Who deserves ESPYs? (it's a big night for Peyton)

The ESPYs have long been one of sports' best award shows. The very first televised show gave us the immortally inspirational Jimmy V speech, and ever since then, have provided us with fantastic speeches, entertainment, and excitement. While all of the nominees this year are certainly deserving of their respective awards, which are the most deserving?

Best Male Athlete
Nominees: Kevin Durant, Peyton Manning, Floyd Mayweather, Miguel Cabrera

All of these athletes were fairly unquestionably the best at their respective sports, so deciding who was the best of the best requires us to look to other categories, such as challenges faced, winning ability, and the scientifically calculated 'wow factor'. Mayweather was great, winning both of his fights this year, but he was expected to win and it felt as if his level of challenge was not great. KD and Miggy were both spectacular, but only Peyton was able to get to the Super Bowl, his finals. The man(ning) also broke both the TD and passing yards records, which falls right around the line of unheard of.
Verdict: Manning

Best Female Athlete
Nominees: Maya Moore, Breanna Stewart, Ronda Rousey, Mikaela Shiffrin

All of these women rocked their sports, but no one was quite as captivating as UFC fighter Ronda Rousey. She took the fighting world by storm with attitude and dominance. I'd be afraid to not give her the win.
Verdict: Rousey

Best Championship Performance
Nominees: Jimmie Johnson, Kawhi Leonard, David Ortiz, Shabazz Napier

This is tough, but for me it comes to two people: Leonard and Big Papi. While Napier and Johnson were fantastic, I think Napier was actually better throughout the tournament than his performance in the championship game, and does anyone really want to see a racer win when most of the voters don't even know what the NASCAR championship is? No disrespect, Jimmie. Leonard rose above the ranks of supporting cast Spur to Finals MVP, after three truly fantastic games in Games 3, 4, and 5. Leonard's shooting was dynamic, his contribution to the Spurs' pass-first offense obvious, and did one of the best jobs ever guarding LeBron James. However, Leonard wasn't an overly fantastic factor in Games 1 and 2, whereas Big Papi's championship batting average of .668 is more consistent. Consistently ridiculous.
Verdict: Ortiz

Best Team
Nominees: Seattle Seahawks, San Antonio Spurs, UConn Women's Basketball, Los Angeles Kings, Boston Red Sox, Florida State Football

These are all championship teams, so no team sets itself apart by being able to win the big one. However, dominance throughout the regular season can narrow the field, so I'm going to bring it down to UConn, Seattle, and San Antonio. I think the Spurs truly set themselves apart by being so dominant throughout the season despite playing their stars less than the average team, and truly getting it done throughout the playoffs. However, what tips me towards the Spurs is the way they truly encompass the 'team' heading by gelling together and playing team-first basketball in a sport becoming increasingly focused on individual performance. In terms of truly excelling as a team, San Antonio rises above the rest, though any team in this field is worthy.
Verdict: San Antonio

Best Game
Nominees: Alabama vs. Auburn (Iron Bowl), Chiefs vs. Colts (AFC Wild Card), Kings vs. Rangers (Game 5)

Every one of these games was captivating because a big play in the final seconds won it. By that logic, I'm going to pick the game with the most exciting big play: the Iron Bowl. The other two games were great, but the Iron Bowl, and in particular Chris Davis' FG return, is absolutely legendary. This is the type of the game, especially considering the stakes of the rivalry, that will be talked about for ages. I'm not sure I can say the same about the other two games.
Verdict: Iron Bowl

Best Breakthrough Athlete
Nominees: Nick Foles, Masahiro Tanaka, Richard Sherman, Damian Lilliard

These athletes all performed incredibly, but I'm going to start off by eliminating Nick Foles because he didn't play the full season and while very good, didn't dominate on a week-to-week basis. My prediction is that Sherman will win, but I don't consider him to be a 'breakthrough' athlete because he was already considered to be one of the best corners in the game, just not by the average football fan. His post-championship game speech introduced a whole new legion of people to his dominance (see Richard Sherman article from January), but again, his dominance already existed. Establishing that, I'm going to say that Tanaka is the most deserving. Lilliard was incredibly, but Tanaka truly 'broke out' by coming from being unknown in the US to a shutdown pitcher for the Yanks.
Verdict: Tanaka

Those are the athletes I think are most deserving of their respective awards. Did voters agree with me? Find out on ESPN at 9pm!

