Confidentiality

There is a reason for everything.
 I cant begin to count the number of times I've heard this phrase, most commonly as a rationalization when things go horribly wrong.

 But beyond the religious context in which this phrase is often invoked, there is a secular purpose as well.

Yes, there is a reason for everything. Including confidentiality.

In this age of information, one of the principles that has been thrown aside quite easily is the notion that some things are best kept out of the public eye.

Take Wikileaks: Many of us, myself included, felt somewhat sympathetic toward the perpetrator of the information leak, and especially to the site's operator, a man at one point wanted in three different continents. We feel that, with VERY FEW exceptions, information is best let out into the public, feeling in some innate sense that there should be nothing to hide.

I think right now, while we do not have all of the information yet, this Ryan Braun case is a pretty good example of how wrong we all were.

There are things that are best kept quiet and an ongoing appeal of a positive drug test is one of those.

Given the information that has come to light since ESPN rushed to break the (largely unsubstantiated) story last night, I feel it is safe to say that Braun isnt one of the prototypical "roiders". Whether he is able to fully prove his innocence or not, the latest breaking news that the test was positive not for a PED, but for another banned substance, should fairly well clear that point up.

But if you watched nothing but the almighty ESPN, the bastion of everything sports, you wouldnt know the real story.

That is because ESPN is now caught between a rock and a hard place. Their irresponsible decision to break an incomplete report may have done irreversible damage to Braun, a young star who is not only revered for his talents on the field, but also for his contributions to the Milwaukee community. Innocent or not, Braun's once-unblemished image is now stained forever.

Wherever the story takes us, whether Braun is able to avoid suspension or not, ESPN has proven why confidentiality continues to have a deserving place in our society, even in this age of endless information.

Major League Baseball chose to keep the proceedings private, knowing full well that a report of Braun's initial positive test would not only damage his image, but the game as a whole. That would be unfair to Braun, unfair to the Brewers, and unfair to the game.

Apparently, MLB has done this in the past. In yet another irresponsible piece of reporting, ESPN erroneously reported that no MLB player has ever successfully appealed a positive drug test.

Well, that is not completely correct.

Although ESPN continued to hammer that point home throughout the night, outside reports began to make it fairly clear that there had in fact been prior instances in which a positive test had been successfully appealed. What ESPN failed to realize is that MLB successfully kept these proceedings under wraps and thus the players involved were never subject to the type of unjust media outcry that the "worldwide leader" has brought upon the 2011 NL MVP.

In recent years, ESPN has struggled with how it wants to define itself. Looking at its connections with college athletic departments and sponsors, you would have trouble making the distinction between ESPN and a sports marketing company like IMG. In fact, ESPN has partnered with IMG in several instances and was increasingly becoming the broadcast wing of the Cleveland, Ohio behemoth.

But on the other hand, ESPN also purports to be a true sports news outlet. They break news as an independent outlet (many times failing to disclose the clear interest that they have in the outcome of the story) and provide analysis as any true news organization would.

If that is the case, if ESPN is a news outlet focused on the world of sports, then what they have done is irresponsible. They have broken a story without fully corroborating source material and in the process have tarnish the legacy of a young star who stands for everything that is good with the game of baseball.

But if that is not the case, if ESPN is the sports marketing organization they seem to be becoming, then the ramifications are far worse. Given ESPN's clear interest in keeping MLB supremacy on the coasts, one has to wonder the true intentions behind their breaking of such an incomplete story. One has to wonder why, despite fairly well-known (undisclosed incidents, names unknown) evidence to the contrary, ESPN sought to immediately go from breaking the story of a positive test to making the case for Braun's immediate demonization.

Based upon what has come out today, ESPN was only made privy of a positive test for a banned substance that involved Braun. In their initial reports, the television behemoth tacked on the label of PED to the positive test, further insinuating Braun's guilt. They then erroneously reported that an appeal has never been successful before finishing off the debacle by failing to note that Braun had been re-tested and had passed the re-test.

And just minutes later, they switched the discussion to what should be done with the MVP award, to whether Braun could ever recover his image, and to how the suspension (which they insinuated was a given) would affect the Brewers.

They took an incomplete set of facts, touched them up, reported them, and moved onto analysis immediately. Viewers had no chance to consider whether or not the story itself was fact or fiction, they were already discussing what comes next.

ESPN has failed miserably in this case. They have forever tarnished their reputation as a company and hopefully in the process they have not irreversibly tarnished the legacy of one of our nation's most admirable young professional athletes.

I could be wrong, Ryan Braun could be taking steroids.

But if not, ESPN has a whole lot of explaining to do.