NBA more like MTV: Not fun to watch anymore
This weekend, America’s basketball team took third place in the world championship held in Japan. We were beat out by Greece.
Yep, that’s right, Greece. Now granted I know that not everybody is a sports fan, but hear me out.
You see I’m not trying to discredit the Greek team, but I just expect more out of America’s basketball team.
Maybe its because I grew up in a time when most basketball fans were flat out spoiled.
Back in the magic days of basketball, the sport was at its pinnacle.
Watching those games was like magic as its “bigger than life” players such as Michael Jordan, Scotty Pippin, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Karl Malone, John Stockman, Charles Barkley, David Robinson and Patrick Ewing took to the courts.
They played the game with heart and gave their fans exactly what they wanted.
Today however, basketball feels more like watching some lame rap video on MTV — well when MTV actually showed music videos.
You see I just don’t know what happened to basketball. Granted there are still some good players around but they’re not even close to what the players used to be.
I try to watch the NBA, but it’s just not fun anymore. Instead I find myself digging through old VHS bargain bins to find those Sports Illustrated tapes that highlighted those magic seasons.
I remember the 1992 Olympic games in Barcelona. America had basketball fever.
Even McDonalds was selling Team USA basketballs and trading cards with their meals.
Even more amazing than the basketball fever that swept the country was the players themselves. Team USA, or rather, the “Dream Team” crushed their opponents.
It was like they could read each other’s minds on the court as the ball rolled off their fingers and the announcers screamed, “Nothing but net”.
The passes were flawless, the dunks were beautiful and three pointers were abundant. Team USA never took a single time out during its eight games during that Olympics and I think half of the teams that the USA competed with had players that joined their country’s teams just so they could meet our players.
As the years went on, the tradition continued. From 1936 until 1996, USA had suffered only two defeats, one during the 1972 Munich Olympic Games and one during the 1988 Seoul Games. Since 1996 to present however, team USA has suffered nine defeats in Olympic and world championship games. Sixty years, two defeats, 10 years, nine defeats. What happened?
Maybe the world is just catching up and basketball is a more widely played sport. I agree with that to an extent.
But personally, I think most of the NBA today is comprised of overly self-confident players who care more about dollar signs, platinum chains and rap video cameos rather than playing for the good of the game.
Gold medals and wins are the effect of playing with heart, which is why team USA hasn’t seen either of those in recent years.
It’s sad that I seem to actually enjoy watching team USA humbled on the court by other countries.
I never thought I’d say that but, if anything, it puts them in their place and it makes me hope that our team will learn to play with passion in games to come.
Back in the day, the great ones played with heart and with passion. Today, television networks are reporting record lows in ratings and are struggling to come up with “new and exciting” marketing strategies to boost ratings.
The only numbers that seem to rise in relation to the NBA is the number of days its players are on parole.
Hey networks! You want to boost your ratings? Then tell the NBA to start drafting players with heart!
In the meantime, I’ll just continue to browse through those bargain bins to relive the days when basketball was actually fun.
Columnists' opinions do not necessarily reflect the views of The Spectrum