Why Sports?

Be not afraid of greatness; some are born great, some achieve greatness, and others have greatness thrust upon them.
-Shakespeare

"A-Rod is one of the greatest players to ever play the game. By the time he retires his stats will stand alone." '
"No way! He isn't a winner. He flops every post-season. He just isn't one of the greatest."

It is an age old argument. What makes a player great? What makes a player one of the greatest? It is a combination of statistics, style of play, character, and how they perform when it matters most. There is no set formula for determining how great a player is and every player is different, which makes this whole thing so goddamn fun. Alex Rodriguez is on pace to be the best baseball player ever, but one can argue that until he shows he can win when it matters he just isn't one of the greatest because what else really matters? Robert Horry aka Big Shot Bob--thank you Timmy D, your nicknames are even boring--has innumerable clutch shots that were essential to winning numerous championships, but he was never a dominant player or All-Star. Yet, he has 6 rings more than 99% of players ever. Check this out: Steve Kerr, another stud in the clutch, were apart of every NBA championship from '93-'94 to '02-0'3 without ever playing on the same team. Winning doesn't mean anything if you can't do it when it counts. These two were not the cornerstones or superstars on any of their championship teams, yet one could argue that they were great players because of their timely heroics and essential roles in each of their teams' championships.

The real question is what is greatness? How do we define it? Can we? The answer comes from each individuals values and how this translates into how they perceive a player or maybe more accurately, how they want to perceive a player. We all have different values so how will we ever reach an agreement?

Allen Iverson is one of the greatest players to ever play basketball, but people would disagree with me for numerous reasons. Growing up in Philadelphia AI I saw him play every night through middle school and high school. The Sixers' run to the Finals in 2001 was the most exciting event ever to happen to me as a sports fan at the time. I will never forget running down South street after they won game 1 against the Lakers. People were insane running in traffic, high fiving passengers and drivers who were honking their horns and screaming in pure jubilation. Philadelphia is still very, very hungry, but that topic is for another day. To me AI is one of the greatest ever because of all this and beyond. I love his image and I even love how people don't understand him and what that reveals about who they are as people.

Larry Bird is the greatest ever for Celtics fans and his aura pervades through generations. I understand all of this, but I just can't get past Bird's corniness, boringness, ok fine, even though it is a little weird saying it, his whiteness. To me his greatness is exacerbated by playing in Boston, the perfect market for him, as well as playing on championship teams with currently 3 other Hall of Famers. Likewise, many people can't stand Iverson, they even hate him. They can't get past his cornrows, tattoos, and hardness. My dislike for Bird is rooted in superficial observations I developed as a kid, I admit this, but it's sports and it's fun to argue with a Larry Bird fan. Likewise, I love telling people how great Allen Iverson is, what he stands for, and why.

This is the beauty of sports. Our deepest opinions, values, dreams, biases, and passions are revealed through following sports and our reactions to it. You can watch one game with a stranger and know if you are going to like them as a person. Sports is that revealing and reflective of us and that alone is enough to follow along.