As bad as "real" journalism has a tendency to be these days, sports "journalism" in general is, and has been, a whole lot worse. I think everyone involved quietly realizes that, because they don't have any real responsibilities to society, there are no real penalties for inaccuracy (Joe Saward) or sensationalism (any number of Italian publications). Instead, the goals are page clicks and access to the teams/drivers/etc. I think that's why everything tends to read like PR: the "journalists" writing the stuff are rarely little more than extensions of a PR machine.
"Well, someone said it. So, it must be true."
I sometimes wonder if things would be different, and not just in sports, if those in the Fourth Estate actually did their jobs, and held public figures accountable for their words and actions, instead of trying to further their own careers.
(Idealism isn't sexy.)