The Beautiful Game Leads A Beautiful Charge

     I won't pretend to be an expert on soccer. I know as much, maybe a little more, as the next sports fan. The MLS has never really caught on in the US, and our obsession with just about every other sport fits in with our American way of being different. However, this year's World Cup was able to completely change the context of soccer in America, if only for 2 weeks. The beautiful display of heart and pride exhibited by our now beloved 23 red, white and blue-clad men is seemingly juxtapositional with the little relevance of soccer in America, but upon closer examination, exhibits the American spirit in the way only sports can.
     There were plenty of moments throughout the World Cup when giving up seemed a good option: starting with being placed in the 'Group of Death'. Experts predicted American failure at seemingly every opportunity, even now fan-favorite coach Jurgen Klinsmann commented on the impossibility of American victory in Brazil. As a nation, we cautiously watched our crucial game against Ghana tip off. While we didn't witness a spectacular performance, it was probably our worst of the Cup, we saw a type of determination we take pride in. From Clint Dempsey getting back on the field after breaking his nose, to the I-dare-you-not-to-smile moment when unknown sub John Brooks headed in the game-breaking goal, we showed true heart. In America, heart is everything. Faced with difficult circumstances, we prevailed, truly exhibiting the American spirit.
Feeling good, we played a dominant game against Portugal. Jermaine Jones scored a beautiful goal, Dempsey followed, and we were able to contain reigning Ballon d'Or champion Cristiano Ronaldo. Of course, it made it that much harder to bear when Portugal scored the equalizer with 35 seconds left in extra time. Well it was easy to lose faith after the shocking draw, our team, and with it our country, was able to remain composure and consider the positives of drawing with a world-class Portugal team. What better representation of the American, someone who can see the positive in depressing and extenuating circumstances?
Even in our loss to Germany, we were still victorious in that we made it to the next round (and in hindsight, only surrendered a single goal to Die Mannschaft, worlds better than the 7 host nation Brazil surrendered yesterday).
We eagerly awaited the game against Belgium, and what a game it was. There were so many hold-your-breath moments that it's no wonder we didn't all suffer respiratory issues. During regulation time, we had nothing to worry about: we had Tim Howard. While we suffered the heartbreaking loss, sinking after allowing 2 goals, perking back up after Julian Green netted a goal, and tearing our hair out at every oh-so-close opportunity (Wondolowski, Wondolowski!), and ultimately the disappointment of realizing this captivating journey was over, we went through it together. These players went to Brazil as a bunch of vaguely familiar names, and came back heroes (except for Tim Howard, he's a legend). For two weeks, these 23 guys were able to not only unite, but united a nation. Despite our elimination to Belgium, we were able to see the type of heart that is not only refreshing, but inspiring. Well it would have been nice to continue in the bracket, we were still treated, in every sense of the word. Besides, freedom tastes better than waffles anyhow.

Can the Wizards Break DC's Sports Plight?

Promise. On the DC Sports scene, it’s hard to come by and even harder to hold on to, constantly slipping out of the grasp we thought we had secured. We thought we had it when the Redskins made the playoffs in 2012, when DC football seemed rejuvenated and full of hope. If 2013 is any indication, we were wrong. We thought we had it when the Nationals were the best team in the MLB, with the hottest young stars and the right veteran leadership. Pete Kozma changed that. The Capitals? Don’t even get me started on how many times we promised ourselves we were talented enough to make it past the 2^nd round. 

No, promise is something our teams show in flashes, but are never able to hold onto. But the Wizards? They hadn’t given us any sense of promise since we were using Nokia N70s and iPod Shuffles. Post-2007-2008 season, we’ve followed dismal season after dismal season, ridiculous overspending on free agent after free agent (Rashard Lewis anyone?), bad lottery position after bad lottery position, despite our good odds, and random European big man after random European big man becoming another bust. Until. 

