Aside from the enthusiasm injected by an Obama Presidency, each of the three major Sports is boondoggled with problems. The game isn't the problem but the mass media abuses its power of infinite resources to turn everything into a shit show. My favorite salve for boredom, as it has been since literacy, is reading about sports but outside of the FreeDarko, Sports Illustrated, True Hoop, Deadspin, and KissingSuzyKolber Canon the way Sports are being covered is not conducive to fandom. Reading Bryan's post I was refreshed because I could tell that it was written by a fan. He inspired me to watch basketball or even the terrible sport of the NFL. I haven't watched a game start to finish in 3 weeks (even the NFL!).
I feel bad and ashamed of liking Sports so much when they are in the doldrums like this but this shame stems not from the contents but the idiotic way in which they are covered. Charles Barkley and Michael Jordan appealed to me as a six year old, rousing my interest in Sports that consumes to this very day;. The 1992-93 season was pitted as an epic battle. Even with my beloved Pistons getting over the hill and kind of pathetic by association, Barkley and Jordan represented a duel of epic proportions. Like Lions versus Christians except the Christians won in the end. Barkley set the archetype for loose cannon, fun loving athletes. He was lazy, blunt, but utterly charming. More than a basketball player, he was a cartoon villain. My mom bought me a T-Shirt for "Barkley-O's Cereal" promising to "wreck havoc in every box". It only seemed right when he played Godzilla in a television commercial. On the other hand, Jordan was Bugs Bunny (and this was even before Space Jam). Young Jordan was a marvel to watch both on and off the court. Michael Jordan's Playground, Michael Jordan: Come Fly With Me were chalky, shoddily made videos that made me love him as a cherubic sky walker. Then I started watching him out wile, outsmart, utterly outdo opponents in every facet of the game and began to hate him. More than Magic versus Bird, this was a battle, fuck the eighties and their black versus white racial overtones as overarching narratives. This was Saturday Morning Cartoons and Gladiators rolled into one. I suppose it helped that jordan was a Saturday Morning Cartoon.
The players dictated the myths around them.
I learned about LeBron James when he was 15. I vainly tried to convince my parents to drive to Akron to watch him play in High School. They wouldn't agree. Too bad. That was my last chance to watch him when he was still likable. LeBron is great, probably the best player in the league this season (sorry Kobe and CP3), but focus is not on the player but rather his place in history and his future destinations. Superstars, bringing in bucket upon bucket of grubby money, deserve the acclaim but the don't force feed me the greatness. The NBA is ran by smart people, very very very smart people, but they may be too smart. Aware of a player's potential place in history, they heap them into historical contexts and ride their coat tails to the bring the league into prominence.
This furthers the great narrative of the league but it is has made the biggest names unlikable or at the very least uninteresting.
The 5 biggest stars (not best players) are as follows.
LeBron James
Kobe Bryant
Yao Ming
Tim Duncan
Paul Pierce
Too bad they've been ruined. Constant coverage and unnatural connotations have made it impossible to think about them without the following thoughts.
LeBron James- "WHERE WILL HE GO IN 2010? (the most annoying story I've ever encountered about any one or thing), how does he play with new teammates?, how can Cleveland please him?" Ugh. LeBron makes it impossible to savor the moment.
Kobe Bryant- Is he as good as Jordan? Is his redemption complete? Kobe makes me question if anything about him is legit.
Yao Ming- CHINA CHINA CHINA CHINA CHINA CHINA GLOBALIZATION GLOBALIZATION. He makes it feel like a business meeting.
Tim Duncan- We are tired of him winning because every one is tired of seeing the Spurs win. Maybe if they wore colors. In truth, this is a pretty cool Spurs team. Tim carrying an injured squad gives one of our greatest a new challenge, Tony and Manu have their first taste of adversity and Roger Mason is one of the all-out ballsiest players in the league and makes me remember when he was projected as a lottery pick waaaaaaaaay back when. Though they may be cool it's like going into your garage to see your Grandfather welding after 10 years of watching him whittle. Though cool, because it's him, you brand it as uncool.
Paul Pierce- Boston's legacy is insufferable and I live on the West Coast, thousands of miles away. Good thing no cares about their city outside of Sports and Accents. If they tried to rub shoulders with New York and Chicago we'd become the new French.
A player must be tarnished, untapped, or an underdog to gain my approval.
Here is hope:
Chris Paul
Dwight Howard
Devin Harris
Dywwayane Wade (Thank God no one cares anymore cause his game is beautiful)
Amare Stoudamie (Everybody loves a malcontent)
No comments:
Post a Comment