I, as many other men love to watch football. I prefer college over the pros, however if a great game is on the horizon I'll try to catch a glimpse of it if I can. I try not to get too caught up in the X's and O's because I would likely make myself crazy. It is a game played by others for my enjoyment and I have a rooting interest in several teams both college and pro. I try not to criticize TOO much as the skill level on the field and the sidelines is much higher than I would ever be able to match (although we all know how wonderful we are as Monday morning quarterbacks).
The chalkline is where my lack of criticism ends. I am utterly dumbfounded seemingly year after year when it comes to the powers that be in sports whether it is professional or college. The men who run and own pro sports teams are obviously those who have built huge careers and have tremendous power within the worlds of their chosen professions. How is it then they continue to be dunderheads when it comes to the sports world?
For the NFL draft college players undergo a plethora of testing, prodding, poking and skills tests as they are evaluated by each of the thirty-two teams. The dreaded Wonderlick Test is used to evaluate players mental capacities and thought processes. You hear the stories and interviews after the fact. "It was grueling, hard," etc. All this is done to weed out the weak and frail as well as those who would just be a bad fit for the organization. If you do poorly as a prospective draftee, you don't have a career in the NFL.
How is it then those same talented leaders time after time keep making the same mistakes with the same players over and over again? The same standards used to evaluate draft prospects should be used to evaluate current players. Michael Vick for instance is a near sociopath and I am sure there are more than several teams that would like to have him on their rosters come fall. I'm all for second chances but that should mean a second chance in life, not necessarily on the football field. If a college player displayed that type of contempt for life he would never see the inside of an NFL locker room. If a prospective candidate interviewed for a job and had a record like Michael Vick would he be hired at any of an owner's other businesses? I think not. And it's just not Michael Vick. The same teams keep making the same mistakes over and over again. It's no wonder the Bengals, Raiders and others are a continual freeway pileup. You don't see those problems at the Patriots or Steelers because they don't take big gambles with athletes that have more than questionable character traits.
Ask yourself, would Michael Vick or any of the other athletes who are a continual train-wreck be asked to work at the other businesses these owners run? I doubt it; then why should we as sports fans be subject to their middle finger season after season.
Owners, if you want them that badly, put them on your board of directors where I don't have to watch them week after week. You can do that for us.
Ramblings of a 60 Year Old Man - My thoughts on just about anything, in no particular order; Robert Thomas - author.
I always laugh when I hear the "experts", who have built up a player for 3 years in college suddenly start talking him down, pointing out all his on-the-field faults, such as "his left little toe points at 45 degrees, so he's really not a 4.4 40 guy" and other absurdities, but they apparently ignore 3 or 4 years worth of actual game film.
ReplyDeleteAnd the draft experts on each team seem to buy into all this, and then start drafting idiots who will never pan out.
I continue to marvel that, with 200 or so Division I and I-AA schools out there, that there really are very few quarterbacks worthy of playing in the NFL.
This is one of many reasons I do not watch or in any way support professional sports. I refuse to help pay multi-million dollar salaries of criminals, sociopaths and delinquents. I know college has it's issues too, but it seems to be a little more controlled.
ReplyDelete