Until this year, the year we finally got over the hump. We had a WINNING season. We made the PLAYOFFS. We won a SERIES. And goddammit, we almost knocked off the number one seed. These Wizards? The consensus is that they’re just warming up. We’ve got a young, strong backcourt, abundant veteran leadership, and great team chemistry. Of course, we’ve heard this before. Maybe it’s naivë to think we can retain the sort of promise our other teams exhibited. But something about these Wizards is different. They’ve struggled for so long. They took the time to rebuild instead of hoping one free agent will fix all their problems. Young, growing players highlight the team. Maybe, it’s finally time for DC to emerge out of the hopeless nature of the past. 

As Al Harrington said, to no one in particular as the final buzzer sounded after the Game 5 win against Indiana, “We’ll be back.”

Are Statistics Killing the Essence of Sports?

Legacy is complicated. We all want to live on in other people's stories, memories, and thoughts, but it is hard to recount a legacy, as other people did not experience these stories, memories, etc. with you. In a society increasingly becoming more skeptical, proof is often the first item we ask for after an assertion. In sports, this factual basis is a constant battleground of stat junkies vs. fans, and can often determine the legacy of a moment.
Statistics have to be cited in nearly every conversation about sports, and often, they can be helpful in proving a point. The stats have often been mentioned when talking about NBA star Kevin Durant, and his 41-game streak of 25+ points per game, which ended in early April. This incredible feat is further enhanced upon examining the stats, and these figures clearly serve their purpose. However, years from now when we look back at this amazing string of games, what will we remember? Will we focus on the numbers, and the significance of these numbers in a factual context as compared to other NBA legends? Or will we remember the moments, the dominance, the amazing shots, and the hot streaks? It's a complicated question, and it goes right to the heart of sports.

The true beauty of sports lies in its ability to amaze. It's about the unforgettable heroics: the successful desperation hail mary, the walk-off home run, the buzzer beater, the overtime goal, the moments you dream about as a kid and get to live vicariously through as a fan. It's about the inspirational moments: your countryman winning the gold, the player getting back up, two opposing athletes helping each other, the scrub sinking the game-winning shot. It's about the awe: the freakishly athletic plays, the beautiful finesse, the brute strength, and the amazing strategies, the times that make you stop and just admire the true talent you're witnessing. Sports isn't truly about numbers, or even trends: it's about moments. Moments that statistics will never be able to capture, because a number, no matter how impressive, just doesn't that captivating ability.

Boston and baseball fans alike will always remember Jonny Gomes' series-changing game 4 home run. This hit, which was the key turning point of the 2013 world series, will live on forever. But what will live on? The statistics just don't tell the complete story: Gomes was batting .152 that postseason, and it was a 3-run homer in the 6th inning. Sound groundbreaking? Not exactly. But watching that moment, watching this journeyman veteran blow open a world series, was awe-inspiring, heroic, and inspirational. The stats suggest it was a crap hitter hitting a HR in the middle of a world series game, in the middle of a series. That's not the legacy anyone wants to remember from the moment, except for Cardinals fans and Seth Maness. The true legacy lies in the moment.

The ongoing argument of the existence of 'clutchness' in sports is a prime battleground for the stat junkies to assert their superiority. Stat junkies assert that there is no such thing as hot hand, clutch hitter, or 4th-quarter QB.Through complex algorithms that the average sports fan cannot understand, they claim to have proven that these clutch moments are actually random. True or false, is this really how we want to understand sports? Should we just discredit the Jerry Wests, David Ortizes, and Joe Montanas of sports, Thanksgiving football and playground basketball included? The concept of clutch may not exist in a numerical sense, but no one can deny that with a minute left in the game and down by 2, you would want Tom Brady under center instead of an *arguably* equal QB such as Peyton Manning. Our brains may tell us that with an equal receiving corps and similar numbers throughout their careers, the choice doesn't matter. But our heart reminds us of the Super Bowl drives against the Panthers and Rams, and 2013's dramatic comebacks against the Saints and Broncos. 

