RE: Sickening

["Noah P. Evans" <nevans@knox.edu>]

Doug writes?

>    Noah, do you think that a great player = money player = great
> player?  Are the two interchangeable?

No. Being a "money player" has more to do with one's marketability rather
than one's skill, although the two tend to correlate. There are plenty of
amazingly skilled players(Sabonis in his early days, Kevin Johnson, Derek
Harper, Tom Chambers etc...) who don't get their name on Wheaties' boxes for
various reasons. And there are also plenty of players(Rodman, Sprewell,
Lambeer(sp?)), who get accolades they don't deserve by shamelessly promoting
their image.

>Or are those of whom you complain those
> who have a lot of talent PLUS a penchant for self-promotion?

Neither. It isn't the player's fault; it is the fault of those who
manufacture artificial identities for players in order to sell various
products(Jerseys, tickets, spam, etc...). The best example is, of course,
Jordan. Jordan is the consummate narcissist(much as Antoine is today). He
must be better than everyone else, and then make sure everyone he's
competing against knows it. He is sadistic. Yet according to his popular
image and his interaction with the media, Jordan is the perfect gentlemen.
That image sells, not reality. That is what makes Jordan "the greatest
player ever" and that is what I complain about. It puts the emphasis, as I
put it earlier, on "the sizzle(a player's image), not the steak(a player's
ability and value to his team)". That is exactly what basketball doesn't
need. Basketball is coming close to(if it isn't already) pro-wrestling. The
outcomes to most playoff games(involving the bulls) seem close to
predetermined. We always complain about the way Jordan and other stars are
treated by the refs(the Indiana series was the best example of this; I know
I've mentioned it earlier, but watch how Miller played Jordan, a touch=foul,
then watch how Pippen plays Jackson, Pippen could get away with anything,
pushing, elbows, grabbing). When the star treatment gets out of hand you
descend from a true sport, to "sports theater".


Noah