Number One
It appears as though Mitch Marner is often at the center of one conspiracy or another. When the winger was negotiating his contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs, it appeared as though every reporter with new information was accused of being in cahoots with the Marner camp.
Social media was full of people accusing hockey journalists of secretly being Mitch’s dad, Paul Marner. When that wasn’t happening, it was suggested that media personalities were in the pocket of Marner’s agent, Darren Ferris.
Now that the Toronto Maple Leafs are on the sidelines for the 2020 playoffs, the Marner conspiracies are back out in force. There are some who believe that Paul is actively leaking toxic material to the media in order to help his son’s image.
This includes suggesting that Marner should be traded to a team where he is respected as their best player.
The narrative that the media is unfairly favorable to Marner has also returned. There are accusations that Marner gets a free pass because he is Canadian while William Nylander gets skewered mostly because he is European.
This suggestion is almost laughable, especially since pundits and analysts like Don Cherry have been weeded out of the mainstream hockey fabric. Oh, and William Nylander is actually Canadian.
There may be some truth to members of the media communicating with those closest to the players. However, it would be surprising to expect established media members to subtly act as that player’s mouthpiece. A good conspiracy should include some motive for action. The media isn’t that desperate for content.
There seems to never be a shortage of conspiracy theories surrounding the Maple Leafs. Hopefully, one next season is created by fans of other teams, suggesting something’s afoot after Toronto finally ends their cup drought.