I used to love the NFL and the NBA. It used to excite the hell out of me to have a Sunday off to sit around and watch football. I used to look forward to the NBA playoffs when the real games would begin. I hate the NBA and the NFL is close behind.
I am getting older, slowly getting wiser, and, definitely, more mature. This probably has a lot to do with my hatred of these "sports".
Let me begin with the NBA. In the late '80s and early '90s there was still a sport there. We had Jordan, Bird, Barkley, Magic, and Drexler. It was the last time we'd have such a talented collection of ball players. Each one was great because they were a threat from anywhere on the court. Each was a leader of their team. They may have talked smack, but it wasn't without serious backing. They all had games where they picked up their team and carried them to victory. Who can forget the Lakers vs. Bulls in the NBA playoffs? Or the Bulls vs. Blazers? Jordan was scary he was so good. Nobody could stop him on a good day. I hated Jordan when the Bulls beat the Suns. Barkley had worked his ass off all season, but he was the team. The Suns had no center, and Majerle and KJ were only sidekicks. Jordan, Paxson, and Pippen united and won. It was teamwork and leadership. It was incredible.
Now we have an every-man-for-himself dunk-a-thon. The last time I can remember a player going out there and winning with a series of amazing three-pointers was Reggie Miller against the Knicks. Miller was amazing, but I can never say that about today's "great" players. We have Shaq that has a range of about a yard from the basket. Sprewell and Iverson that are more gang members than players. Can you imagine how great the Sixers could be if Iverson was so obsessed with scoring every point he can for his team and was more concerned with helping his team score points? Stockton is the final guy that turned the assist into a sweet science. Sprewell choked his coach for crying out loud. The players today don't even respect their coaches. It's pretty sad.
The NFL on the other hand has killed itself over making money. The expansion teams have watered down the talent pool and there is a serious quarterback shortage. The rules are constantly changing to make the game more exciting for the ever attention-deficient crowd. The free agents have made players unloyal to their team. Even the greats of the past hop around to different teams. Jerry Rice plays for the Raiders now!? Joe Montana finished his career with the Chiefs. Jim McMahon bounced around like a pinball. Elway was one of the few that stuck with his team through thick and thin. That made it even more special when he one back to back Super Bowls.
I watch only one thing on TV anymore. If I could pay per channel on my cable bill I'd save a ton of money. I see wrestling as the last true outlet of sport. Now to truly appreciate it though have to be a very fanatical fan. Hard work is rewarded and each man is there for the greater good of the company. If Stone Cold choked out Vince McMahon in the ring for real, do you think he'd ever be in the WWF again? Hell no. He'd be hitting the Indy circuits wrestling in high school gyms and armories. WWF is ran my committee, it's ran by Vince. Some don't like this because if you tick Vince off your careers pretty much done. The few times this has happened it was totally deserving. Brian Christoper (Grandmaster Sexay) got arrested at the U.S./Canadian border even after the wrestlers were specifically told that if they were arrested for any substances that are legal here, but illegal there they'd be fired. Well, the drug he was arrested for was illegal in both countries and his ass was fired.
What I like most is that the hard work of years of sacrifice and blood, sweat, and tears is always rewarded in the end. Mick Foley is the best example of this. For fifteen years, he wrestled in crappy organizations, in Africa, and in "death matches" in Japan. He's been injured so many times it now pains him just to move the water sprinkler on his lawn. He wrestled in the WWF for three-four years before retiring. When he won the WWF championship belt, it was incredible. Several wrestlers rushed the ring and raised him on their shoulders. The crowd was going insane. It was amazing.
Another Foley understood was the greater good of the company. You always retire with a loss. You always go out making the other guy looking good, thus helping his career and the company. Foley retired after three brutal matches (all of which he lost) with Triple H (Hunter Hearst-Helmsley). People say it helped Triple H's career so much that he owes Foley his soul.
Every WWF pay-per-view is worth the money spent. You always get a good show. You are always entertained. How many times has boxing disappointed it's fans? How many times has the Super Bowl turned into an over-at-the-half blow out? How many times is the World Series over before it's even begun? Wow, the Yanks win again.
In his new book, It's True, It's True(from Regan Books available at your local bookstore), Kurt Angle compares the feeling of winning a gold medal at the Olympics to being equivalent to winning the WWF title.
And when was the last time you saw a ball player step up to bat with part of his ear ripped off and blood pouring down his forehead, half blinding his vision (Mick Foley)? When was the last time a football player broke his arm and finished the game (Bob "Hardcore" Holly broke his arm and wrestled for two more minutes, at one point being pulled twice by his broken arm)? When was the last time an NBA star cracked their vertebrae, won the game and continued for another two years before getting their neck fixed and coming back better than ever ("Stone Cold" Steve Austin)? And when was the last time a major sport didn't have an off season (WWF)?