Sports are all about heart, and using statistics as a legacy won't allow us to understand the true significance of sports' make-or-break moments.

For short-term analysis, and even long-term analysis, stats are helpful in backing up a point. That being said, the true legacy of sports lie in the moments that make us love them in the first place.

Championship Week

Attention everyone! Sports Gab Champ Week is now available! Just hit the 'NCAA Men's Basketball' heading to check out my predictions, articles, explanations, and more!

Conflict's Antidote: The Beauty of Sport

     As the 23rd Winter Olympics came to a close, as a single tear ran down the face of that creepy bear, we too cried. We, the people of the world, united for 2 short weeks, collectively mourned the ending of a beautiful reunion, a single tear reducing us back to independent nations: nations conflicting, nations warring, nations at peace. But for 2 glorious weeks, our troubled, conflicted nations of the world united and rejoiced together, celebrating who else but our most prized athletes. The true beauty of the Olympics celebrates the true beauty of sport: its uncanny ability to bring together.
     Jeremy Abbott is a four-time US national figure skating champion, and yet when the most pressure  is on, during the Olympics, he has trouble delivering. If the name doesn't ring a bell, surely the memory of the American skater crashing into the wall on a quad jump, and stayed down for about 20 seconds. Abbott may have lost the competition with his unfortunate fall, but he surely won over Americans when, miraculously, he got up. Behind in his program, battered and bruised, and surely in awful amounts of pain, Abbott made the decision to get up and keep skating. Beautifully, I might add. Tell me that didn't give you chills. I won't believe you. No matter what your problems were at that particular moment, we as Americans were compelled to this man we'd known for all of 1 minute, for the drive he exhibited that made us proud to live in the U-S-of-A. Nationally, sports bring us such immense joy. Whether it was Charlie White and Meryl Davis getting the win, the US sweep in men's ski slope style, or Mikaela Shiffrin crying at the top of the podium, we were proud to call ourselves Americans. Sports bring the ultimate pride and joy.
     Maybe the Olympics exist as a platform for what we aspire to be, as a global community. Sure, competition is the immediate backdrop, but doesn't that sort of represent the world? We are all competing with each other for the most revenue, power, etc., but if you delve deeper, we all have deep ties and bonds interconnecting. The Olympics is a representation of this. We are all competing to be the best, but we still gather to celebrate our collective prowess and make friends. Athletes from all over the globe, whatever their countries' conflicts may be, help each other out. This is what we strive for our world to be.
     Sports are able to bring our world together in a way that no else can, and this is the beauty of it. Our most prized athletes put everything on the line for the pride and joy of not just their respective countries' citizens, but the world. Whatever conflict and strife occurs in the world, sports in the Olympics draws us closer. For 2 weeks, we are able to break the lines between our countries, and gather to collectively celebrate the athlete, in all its beauty. Countries still have troubles, concerns, wars even, but the Olympics disregards that. As the Olympic flame stays lit, so too does hope, a light guiding us, the nations of the world, towards the sweet salvation of global cooperation. Hope abounds. Pride flows. Sports triumph.

Was Richard Sherman so wrong?

