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Brees
Farve
Mcnabb
Romo
Rodgers
Flacco
Rivers
Brady
Manning
Big Ben
Only 10? I hope that list isn't in order... If I get pick #11 I'd have no problem taking Palmer. He'll come back from his injuries. It takes a year or so to come back from the major surgeries he had anyway. He's completely healthy now. I'm not sold on Romo or Flacco either as "better" than Palmer.
What is your expectation of sports? What about the guys that get in trouble regularly for breaking the law? Last I checked these two don't get into that kind of trouble. They provide a source of entertainment, which is (really) all sports is for the consumer. If you look at tv ratings and ticket sales, NOTHING is wrong with the NFL. It's the most entertaining sport (the reason why it's the biggest).
It's the arrogant, spoiled, self-centered mentality that these two clowns possess that is wrong with the sport. Like I said, they are exceptions, but they get way too much publicity for their on field and off field antics. ESPN caters to these overrated fools and they both end up getting their own reality TV show on VH1. Meanwhile, niether of them could hold Jerry Rice's jock strap, a guy who was a class act all around.
It's the arrogant, spoiled, self-centered mentality that these two clowns possess that is wrong with the sport. Like I said, they are exceptions, but they get way too much publicity for their on field and off field antics. ESPN caters to these overrated fools and they both end up getting their own reality TV show on VH1. Meanwhile, niether of them could hold Jerry Rice's jock strap, a guy who was a class act all around.
It's entertaining. People like it. Maybe not to a die hard sports fan, but the average person can name guys like T.O. and Ochocinco because of what they are on AND off the field. They bring casual eyeballs to the tv. Goodell doesn't mind that, I'm sure. Part of the reason the league is so big (bigger than anything) is because of the personalities.
And stop comparing everyone to Jerry Rice, like he's the benchmark for EVERYONE. Some people can be head down, hard-working, lead by example guys (Marvin Harrison, Barry Sanders). Some people like to be charismatic and boisterous (T.O., Ochocinco). Some people are in the middle. They all got to the league doing it their way. Why does their way bother you so much? You're gonna watch anyway...
It's entertaining. People like it. Maybe not to a die hard sports fan, but the average person can name guys like T.O. and Ochocinco because of what they are on AND off the field. They bring casual eyeballs to the tv. Goodell doesn't mind that, I'm sure. Part of the reason the league is so big (bigger than anything) is because of the personalities.
And stop comparing everyone to Jerry Rice, like he's the benchmark for EVERYONE. Some people can be head down, hard-working, lead by example guys (Marvin Harrison, Barry Sanders). Some people like to be charismatic and boisterous (T.O., Ochocinco). Some people are in the middle. They all got to the league doing it their way. Why does their way bother you so much? You're gonna watch anyway...
The league was doing just fine without the likes of the prima donna's like these two. Bringing drama to the field isn't worth the extra viewership, revenue or higher ticket/concession prices.
Of course I mentioned Rice as one example of a class act, and there are many others, I'm just not going to develop a tedious list when everyone here knows what I'm talking about. Honestly, I never liked any athlete that doesn't know the meaning of good sportsmanship. Be it T.O., Jeremy Shockey, Ochoasshat, or any of the other self proclaimed superstars.
We've come a long way from Joe Namath, Bruce Smith, and Shannon Sharpe--guys who could trash talk and garner publicity without bringing down their own team. Guys like T.O. are in it strictly for themsevles and not the good of the team. These guys are toxic, and if you can't see how T.O. is a distraction and detriment to any team, then I'm not sure what to tell you. I guess we'll wait until the end of the season to see how little he added to the team and it probably won't be long before he's trash talking Palmer or jealous of Ocho getting the ball or more publicity. Add Pacman Jones to the mix and I guess having the team with the longest rap sheet is one way to fill the stands, because they won't be doing it by winning.
The league was doing just fine without the likes of the prima donna's like these two. Bringing drama to the field isn't worth the extra viewership, revenue or higher ticket/concession prices.
The league has been growing exponentially every decade. You go tell the owners and Goodell it isn't worth it. It's a billion dollar industry. Everything about it works - the things you like and the things you don't like. That's why it's so big. There's something for EVERYONE, including consumers of silly reality tv type of entertainment. If these guys haven't fizzled out of the league yet, they MUST be doing something right... Right?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Coolhand68
Of course I mentioned Rice as one example of a class act, and there are many others, I'm just not going to develop a tedious list when everyone here knows what I'm talking about.
No kidding... I wasn't asking for a list. I get it.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Coolhand68
Honestly, I never liked any athlete that doesn't know the meaning of good sportsmanship. Be it T.O., Jeremy Shockey, Ochoasshat, or any of the other self proclaimed superstars.
Ok I get it, this is personal for you. I'm confused, though, about your definition of the word "sportsmanship." So these guys talk trash... And? Are they beating guys up on the field? Are they not shaking hands at the end of a game? So they like to celebrate extravagantly when they win... And? So they get really mad when they lose... Have you ever met a really competitive person that isn't really mad when they lose? Do they always go about it the right way? No. (I'm agreeing with you) But, with 1700 guys in the league, your bound to have a few with some screws loose... Your expectations are too high. These aren't always the brightest people...
