FanPost

Athlete Glorification

Let me take you to Brazil Summer 2014, where the World Cup was held. Brazil was a favorite to win this past year, and they were doing quite well for themselves heading into the Semi-Final round undefeated. They would face Germany, another undefeated team, to decide who plays in the championship. Between rounds, Brazil received news that their star player Neymar was ruled out for the match against Germany. Neymar was their leading scorer before he fractured his vertebrae in the round before playing Chile. Brazil proceeded to losing both the Semi-Final and the 3rd place match by a combined score of 10-1. How can losing just one star player ruin a team this much?

There is a problem with today’s athletes, you see, and it is ruining sports all over the world. I’m not talking about just the "mainstream" sports we see in the United States, but the ones in other parts of the world such as soccer. This problem I will be speaking of is caused by athletes, general managers, owners, media, and fans! I am speaking of Athlete Glorification. Well, over glorification or be exact. When a team has a great player, they think they are perfectly fine. Whether they are or not is beside the point! There is no "I" in team, making it a group effort. This over glorification infuriates me to no end.

The NBA is one league where this glorification is exemplified beyond no end, and it comes in the form of two words: DERRICK ROSE. Why in the world do they still have them on their team? I hear you Bulls fans saying, "Well DJ, it’s because he’s one of the best in the league!" You have a point, he is; when he plays. Mr. D-Rose has played a whopping 49 games in a three year span. In a league where the season is 82 games in length, not including pre/postseason games, this is ridiculous. In the 2010-2011 season, Rose won the League MVP award. The following year, Rose signed a 5-year deal with the Bulls. Unfortunately, he only played 39 games that season. Without him, Chicago went on to have the best record in the NBA. Many analysts pointed out that while they need D-Rose to win the championship, that he was their only way to win. Well, Rose came back but he tore his ACL in the playoffs in his first game. This injury caused him to miss the entire 2012-13 season! Without him, Chicago advanced to the conference Semi-Finals. After sitting out a whole year, Rose started playing the first game of the 2013-14 season…and lasted 10 games before tearing his meniscus. The Bulls made the playoffs with the 4th best record in their conference. This year, Rose is benching himself until he feels he can play without being hurt. When asked about his reluctance to play Rose said, "I’m thinking about long term. I’m thinking about after I’m done with basketball. Having graduations to go to, having meetings to go to, I don’t want to be in my meetings all sore or be at my son’s graduation all sore just because of something I did in the past. I’m just learning and being smart." This is coming from the Bulls’ "best player"! He doesn’t want to play due to selfish, yet sensible, reasons. Yet they continue to back him up? Chicago: he’s knees are torn up. He will not last long. Trade him! Maybe give him to the 76ers? They are 2-21 this season, they will love to have him play the 10 games he might play per year!

Staying with the NBA, let us travel from Chicago to Los Angeles and talk about another player who needs to leave. His name: KOBE BRYANT. Before I go off on why he is currently trash, let me state that he is an all-time great. Kobe is a future Hall of Famer and anyone who might disagree needs to follow another sport. Kobe has a long, prestigious, and championship riddled career. Now that that is out of the way, he needs to retire. Immediately. Yes yes, I know he just passed the great Michael Jordan for the 3rd place spot on the all-time scoring list. You know what else I know? That Kobe Bryant is hurting. At the age of 36, and playing professionally for 19 seasons, his body is tired. In 2012, Kobe suffered a season ending injury when he tore his Achilles. He returned to play only six games last season before he suffered from a lateral tibia plateau fracture. Looking at the Lakers now, 8-18 record, it’s hard to believe that they won the NBA Finals in 2010. Since that championship run, Los Angelas has had three early playoff series losses. That doesn’t sound bad, right? What about when you throw in the fact that LA has had FIVE different coaches? This means they have fired a coach per year, including the years when they made the playoffs. Earning a playoff berth is difficult to do, so why punish someone for doing so? The answer is simple: KOBE. Kobe Bryant is a very peculiar player. He is known around the league as a ball hog as he prefers to shoot the ball instead of passing it around to his team mates. He has also been known to scare away potential team mates with his attitude. You see, Kobe Bryant is a winner. He has made many game winning shots, therefore to him he believes that if he doesn’t shoot then they won’t win. This season Kobe is leading the team in scoring with a 25.4 points per game average, 10 points about the next best (Nick Young, 15.1 PPG). Kobe is also leading the team with Shots Attempted per game with 22.3 (next is Young with 12.2 FGA). The downside to all this? Of the players who have played at least 10 games thus far, Kobe also has the teams worst percent of shots made average (38.6%)! Phil Jackson one said that he "tends to force the action, especially when the game isn't going his way. When his shot is off, Kobe will pound away relentlessly until his luck turns." This is true as Kobe set the record for number of shots missed before the even made it into the top 3 all-time scorers.

Steve Nash, when asked on the style of basketball LA runs, stated "I think it'd be nice to find a middle ground where he does his thing but the ball still can move for great parts of the game. But I knew it wasn't going to be the same. When you play with Kobe Bryant, the ball is gonna be with him most of the time". Nash was brought to LA in hopes that a Kobe/Nash combo would right the ship. That Nash’s talent of finding open people would allow the Lakers to have a more productive offense. As Nash stated, however, LA’s offensive scheme has remained the same: Feed the Mamba (Kobe).

