Apr 11th, 2006 - Rivaling a Rivalry
The perception of being a sports writer is far from the reality. While most sports fans think it is the ultimate gig to have, few can appreciate what it takes to be one of the greats at that particular game.
That?s ?cause to rank as one of those, they have to be capable of writing about a mid-November Florida Panthers, Columbus Blue Jackets match-up or a meaningless April tilt between the Charlotte Bobcats and the Atlanta Hawks and make both interesting reads.
And they have to do all that to a deadline ? with no beer to consume to make it all seem interesting even to them.
That is why sports writers love a good rivalry because there is no hunting or pecking for a story line. There is one already built right in and all the writer has to do, almost quite literally, is fill in the blanks. Have you noticed how many rivalries there are these days? Take baseball. Besides the classic Red Sox - Yankees, the oldest and best in North American sports, numerous others have been put forth by scribes looking to make their jobs just a wee bit easier. Like the I-55 Series between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Chicago Cubs. There's even something someone made up called the Juice-Beer rivalry between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Houston Astros.
A stretch? Sure, but at 11:00pm on a hot August night following the Cards on the road for the 10th straight day, and with that deadline looming, to a beat writer that?s pure Pulitzer material baby.
Rivalry stories write themselves in all sports, so much so that they have become formulaic. Next time a classic match-up comes around, test the writer to see if they are mailing it in.
If they start with the line, ?The latest chapter in the storied rivalry between ______ & _______...? you know that guy or girl is on auto-typing-pilot. Another sure sign is if it ends with the ubiquitous, ??and the rivalry continues.?
Hey, I?m not trying to be being critical. Rivalries work, real or manufactured. They add spice to those sometimes dry as toast mid-season games. After all, no team is always in the midst of a great season. But even if they are in last place, it?s nice to be able to write about a team getting ?up? for the latest re-match with their chief rival.
Yes, sports writers love a good rivalry, and by extension, that is why you love a good rivalry. If you read about something enough, it simply has to be true.
The real truth however is, most of these so called rivalries - for the athletes anyway - simply don?t exist. Unlike fans, today?s athletes are not lifers for a team. They are free-agents or trade-bait, and usually have moved once or twice in their careers at least. Even if they catch on with a team straight from being drafted, it?s rare for them to remain with a team throughout their career.
For these transient professionals, asking them about how they feel going into a game between their ?arch-rival? from down the road, when it?s the first time they?ve met them in their current uniform, will probably be met with a, ?arch-what??
Fans know all about the rivalry. Athletes? not so much. They?re simply too young, and haven?t been around long enough to either know or to care.
That?s in team sports. In individual sports however it?s another matter entirely. Rivalries truly do exist. Individual competitors do go head-to-head and do develop honest to goodness hate-ons for one another.
Lately, the ultimate individual of all sports, golf, rivalries such as these have been almost totally lacking.
In the women?s game, it?s been all Annika S?renstam-all-the-time. The most dominant player of her time ? or perhaps anytime ? has been a one woman show since last century. If she lost, it was literally a surprise.
Now she may have actual competition in the young forms of Michelle Wie and Natalie Gulbis and you will have noticed instantly by one clear indicator. The ink-stained wretches are waxing on about how women?s golf has become a ?classic rivalry between youth and experience.?
In the men?s game for the past decade, it?s been all-Tiger-all-the-time. There have been only pretenders to his throne, with the only legitimate chance for them to be considered best in the game was when Woods was re-working his swing.
Now ? it is an open question.
At the Masters over this past weekend, only two players were truly battling for the Green Jacket. One, Tiger, has already won four of them; the other was the last player to win a major. While the rest of the field appeared to be just trying to hang in there on the leader board, Phil Mickelson and Woods were actively going for the win.
It?s easy to say that had Tiger not been 41st in putting out of 47 players, he would have had his fifth Masters title. But that?s the nature of the game. Had Phil done what he almost invariably used to do, blow up when he could least afford it, he wouldn?t have won his second.
But he didn?t, and he did.
Now there are two on top, both in world rankings and in expectations.
At the U.S. Open at Winged Foot Golf Club in June, it?s great to be able to finally write:
??and the rivalry continues.?
Cheers - Gavin McDougald - AKA Couch
Remember to drop us a line at rants@betED.com to voice your opinion on one of McDougald's articles or on anything else you read at betED.com !
