Kirkwood wrote:
Joe Orr Road Rod wrote:
Kirkwood wrote:
Don't be a drama queen. You're oversimplifying it.
How's that? The very nature of sport depends on the concept that competitor is actually doing his- or its- best to compete. Do you want to watch a team tank? It's the most idiotic thing I've ever heard.
That's not their editorial position for sports overall. It is for NBA for the most part and the thought is not WSCR exclusive. Although I think Spiegel is a prissy bitch your shot should be reserved for Bernstein. Spiegel is pretty optimistic and has had the most faith in teams at the Score.
It's not just for the NBA though. And yeah, I think you're correct about it coming down from bernstein. In fact, I believe that if Spiegel were actually reflective enough to sit down and think about what he's saying, he'd say to himself, "Oh my God, I'm becoming bernstein. Is this really how I want to approach sports?" But I can only go on the stupid shit I hear him say.
I thought about this some more and I think bernstein's sports thoughts- and thus, those espoused on the Score- are one gigantic ball of Who Ya Crappin'. On the one hand, all that matters is winning championships. On the other, it's all about the money. But which is it really? The NFL has created a model where it might be more lucrative to lose than to win. Should those teams be trying to win championships or should they be sitting in a room with pen and paper and figuring out if the increased expenses of winning a Super Bowl are offset by increased revenues, and if not, advising the coaches not to win? I can almost hear bernstein: "It's. a. business. It's. about. making. money. The adults need to get in the room with Bill Belichick and explain to him why they don't want to win another Super Bowl."
But back to the NBA. It's really not "all about winning championships". It's about entertainment, a television product, advertising, and fans in your building. As I said, the NBA promotes superstars. It's not the Bulls vs. the Spurs. It's Rose vs. Parker. So you have this entity promoting a guy like Tony Parker and some kid in Chicago is hooked and Tony is his favorite player. His dad buys tickets to the Spurs game at the United Center and Parker doesn't play because the Great And Tortured Pop actually thinks his job is to win a championship rather than being a cog in a money machine. And it's so stupid because as long as LeBron has both legs the Spurs can't win anyway. Why are they even trying?
The entire foundation of sport is the competition. If 80% of the teams aren't trying, how great can LeBron James be?