Many of Kobe’s supporters when asked why Kobe is still playing, they say it’s because he wants to win that last ring. To that I say rubbish. Tom Brady, of the NFL’s New England Patriots, took a pay cut in 2013 as he signed onto a contract worth half as much as his last contract was. This allowed the Patriots have more room in the salary cap for players (they wasted it, but that’s besides the point). Kobe recently signed a contract extension last year. Had the Lakers refused to sign Kobe, they would’ve saved $70 million this year alone! Not including the millions of dollars Kobe is taking up the years following. Yes the Laker’s would’ve struggled without him, but in the long run it would be worth it. Kobe is fading, and he is dragging the Los Angeles Lakers down with him. You are not going to win a championship with the ragtag squad you force them to have, Kobe! Let the organization get good players and keep them! The only player to play 150 games (2 seasons) with you since 2004 is Pau Gasol, and he left. Everyone that has been with you has lasted a year. They call you Mamba not due to your skills, but the poison you spread in the locker room!

We’ve done Kobe. We’ve done Derrick Rose. Who should we do next? Lebron James??? Nah, that’d be to easy! Besides, he went back home to his pathetic team in Cleveland (10/15 in Eastern Conference last year) so maybe he’s not egocentric anymore? No, instead I’m going to rip on something much harder. A group of people who make me sick beyond all others. Who are these people? Fans. Not just any fans, mind you, but Oklahoma City Thunder Fans! Before I detail you why they disgust me, let me tell you that I love me some OKC basketball. I’ve liked them sense they left Seattle, also the time that I got into basketball. I love them not due to the success, but due to the fact that they don’t give up. I saw them when they stunk up their first year in Oklahoma, so I’ve been here from the ground up basically. Now that I’ve admitted I am a fan, let me tell you why I’m mad at myself and others like me.

All the so called "Sports Analysis’s" claim that the Oklahoma City Thunder are capable with winning a NBA title. As for me, I know that they are not. They cannot keep up with teams such as San Antonio. The reason is that the Thunder rely on Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook to score all their points, which they do. Last season, half of the players who received siginificant playing time averaged below 5 PPG while only 25% of them averaged above 10 PPG. As for the reigning NBA Champions San Antonio Spurs, 40% of their team points per game were in the double figured. These stats are the same for both teams the year before that, and before that, ect. There is a reason why Oklahoma City can’t succeed in the post season, and that is because if you can stop Kevin Durant then you win the game. Last year, KD averaged 32 PPG out of an average team score of 106. They allowed the opposing team to score 99 PPG. So limit Durant to score just half as much as he usually does, and BOOM! You win the game. As for San Antonio? They scored 101 and allowed 94. Their leading scorer averaged a mere 16 points. If he played half as well as usual, they would only lose by one point compared to OKC’s nine points. With Westbrook and KD, the Oklahoma City Thunder can only talk about getting to a championship game again.

This season the Thunder’s leading scorer, reigning League MVP, and scoring champion Kevin Durant missed the first 17 games of the season with a fractured foot. During that time, Oklahoma City went 4-13. Russel Westbrook was expected to take the reigns, but he fractured his hand the second game in the season ( OKC started 0-2). Since Westbrook and KD has returned, they have gone on a to win seven out of the last eight games. See how big a difference these two make? This impact hasn’t been ever widely acknowledged until this season. Kevin Durant hasn’t been out for more than 14 games total in his 7-year career. I on the other hand has been pointing this flaw out since they lost to the Miami Heat in the 2012 Finals. Even then I knew we couldn’t win due to the reliance of KD and Westbrook to score.

I think I’ve had enough of the NBA, I mean I’ve been hating on it this far! Let’s move onto America’s most popular sport: football. People claim this to be the "Ultimate Team Sport" due to the fact that you need all twenty-two players to win the game. If one lineman misses his block, a run becomes a loss or the quarterback is tackled resulting in a sack. For such a "Team Oriented" sport, the NFL and football clubs across the nation suffer from the same thing the NBA does. They believe that one player can help them!

Let’s start off with an easy example. In the 2012 draft, the Washington Redskins traded three years of 1st round picks and a 2nd round pick in that draft. In return, Washington received the 2nd overall pick that ultimately turned into Robert Griffin III (RG3). Since acquiring RG3, the Redskins have made it to one playoff appearance. Currently, RG is the backup quarterback and is rumored to be traded in this years off season. Head coach of the Rams during the draft trade, Jeff Fisher has turned those picks into six players. This means that the Redskins’ injury-prone backup quarterback is worth six players. This is a prime example that just one player does not make a team. While Robert Griffin III’s rookie season was successful, he has been unable to replicate the production. Possibly due to the fact that Washington has been unable to select any 1st round caliber rookies due to their reliance on him.

