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More Ignorant Noise About Auston Matthews’ Health

Originally posted on NHL Trade Talk | By Old Prof | Last updated 5/4/24

The Toronto Maple Leafs face a pivotal moment in their playoff series. However, will they play tonight’s Game 7 without their leading scorer, Auston Matthews? Matthews’ absence has weakened the team but not killed it.

Even without their 69-goal scorer, the team has gutted out two straight wins. The Maple Leafs are now on the verge of moving on to Round 2—that is if they can win tonight’s Game 7 against the Boston Bruins on the road in Boston.

So-Called Hockey Analyst Shows Amazing Ignorance About Matthews’ Health

While the Maple Leafs struggle onward, some so-called hockey analysts have picked Matthews’ situation as a focal point for ranting about his commitment to the team. One of these so-called analysts is Scott Ferrall of Sports Grid, whose seemingly self-important job description on the site is SPORTS RADIO PERSONALITY (all in caps).

The first line of his bio is “He’s Bold. He’s Brash. And he’s extremely Audacious.” After this start, the second line should be, “He’s also ignorant.”

Below, you can see and hear his rant about Matthews’ health.

What Is This Claim About Matthews So Ignorant?

This wannabe analyst (who I will call ranting man) blathers on, “Where is this guy when it matters most?” Then he claims that Matthews could play in crucial games but chooses not to. He questions Matthews’ commitment and toughness and gives his own experience of playing through injuries. He claims Matthews’ absence is a failure to step up when it matters most.

The question is, what makes his rant so off-base? To be transparent, my point in saying the speaker is ignorant is not to say he’s unintelligent. It’s probably quite the opposite. He’s likely learned over the years—and why he’s a PERSONALITY (all in caps)—that his ranting pays his bills.

However, ranting man makes several logical mistakes and exhibits biases that can skew a deeper understanding of Matthews’ situation.

Big Rock Mistakes in Ranting Man’s Analysis of Matthews’ Health

First, his assumption of motivation or commitment is belittling. Ranting man claims that Matthews’ absence in key games directly reflects his lack of commitment or motivation. This ignores legitimate reasons for his absence, such as serious injuries or strategic decisions by the coaching staff.

Second, for all his self-claimed status, ranting man demonstrates a massive misunderstanding of professional athletes. Comparing his personal experiences of playing through an injury in an amateur setting to professional sports is off base. It’s a silly attempt to compare himself with Matthews and emerge on top. A professional athlete’s organizations must consider long-term health and career implications when deciding to play through injuries. Ranting man had no such need.

Third, ranting man overgeneralizes from limited information. While he admits he doesn’t know the truth about Matthews’ health, it doesn’t matter. He feels no reason to withhold claims based on limited information. Without any knowledge, his claims about Matthews’ commitment or the severity of his injuries are speculative and unfair. He equates Matthews’ reasons for not playing to having diarrhea. In more than one way, that’s pretty dirty.

Fourth, ranting man lacks any consideration for medical privacy. His demand for transparency ignores the rights of athletes to such medical privacy. Not all details are disclosed to the public for valid reasons, and it’s a standard practice in many professional sports leagues. He seems to feel the job of the Maple Leafs medical staff is to create a Zoom conference for PERSONALITIES like him.

Fifth, ranting man fails to acknowledge the efficacy of expert decisions. The Maple Leafs have a medical staff whose decisions are based on detailed, expert evaluations of an athlete’s condition. He does not have the expertise to evaluate the decisions, yet he claims these decisions are made lightly or without substantial reason. By doing so, he underestimates the professional standards in managing an athlete’s health.

The Error of Noise as Analysis and Entertainment as Insight

Scientifically speaking, ranting man is noisy. A scientific definition of noise is any unwanted or random disturbance that interferes with the desired information in a system. It can manifest as interference that degrades the quality of communication or analysis.

Ranting man adds nothing to our understanding of Matthews’ health. He degrades the quality of communication and analysis of the situation. Ranting man also belittles the role of intelligent sports analysis. He embarrasses the vocation.

This article first appeared on NHL Trade Talk and was syndicated with permission.

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