The perception of being a sports writer is far from the reality. While most sports fans think it is the ultimate gig to have, few can appreciate what it takes to be one of the greats at that particular game.
That?s ?cause to rank as one of those, they have to be capable of writing about a mid-November Florida Panthers, Columbus Blue Jackets match-up or a meaningless April tilt between the Charlotte Bobcats and the Atlanta Hawks and make both interesting reads.
And they have to do all that to a deadline ? with no beer to consume to make it all seem interesting even to them.
That is why sports writers love a good rivalry because there is no hunting or pecking for a story line. There is one already built right in and all the writer has to do, almost quite literally, is fill in the blanks. Have you noticed how many rivalries there are these days? Take baseball. Besides the classic Red Sox - Yankees, the oldest and best in North American sports, numerous others have been put forth by scribes looking to make their jobs just a wee bit easier. Like the I-55 Series between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Chicago Cubs. There's even something someone made up called the Juice-Beer rivalry between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Houston Astros.
A stretch? Sure, but at 11:00pm on a hot August night following the Cards on the road for the 10th straight day, and with that deadline looming, to a beat writer that?s pure Pulitzer material baby.
Rivalry stories write themselves in all sports, so much so that they have become formulaic. Next time a classic match-up comes around, test the writer to see if they are mailing it in.
If they start with the line, ?The latest chapter in the storied rivalry between ______ & _______...? you know that guy or girl is on auto-typing-pilot. Another sure sign is if it ends with the ubiquitous, ??and the rivalry continues.?
Hey, I?m not trying to be being critical. Rivalries work, real or manufactured. They add spice to those sometimes dry as toast mid-season games. After all, no team is always in the midst of a great season. But even if they are in last place, it?s nice to be able to write about a team getting ?up? for the latest re-match with their chief rival.
Yes, sports writers love a good rivalry, and by extension, that is why you love a good rivalry. If you read about something enough, it simply has to be true.
The real truth however is, most of these so called rivalries - for the athletes anyway - simply don?t exist. Unlike fans, today?s athletes are not lifers for a team. They are free-agents or trade-bait, and usually have moved once or twice in their careers at least. Even if they catch on with a team straight from being drafted, it?s rare for them to remain with a team throughout their career.
For these transient professionals, asking them about how they feel going into a game between their ?arch-rival? from down the road, when it?s the first time they?ve met them in their current uniform, will probably be met with a, ?arch-what??
Fans know all about the rivalry. Athletes? not so much. They?re simply too young, and haven?t been around long enough to either know or to care.
That?s in team sports. In individual sports however it?s another matter entirely. Rivalries truly do exist. Individual competitors do go head-to-head and do develop honest to goodness hate-ons for one another.
Lately, the ultimate individual of all sports, golf, rivalries such as these have been almost totally lacking.
In the women?s game, it?s been all Annika S?renstam-all-the-time. The most dominant player of her time ? or perhaps anytime ? has been a one woman show since last century. If she lost, it was literally a surprise.
Now she may have actual competition in the young forms of Michelle Wie and Natalie Gulbis and you will have noticed instantly by one clear indicator. The ink-stained wretches are waxing on about how women?s golf has become a ?classic rivalry between youth and experience.?
In the men?s game for the past decade, it?s been all-Tiger-all-the-time. There have been only pretenders to his throne, with the only legitimate chance for them to be considered best in the game was when Woods was re-working his swing.
Now ? it is an open question.
At the Masters over this past weekend, only two players were truly battling for the Green Jacket. One, Tiger, has already won four of them; the other was the last player to win a major. While the rest of the field appeared to be just trying to hang in there on the leader board, Phil Mickelson and Woods were actively going for the win.
It?s easy to say that had Tiger not been 41st in putting out of 47 players, he would have had his fifth Masters title. But that?s the nature of the game. Had Phil done what he almost invariably used to do, blow up when he could least afford it, he wouldn?t have won his second.
But he didn?t, and he did.
Now there are two on top, both in world rankings and in expectations.
At the U.S. Open at Winged Foot Golf Club in June, it?s great to be able to finally write:
??and the rivalry continues.?
Cheers - Gavin McDougald - AKA Couch
Remember to drop us a line at rants@betED.com to voice your opinion on one of McDougald's articles or on anything else you read at betED.com !