And while you're at it, explain your definition of "superstar." All NFL fans can recognize those players. I'm sure many casual fans would recognize T.O. and Ocho. There are probably a lot of non-sports fans that may recognize Ocho from Dancing With The Stars. They may remember T.O. doing sit-ups and bicep curls (classic) in his driveway. To me, transcending fans in all realms constitutes a superstar. Maybe your definition is different...
Quote:
Originally Posted by Coolhand68
We've come a long way from Joe Namath, Bruce Smith, and Shannon Sharpe--guys who could trash talk and garner publicity without bringing down their own team.
Spare me on the nostalgia. Please. You sound like a baseball purist... (and besides, you left out my favorite - Deion Sanders)
Quote:
Originally Posted by Coolhand68
Guys like T.O. are in it strictly for themsevles and not the good of the team.
They certainly aren't the first OR last players in a team sport (any sport) that are more concerned about getting theirs before the rest of the team. A lot of pro athletes just play the sport because they've always been good at it. It's easy to them because they're physically gifted (6'4", lean, run fast and jump high) or whatever and they can make millions doing it for a few years (or longer if they're lucky). It's not unreasonable to think some of them don't really care as much as you want them to.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Coolhand68
These guys are toxic, and if you can't see how T.O. is a distraction and detriment to any team, then I'm not sure what to tell you. I guess we'll wait until the end of the season to see how little he added to the team and it probably won't be long before he's trash talking Palmer or jealous of Ocho getting the ball or more publicity. Add Pacman Jones to the mix and I guess having the team with the longest rap sheet is one way to fill the stands, because they won't be doing it by winning.
Toxic? These guys? I'm not sure you can put Ocho in that conversation. But I see where you're going. But then you lost me again when you mentioned Pacman. Not sure how he's related to this, since he has a rap sheet and T.O. and Ocho don't. The only thing they've ever been accused of is acting like a fool at times. No crime in that, right? If it's so bad and such a detriment to the league, why doesn't Goodell just ban them both? Why doesn't he just ban all the players you don't like? Some contrary personality never hurts a tv show (since that's all sports is today). Why do you think reality tv is so popular? They throw a bunch of personalities in a room together for 6 weeks and let nature do it's thing. The NFL is a lot like that.
You hurt your cred when you made it a personal argument. I get why you're so mad: these guys make a lot of money to play a game you'd play for free with out all the extra stuff. What happens if the Bengals make the playoffs (reasonable)? Conference title game (maybe)? I won't go as far to say Super-Bowl cuz I don't even believe the team as a whole is that good and I can name a couple teams better. But where will you be? I guess you can spew your hatred toward them at the end whenever they lose and beat your chest saying "I told you so." But at the end of the day, you would have watched and so would millions of others every week. It won't work out for 31 teams, and most of them have a bunch of good guys.
And it degrades the legitimacy of the sport and destroys the locker room chemistry of the teams assclowns like this play for. It maybe entertaining for the "casual fan" but football isn't a goddamn soap opera.
It's no coincidence that neither of these guys has a Super Bowl ring.
I'm done. It's official: you guys take sports WAY too seriously. These aren't cheaters and 'roid users. They aren't betting on games or purposely dropping passes and running the wrong routes. They give their all on the field and you know it. How is the game any less legit because a player does a dance after a score (been going on for a long time, by the way)? How is the sport any less legit when the very people who run the sport do all they can to cater to today's society and the insatiable appetite for anything instant and entertaining? Roger Goodell has a Twitter account. Repeat: Roger Goodell has a Twitter account! Why can't you all evolve?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bosco55David
and destroys the locker room chemistry of the teams assclowns like this play for.
Minus the lame name-calling, I'll give you that for T.O... Ocho hasn't earned that label.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bosco55David
It maybe entertaining for the "casual fan" but football isn't a goddamn soap opera.
Guess what? The NFL doesn't care about fans like you and me, cuz we're gonna watch no matter what. We're hooked on the sport. We're parked in front of the tv on Sunday at 1 and are stuck til Monday night (figuratively speaking). The league doesn't need to cater to us. The league wants the casual eyeballs that may or may not be as interested and have other options on a Sunday afternoon, evening, Monday night. Watching the guys they KNOW from reality tv or Twitter or whatever drives the high tv ratings, not hardcore football fan that thinks the purity and integrity of the game is compromised. Whatever brings in those casual viewers is what the league and networks promote.
Like I said earlier, it must be working. The league is huge and continues to grow. The sport dominates almost the entire sports calendar. No one or two players or even Mike Vick can bring it down. Get over it. Stop taking it so seriously. It's a game. It's entertainment. It's supposed to be fun.
If you really think the game is less legit, don't watch it... (Of course you won't stop watching, because you don't really feel that way, or you just don't know what you're saying.)
I just saw this and had to post it!! It's hillarious... Drew Litton - Yahoo! News (http://news.yahoo.com/comics/drew-litton - broken link)
GREAT! But that's what I would expect from Drew! I've been familiar with his work for a long time as he worked for the Rocky Mountain News for a couple decades.
Thanks X-Greensboro!
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