Don't get me wrong, I'm all for technological advancement. I can't go back to Standard Def TV for sporting events, just doesn't cut it. I love having sports on every night of the week and the unlimited video footage available. However, the 24/7 influx of sports coverage leaves sports writers constantly searching for topics to meet deadlines. They constantly dig for the next story to write about. For many, comparing current athletes to their historical predecessors has become a convenient topic. Lebron's the next MJ, Rory is the next Tiger, and Crosby is the next Gretzky and so on.
Are they trying to relive childhood memories? Are they trying to find some way to gauge what we are witnessing? (That ad campaign makes me laugh every time) I chalk it up to our tendency to overreact in 2011. Boston's 2-10 start, Lebron finally knocking off the Celtics, and now Rory closing out a major are all prime examples of this. While Jason Day didn't win the Masters or the US Open, he equaled Rory's combined score from the past two majors. He's only one year older than McIlroy. Can't he be the next great? Crosby’s own teammate, Evgeni Malkin, has outscored him multiple times. I won’t get into Lebron’s shortcomings. They’ve already been ran over enough in the past few weeks.
Sure the talents and playing styles of current athletes can resemble former players. But to assume that anyone will accomplish the same in their own careers, as a Gretzky, Tiger or Jordan, is insulting. Gretzky's career should be immortalized, not compared to an 18 year old rookie. Golf’s popularity reached unseen heights because of "Tiger Mania." Do we really think McIlroy will ever have the same effect on the game? Instead, we should allow the Rory's of the world to leave their mark in history. Allow them to become the iconic figure, not the clone of a former great. When the dust settles, then we can play the comparison game. Until then, we might as well be comparing apples to oranges.
No comments:
Post a Comment