I Respect Greatness & History

As many of you may know, I am a major fan of sports history. I study it consistently in my down time. I respect and admire the history of sports that I enjoy. There have been certain players that I have watched, and have studied that caught my attention, and have transcended their sport in so many ways. In Boxing, there were fighters like Muhammad Ali, Sugar Ray Leonard, Joe Frazier to name a few. In Football, Jerry Rice, Joe Montana, Jim Brown and others. In Basketball, there were players like Michael Jordan, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Wilt and company. These athletes will always be timeless, and that is why they are held in the highest regard. These are players whose legacies I will continue to defend until the end of time. What I write may come across as nostalgic, but it is to spotlight what made the game so great, and to show how greatness was properly built. Athletes like Wilt, Ali, and Jim Brown had enough influence, dominance and impact to where they transcended their eras, and cannot be limited to their time period. In other words, they could clearly dominate any time period, when you give them the same balance as anyone else. However, one thing that I am blatantly against is how these athletes are diminished, and not rightfully acknowledged by modern day fans and media members. At times the way I give criticisms of today's athletes may come across as a hater. If so, I apologize. I just like things to be put in their proper perspective. I am a very passionate fan, who uses facts to balance my observation. I do not like unfair comparisons where players are matched up with others whose legacies pale in comparison.

For example, Kobe Bryant is a bonafide NBA Legend and First Ballot Hall of Famer. He was greatly influenced by Michael Jordan, which is something to truly admire. However, that is where it starts, and for me that is where it should end. When you look at facts, there production is very different. Michael's career averages in scoring, rebounds, assists, etc are all higher than Kobe's. (MJ-30.1, Kobe-25.4) His field goal percentage is also higher. MJ won 10 scoring titles, while Kobe won 2. Michael was the Finals MVP every year that Chicago won the championship. Kobe was the Finals MVP on two out of three times the Lakers won the championship. Not to spark a debate, but those are simply facts. Therefore, with everything taken into consideration Kobe's achievements and body of work at least put him along the lines of Jerry West, Oscar Robertson and Julius Erving. That is a very high honor in and of itself. Kobe is his very own player. If it were not for the constant comparisons being shoved down my throat, I can sit back and truly enjoy Kobe's career the way that I really want to. Does that sound like a hater? No! That is how you put things in perspective. My frustration from the comparisons, and fans bringing up 81 points boils over in different ways. I openly admit that. With that aside, he has truly carved out a terrific career. That is the ultimate point that I want to get across.

However, when people want to diminish legends from the past and the era that they dominated, I have a problem. Of course, each athlete regardless of era is great in their own way. They have dedicated their lives to what they do. With that said, I also understand how greed and politics have corrupted the arena of sports as we know it today. Rule changes, and attitudes of entitlement have watered down sports in all areas and landscapes. There are certainly stars from today who have incredible work ethic, but it can be harder to see that with many of the prima donna attitudes that are even more prevalent. It is merely a sign of the times, and culture that we live in. Meanwhile, stars from before who paved the way built their own name, and did not need extra help from the media, and fans. They did not have the kinds of luxuries that stars today have. Even Michael Jordan himself faced his fair share of struggles with his team. He had to thoroughly earn his keep, and his game attracted others to him. Players brought more desire and passion that is greatly missed. I have no time for the drama, and the circus that comes from today. There was a great balance of athleticism and IQ which made things more exciting. If it was not broke, why touch it?

I am definitely not a fan of the way the media picks single games or a stretch of games to compare to legends to put them on that level in some kind of way. Last season during the playoffs, I remember when the media clearly focused on a game where LeBron scored 45 points, grabbed 15 rebounds with 5 assists. They put a spin as if he was the only player to do that since Wilt Chamberlain in 1964. It was a great performance, but there were countless other players who have done in between that time since Wilt. Players like Shaquille O'Neal, Charles Barkley, David Robinson, Hakeem, and others were overlooked. Jerry West had a triple double in Game 7 of the 1969 NBA Finals (42/13/12) as I have pointed out before. To put that in perspective, it was just another day at the office for LeBron, and one of the many great playoff games the NBA has produced. LeBron is the face of today's NBA, which is great and leave it at that. No need to over promote his greatness, and put him on a much higher pedestal.

I am not the type of fan that does not acknowledge one's greatness, because I never grew up watching them. With today's advantages of the Internet such as YouTube, I could find many ways to watch whatever highlights I could get my hands on to use as evidence. That way, I could combine what I have seen with my knowledge and facts to fully understand how great Player A was. For example, I did not grow up watching Walter Payton. However, I could use an outlet such as YouTube to see for myself how dominant he really was. I already have the stats anyway, so that makes it easier for me. I grew up in a time where I was able to watch enough of Jerry Rice to get a strong understanding of how great he was. I just use YouTube to get an even greater idea of how amazing he was. In other words, no one has an excuse. I don't want to hear anymore "I have never seen him play" excuses. Nobody got time for that.

Overall, I am a fan of someone who can leave a lasting imprint on the game. Athletes like Magic Johnson left a lasting impression on me to the point where I felt like I was in that time period whenever I watch their highlights. When I have read about them in Sports Illustrated, I was hooked. That is the mark of true greatness. They told a story by how they performed. At least I know that I am not the only person who feels this way. When people can talk about your career in 20 years or more, you have achieved greatness. In the end, that is truly the goal of anyone who plays, other than championships. Whatever you do is part of history, good or bad. That is the story of life in general.