My first reaction to Richard Sherman's expletive-filled, live-televised rant? I doubled over laughing. Unlike most of America, instead of gaping in outrage, taking offense, or freaking out, I was rolling on the ground in uncontrollable laughter. It was funny! Even though I, and I suspect most teenagers, were laughing, I knew that American society might not perceive it as well.
Basically, the game ended after a TD pass intended for Michael Crabtree was batted by Sherman into the hands of waiting linebacker Malcolm Smith. Sherman proceeded to make the choke sign at Crabtree (for which he was penalized, though it didn't matter of course), and in his post-game interview with Erin Andrews, categorized himself as the best corner in the league, trashed Crabtree, and used a decent amount of expletives in the process. After, Twitter erupted-everyone who was anyone seemed to have an opinion. When Crabtree himself tweeted, criticizing Sherman, Sherman responded with "A lion doesn't concern himself with the opinions of a sheep". The majority of people shamed him for having no discipline and/or sportsmanship, while a couple praised his passion. Whatever the stance, one thing was certain: everyone knew about Richard Sherman.
Had Sherman not made these comments, what would have been thought of his game-clinching play? No doubt it would have been praised, but perhaps only football experts would understand Sherman's impact, while the majority of people would focus on the man who made the interception, or perhaps Kaepernick's throw. By drawing so much attention to himself, Sherman's play was recognized for what it was. Sherman did not just talk the talk, he walked the walk. Had Sherman not made the play, and still made the comments, I would have a problem. Fortunately, that's not the case. Sherman's getting plenty of attention for his fantastic play, that likely would have been absent in the event of his not commenting.
Richard Sherman is undoubtedly one of the better cornerbacks in the league, as most know. By declaring himself the best, obviously, he has opened himself to criticism. But would a dialogue on his being the best even exist had he not called himself out? Discussion of his prominence would be nowhere near as wide-open as it is now: sure his play would warrant some consideration, but likely, there would not have been discussion as to his being the best CB in the league. Similar to when Eli Manning and Joe Flacco called themselves elite, the conversation had a platform with which to be discussed on. Had any of these men, Sherman included, not made the comments they did, there likely would not be a conversation. Interestingly enough, the times in which these quarterbacks called themselves elite was the offseason before each man won the Super Bowl. Coincidence? Maybe, but perhaps the existence of a discussion on each man's eliteness propelled them to win it all.
Establishing the above, and accepting the fact that Sherman backed up his words with stellar play, can we excuse his alleged poor sportsmanship and expletive use, on live television? Maybe not, but the passion Sherman exhibited cannot be denied. Put yourself in Sherman's shoes-you've just made the game-winning play against a receiver who's considered to be one of the best, and now your team is going to the Super Bowl, the most coveted spot in perhaps all of sports, but most definitely in football, your line of work. I know I would be so charged up, I'd probably curse Crabtree out myself, maybe even on live TV. Sherman was so hyped up, I'm surprised he didn't call himself the best linebacker, hell, the best quarterback, in the league as well. The palpable passion Sherman exuded may have been a bit too extravagant, considering the circumstances, but can we really deny him the chance to celebrate? Critics of Sherman argue that maybe he was passionate, but on account of the impact his words have, due to the nature of where he works and its large amounts of viewers, he should know better than to express his passion in such an 'inappropriate' way, where he knew a large audience would receive it. These people have a point, but when one is so pumped up and passionate, is it reasonable to expect him to contain himself?
Maybe the blame falls on American society itself. We are so afraid of our words or actions being taken the wrong way, being judged, that we have evolved into a hyper-politically correct society. In a country where people have to constantly watch what they say, it's hard. We all slip up. Why should a professional athlete be any different? We expect those with impact to set a good example, and that good example means conforming to a society that stems from intense and necessary neutrality. Maybe we expect too much, especially in the face of passion. What Sherman said was just an extension of the immense fervor and enthusiasm he felt. Isn't that why we love sports? Watching people lay it all on the line for the good of their team, and mirroring their passion with our own? Watching football is about gritting your teeth, tensing up, and watching behind clenched fingers. Loving football is about the overflowing excitement and joy of seeing the people you back come out on top. Sherman? He was just loving football, the reason we pay attention to people like Sherman in the first place: because we love it.
At the end of the day, was Sherman so wrong? If he wants to enjoy his game-saving play, so be it. Who are we to let our politically correct society keep him from it? We are criticizing a man who graduated from Stanford with a degree in communication, is currently working on his master's, writes a column for Sports Illustrated, and in football circles is considered to be one of the most intelligent guys around. He is not stupid, or naive. If Sherman could go back and choose to change his actions, would he? He is currently the most-talked about athlete (if not person, thanks to Justin Bieber) in the nation, has opened a dialogue on his being the best cornerback in the league, and is now playing in the Super Bowl. I know I wouldn't. So maybe, just maybe, he's not so bad after all.