How Tabloids and Twitter Have Ruined the Transfer Window

The suspense, drama and surprise of the transfer window has turned into a painful process of over-coverage and misinformation accompanied by a sense of relief when it finally passes.

Speculation around the future location of quality players has always been a hot topic. The problem is that that topic has gone from bar stools to tabloids and Twitter.

Sometimes the information leaking out from these sources is right on the money, and sometimes it ends up being rooted in pure fantasy, and both are frustrating.

With all of the information it is impossible to know what to believe. You can tell yourself not to react until it becomes official, but this is an impractical tactic for the reality of the situation. Hearing just one rumor linking a prized player to your favorite squad is enough to get the flames of hope burning in the gut. 

The situation also feeds itself and it all snowballs down the information highway. One rumor appearing in a tabloid or on Twitter sparks interest. That is going to get people talking, and it is going to lead to more rumors. 

These rumors could be a hoax or they could come from legitimate sources, but they all stoke the fire. There will be countless quotes from inside sources, endless questions to the player about their future, and a near infinite amount of emotions rolling inside fans as they go along for the ride. 

All of this cheapens the process. It drains the power of the announcement. More often than not, the rumors get more dialed in as they advance, and at some point, they point you to the reality of the situation.

This leads to a muted realization of the future destination of the players. Gone is the big explosion as the reality of a transfer would be unveiled at one time. That has been replaced by a feeling of "it is about time this circus is over," and that is a shame.