A year considered by many as the greatest in sports: But was it real?
- Michelle Wood: SWCD
- February 13, 2017
- 556
Im sitting down to write this less than 48 hours after what some folks are calling the greatest Super Bowl ever played and the exclamation point on what was supposedly the greatest year in professional sports ever.
I mean think about it. Cleveland ended the longest stretch between championships of any city with major professional sports teams when the Cavaliers had an incredible turnaround against the juggernaut Golden State Warriors. The Chicago Cubs somehow came back from being down 3-games-to-1 to win their first World Series since 1908 against the Indians. And then miraculously Tom Brady leads the New England Patriots back from the grave in the greatest comeback in Super Bowl history to beat the Atlanta Falcons in overtime.
What a year, right?
As I work through this, Im continually reminded of the old adage about things that seem too good to be true.
Cynical as I may be, particularly as it pertains to professional American sports, I just cant seem to shake the feeling that every one of us is being manipulated.
Was the last calendar year too good to be true in sports? It certainly seems that way.
It wasnt just that the Cavaliers, Cubs and Patriots won. It was the manner in which each championship happened.
Every victory seemed finely crafted for the dramatic: the Irving 3-pointer, Game 7 going to extra innings, the unimpeded marches up and down the field by a team that had absolutely nothing going right just moments before.
Heck, even college footballs championship went down to the wire. Oh, and for folks who believe politics is a sport, there was this little matter of a celebrity billionaire upsetting a career politician in November.
I guess what Im getting at is that as sports fans we thirst for championship games like we saw these last 12 months. Its why today we remember things like The Frozen Tundra and Joe Carter leaping for joy in 93 and Wade Boggs celebrating on horseback in 96.
But when each and every one of these title bouts seems to be smothered in theatrics and fantastic finishes, thats when I start to question if seeing is actually believing.
Not that I have any proof that were being misled, mind you, but there is much to be gained in the way of ratings and revenue when sports are a spectacle.
In my 37 years on this planet Ive grown accustomed to the fact that for every time Norwood goes wide right, we can expect a blowout with William Perry punching in a score to make things interesting. For every Mitch Williams meltdown, theres going to be Red Sox-Rockies World Series.
Thats because at their core sports truly are a microcosm of life. They come with goods and bads, thrilling tidbits, and mundane moments.
That is we should expect a championship game to be a dog every so often.
But what weve seen this past year really does seem too good to be true, so theres a part of me thats just not buying it. I no longer believe what my eyes tell me, and thats a real shame, both for me and the industry thats shaped me to think this way.
Perhaps Im dead wrong, and everything thats transpired since last summer truly has been genuine. In fact I hope Im wrong.
Sports should be real. They should be honest. They should be unaltered and pure. I know thats not always the case, but boy, I really hope weve not hit the point where were manipulating the outcomes of our greatest pastimes for the almighty dollar.