Another example is the Cincinnati Bengals. They found some gems a few years ago in rookies AJ Green and Andy Dalton. Since that time, Cincinatti has been to the playoffs every year. Unfortunatley, they haven’t been able to win a playoff game. This is due to the fact that their offense relies on Dalton to pass to Green. I will admit that this year, Andy Dalton has spread the ball around but AJ Green is still his major target. Easiest way to defeat the Bengals is to double-cover AJ Green. This will slow down offensive production beyond belief.

My final example of Athletic Glorification might be the most controversial (yes, even more than Kobe), as it deals with the one they call Peyton Manning. Before I start, I will state that I will be unbiased be towards the man. This is important as I am a Kansas City Chiefs fan, and Peyton Manning is the bane of our existence. He continually finds ways to defeat us, and I think he might enjoy it? Otherwise explain why he kept his team on the field to go for it on a 4th and long play while they were up by 14 points in the first half? The run up the score! Sjgdsujkfsanjxusane!!!....I’m okay. I just had to pound my face on my keyboard. Anyways, Peyton Manning is a prestigious athlete and deserves to be in the Hall of Fame. He has numerous passing records, touchdown records, single-season and career records. He deserves praise. What he doesn’t deserve is the credit he is receiving.

First off, let me remind everyone in the world who "LOVES" the Denver Broncos that they were a playoff team before Peyton Manning came to town. In fact, they won their division and a playoff game that year. Let me also state that after they started 1-4, Tim Tebow came in and let them to an 8-8 record. They didn’t care how they won games, they were just happy that were making the playoffs and won playoff game. Am I saying that Tebow would’ve led the Bronco’s to the success as Peyton Manning has? No. I’m just saying that they were a good team before Manning.

Now that I have reminded everyone how good this team was pre-Peyton, let me tell you that everyone that says that "Peyton has saved Denver" is ridiculous. While Peyton is a great quarterback, he just was put on a good team. I guarantee you that if played for the Raiders, that they wouldn’t make the playoffs. This is because a quarterback needs surrounding talent. I look at the Raider’s current rookie Dereck Carr, and I see talent. I see a potential Drew Brees in fact. The problem is that Carr’s receivers are garbage (watch a game! They each drop every pass). Manning was put into a playoff ready team, therefore making them into a Superbowl team. That’s what happens when a good quarterback plays on a good team. People are giving him way to much credit for what he has done. Eric Decker was amazing before Manning, he still is without him. Demarius Thomas was a difficult matchup before, and still is.

As great as he is, the main Peyton Manning has done for the Denver Broncos is give them hope. Manning knows how to win games, and he makes smart decisions. He took a team who somehow wins games with Tebow, into a team that is expected to win games. With him, Manning has brought talent in the forms of other players. Reciever Wes Welker and Cornerback Aqib Talib ditched the Patriots (the same year Brady took the paycut) for Denver. All-star defensive end left his longtime team the Dallas Cowboys this past offseason, along with other big name players. These players and countless number of fans have all migrated to Denver in hope that Peyton Manning will get them a ring. So much faith in one person, and I guarantee as soon as Manning retires they will leave. Not everyone can replace their Hall of Fame quarterback with an Andrew Luck afterall. AS much as I dislike my Chiefs’ rival in Denver, it will be sad to see the fall from grace.

I have detailed how teams and fans tend to lean on one or two players to succeed, and hopefully you know that this isn’t the way to go about winning championships. There is a better way, and it’s called Team Glorification. As sports fans, we hate to see this. We don’t like to see a team work together to win games! Would you be happy if Manning threw only one touchdown if it means winning a game? Or if LeSean McCoy ran for 110 yards on 30 carries, which allowed the team to dominate the Time of Possession and win a hard fought game? Be honest with yourself. The answer is no, no you wouldn’t because your Fantasy team would lose. Or because low scoring games are boring to watch. We love to see teams put up high scoring games. We like to see people like Kobe Bryant hog the ball and drop 30 points if it means he moves up a spot on the scorers list. We like to see Kevin Durant win Scoring Champion, or Carmelo Anthony 62 points in a game. We enjoy seeing a big three like LeBron James, Dwayne Wade, and Chris Bosh blow teams out week in and week out. It’s exciting to see points. You know what isn’t? Team play. This is why people call the San Antonio Spurs boring, although they are one of the best teams in NBA history.

You see, the Spurs are the perfect team. They share the ball, and there isn’t a "main guy" with them. Well, they do have a "Big Three" and they’ve won more games together than any other group of three players has in NBA history. That isn’t the key to their success though. It’s the fact that if one guy has an off day, the team will not suffer. Someone will come off the bench who has the ability to score just as many points. The Spurs are successful not because of a high scoring offense, but an equal level of talent. When the big three of Tony Parker, Tim Duncan, and Manu Ginobli retire they have another big three on the bench to replace them. The San Antonio Spurs are what every team, in every sport, should be but doesn’t want to become. Successful, and team oriented. The San Antonio Spurs are ahead of the game, as they have learned to play for now while preparing for later. Although they are successful, they have done so without the cancer known as Athlete Glorification.

This is a FanPost and does not necessarily reflect the views of Arrowhead Pride's writers or editors. It does reflect the views of this particular fan though, which is as important as the views of Arrowhead Pride writers or editors.