The following paragraph opened Peter King's All-Pro picks in this week's Sports Illustrated:
"Why is pro football the country's No. 1 sport? It's because the NFL always has new stars at the ready. San Diego's LaDainian Tomlinson starts to slow at 29 and -- boom! -- here come Minnesota's Adrian Peterson and Tennessee's Chris Johnson, both 23, to provide thrills at running back."
The paragraph is slightly revised in its online inarnation:
"The NFL has become the country's irreplaceable sport, and I maintain it's because the league always has a crop of new stars at the ready. LaDainian Tomlinson hits 29 and -- boom -- here come Adrian Peterson and Chris Johnson, both 23, to provide thrills at running back."
What?
You can make a list of reasons why football is the most popular sport in the nation right now; its 16-game schedule and the pageantry of each game probably is at the top of the list.
But its influx of young stars? That's what lifts football over baseball (Hanley Ramirez, B.J. Upton, Evan Longoria), basketball (Derrick Rose, Rajon Rondo, Kevin Durant) and hockey (Sidney Crosby, Alex Ovechkin, Phil Kessel)?
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2 comments:
Totally agree, although I think in football you do see young stars being celebrated in a different way, due to their large guaranteed contracts right away, which is the exception in baseball. By the way, I love all this press CJ is getting, i think Slaton and Forte are just as good if not better. Slaton did win my fantasy leage for me :)
I think there is more attention paid to NBA young stars than NFL young stars. And I base this on the scientific measurement of just what I remember.
I think KSK has the whole Peter King hatred thing covered, though.
Word: fidit
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