skipper would comment. And yet, the news is out there.

And the news is ALWAYS out there. More often than not, we have information about these deals long before anyone official is willing to speak about them, but at the same time, none of the officials ever seems to be particularly perturbed or surprised that this news is released in advance of official proclamations.

So, I guess what I’m asking is, are these things leaked on purpose? And if so, to what end? What advantage does it offer a team to have that information in the public eye before they’re willing to discuss it. And if they are NOT leaked on purpose through official channels, then how is it that nearly every major deal is known before it officially happens? Are there really snitches in every single sports organization who are willing to risk their jobs in order to provide their buddy at the paper with a scoop?

Please help me understand.

2

I suspect many of the leaks come from the agents…who want that info out there to attract other clients.

3

The information is probably a two-way street. Agents will give writers scoops in order to be given certain information when they request it.

4

Could also be that a leak followed by a news conference sometimes a day or two later keeps the story and the PR benefits going. The leak is a headline, the full story comes when the club and player are available to answer questions and all the platitudes, cliches and mutual admiration are rolled out.