In the high-stress world of collegiate athletics where young athletes can become celebrities overnight, media speculation has become a significant problem for stars like LSUs Angel Reese. On November 17, Reese sat out LSUs game against Southeastern Louisiana following a second half against Kent State on November 14th where Reese was also benched. That was a shocking absence, considering Reese is a walking double-double, a defending national champion, and the Most Outstanding Player of the 2023 NCAA national tournament.

To say that Reeses absence has ignited a storm of conjecture is an understatement. The medias speculation has become so severe that Reese tweeted please dont believe everything you read on November 19th before sitting out once again on November 21st when LSU defeated Texas Southern 106-47.

In many ways, the buzz makes sense. Theres an air of mystery surrounding Reeses absence and in the face of uncertainty, its human nature to fill in the blanks. And given all thats at stake in a wild womens basketball season that feels like anyones game at this point, it can be argued that some level of curiosity surrounding high-profile players like Angel Reese is a good thing.

After all, gaining eyes in womens sports is almost always beneficial as increased attention to the sport at large fuels growth in a historically underrepresented and under-resourced industry. People are paying attention to womens college hoops like never before and female athletes should be the topic of everyday conversation, just as their male counterparts so often are. But its the nature, not the presence, of the speculation surrounding Reese thats unsettling.

Over the past few weeks, Reeses absence has been attributed to everything from her grades to her attitude. And these reports are fueled in large part by rumors and cryptic social media posts rather than credible sources. Its wrong, said Kevin Robbins, a professor of practice at the University of Texas School of Journalism and Media on such speculation. Robbins adds that in the quest for attention and relevance, sports media, much like the media at large, often succumbs to the temptation of speculation.

The rush to be the first to report on a story can overshadow the need for accurate and verified information. But according to Robbins, this impulse to speculate has sunk so many stories of people over the years. It leaves athletes vulnerable to the harmful consequences of baseless rumors.

Its also impossible to ignore the racial undertones of implying that a young, Black athlete like Angel Reese has an attitude problem and/or a low GPA. Reese certainly faced criticism for how the former was perceived when she mimicked Iowa star Caitlin Clarks You cant see me gesture and pointed to her ring finger en route to dominating Iowa in last years championship. Although Clark had engaged in similar displays of confidence throughout the season, Reese was so heavily criticized that the word classless trended on the website formally known as Twitter following LSUs historic win.

This season, its also entirely possible that Reese isnt playing for personal reasons that have nothing to do with her attitude and grades. But the default assumptions place the onus of responsibility on Reese, rather than giving her the benefit of the doubt.

Although disingenuous, its somewhat unsurprising that sports media is making such assumptions. In fact, its become a fairly common practice within the industry to assume the worst about college athletes who frequently face criticism for sitting out games or taking time off for unique, individual circumstances. For instance, at the end of every college football season, star players sit out bowl games to avoid injury and maintain their draft status, and, like clockwork, are branded as selfish, disloyal, or, in the words of Kirk Herbstreit, are seen as contributing to an era of player [that] just doesnt love football.

In reality, these athletes are, more often than not, sitting out to preserve their health and future livelihood. There are perfectly understandable reasons to say no to a risky, non-playoff bowl game that will only pad their coachs resume and offer few professional benefits to the athletes themselves.

This disdain isnt reserved only for college football players. Although transfers often receive similar criticism for leaving their teams mid-career (never mind that coaches frequently do the same without critique), across sports, mental health is the most common reason college athletes have considered transferring in recent years.

According to the NCAA, 61 percent of women and 40 percent of male athletes who contemplated transferring in 2021-2022 considered doing so for mental health reasons, followed by conflicts with coaches or teammates, and concerns over playing timeall of which are legitimate reasons to change programs. But blame, buzzwords and fiery speculation, rather than pausing to listen to the athletes and look at the facts, generate significant press year after year.

Is it legal and acceptable for sports media to fill in the blanks and promote polarizing commentary surrounding college athletes? Sure. Is it ethical? Thats where things get dicey.

Robbins underscores the ethical concerns surrounding media speculation, emphasizing two codes of ethics that sports journalists adhere tothe Society of Professional Journalists code of ethics and the Associated Press Sports Editorsin addition to codes of ethics provided by their outlets. The SPJ code, similar to the Hippocratic Oath, emphasizes the principle of do no harm. However, Robbins raises questions about whether speculation adheres to this ethical guideline, considering the potential harm it can inflict on athletes like Angel Reese who are often victims of narratives beyond their influence or control.

At the moment, we do not know officially why [Reese] was pulled from that game and then didnt play in the second half, Robbins says of LSUs games against Kent State and Southeastern Louisiana. And although speculation surrounding her absence has boiled down to aforementioned grade and attitude related issues are largely unverified, there is vast potential for speculation and misinformation to cause actual harm to young athletes in the process.

So lets take those two examples, Robbins says. One implies shes not making the grades, the other implies that shes got a bad attitude. Those things are alive and theyre going to live now forever because theyve been out there. You cant take that away. Youve planted a suggestion and so that follows her even if its untrue. I dont see how thats not harmful to someone.

Although it can be tempting to brush off such speculation as just thatsupposition and shallow rumors, college athletes have become even higher-profile celebrities with the advent of NIL so their reputations matter more now than ever. Reeses NIL valuation, for example, currently sits at $1.3 million, fueled by her unique Bayou Barbie branding, which has landed her six-figure deals with lucrative companies like Mercedes and Coach. Reeses celebrity status has reached such a significant level that she revealed in August that shes taking online classes at LSU to maintain a low profile.

College athletes are also uniquely susceptible to mental health issues, burnout, and threats to identity when they physically cannot play, whether thats due to injury or any litany of other reasons that can limit their productivity and threaten their personal health. College athletes earning potential is also under threat when they dont play because NIL deals and even scholarships have the potential to be rescinded due to a lack of productivity.

In other words, the unique pressures that have always existed for college athletes are still here. And in addition, theres a lot more monetarily at stake now than, say ten years ago, when the character of college athletes are called into question. And although Reese has masterfully turned bad press into millions of dollars in the past, the discourse surrounding her now could hurt her, as ambiguity is rarely on the side of college athletes.

Tigers head coach Kim Mulkey has cleared up some uncertainty surrounding Reese, but not much. Its very obvious Angel was not in uniform, Mulkey said during the postgame press conference following LSUs dominance against Southeastern Louisiana. Angel is a part of this basketball team and we hope to see her sooner rather than laterIm not going to answer anymore. Thats it. Thats all yall need to know, OK?

With so much happening all at once, there could be many reasons Mulkey has chosen to be vague surrounding Reeses absence. Its worth asking: could Mulkeys non-response be her way of guaranteeing Reese a sense of anonymity and privacy amid a hostile news cycle? Mulkey confirmed as much following LSUs victory over Texas Southern, addressing the media in the postgame press conference: Sometimes you want to know more than youre entitled to know. Im trying to protect my players. Robbins believes that Mulkey could be sincere in her desire to protect her players by pleading the fifth. It could be [the case], but thats the problem. We dont know because the language shes using is so general. And if thats the case, wouldnt you feel like its the coachs responsibility to contain these rumors and protect her player and protect her program?

Speculation, fueled by cryptic social media messages and ambiguous circumstances, can have lasting repercussions on an athletes reputation. Reflecting on the evolving landscape of journalism, Robbins acknowledges the challenges posed by the rise of social media. Before just anyone could weigh in on their digital platform of choice, the dynamics were different, but in todays fast-paced digital era, rumors can multiply exponentially, making it crucial for coaches and institutions to control the narrative.

[Mulkey] doesnt have to be specific about it, Robbins says. But at least she can eliminate some of the possibilities at this point. And she can come out and say This has nothing to do with attitude and this has nothing to do with grades and so you can forget that. And then its on the record, its attributed to her, and thats what needs to happen.

According to Robbins, maintaining the integrity of truth in such situations is on the coach and [Kim Mulkey] needs to be forthright. Angel Reese is one of the biggest names in womens college basketballso Kim Mulkey is responsible to attend to this, to control rumors and speculation now because its harming her player, its potentially harming her program, her reputation.

As the womens basketball college season unfolds, the ethical considerations surrounding media speculation have thus far taken center stage amid an otherwise positive and exciting news cycle. The potential harm to athletes, already navigating a demanding and stressful work environment, raises questions about the responsibility of sports media and the institutions they cover. The need for responsible reporting, adherence to ethical guidelines, and the protection of athletes from unwarranted speculation become paramount when the human cost is so high.

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Please dont believe everything you read The ethics of speculation in sports media - Awful Announcing