By Ryan Trapasso
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We are all evolving. Plants are evolving. Animals are evolving. Societies, governments, law, music, technology, and, yes, even sports are evolving. As bodies change, times change, and preferences change, sports have changed along with them. The advancements in technology making for better tires, engines, faster cars in NASCAR; easier to hit and longer clubs in golf, as well as more efficient ways to take care of courses; better knowledge of the human body to start training athletes more effectively at a younger age, especially in sports like football and basketball. As the passion for sports grows in our society, so, too, does the jump in participation and legitimacy of programs like AAU basketball and PAL football. I love having so many young people become involved in athletics and stepping away somewhat from the attraction to video games. So, where am I going with this? I’m saying that this evolution, from a basketball point of view, has itself an example of infancy in Coach D’Antoni.
Both praised and mocked as being an offensive innovator, Mike D’Antoni was known in Phoenix for a fast-paced, wide open style of basketball that scored a ton of points and produced some of the most exciting regular season basketball the league has seen. Night after night, you knew you were getting Steve Nash pushing the ball down your throat, a steady dose of pick-and-rolls, and a ton of threes. Steve Nash is Steve Nash, but what isn’t as widely noted is just how open the system gets players for those shots and how the Suns did play defense; it was just a different kind. The Suns were about hustle and athletic plays: steals, blocks, pushing off misses. Attack, attack, attack.
Yet, it’s not just Mike. The similarities in D’Antoni’s teams and the “new” NFL are staggering. Gone are the days of bruising, low-scoring affairs in football. The past three Super Bowls have seen the end of the old adage “run the ball, stop the run” in favor of “pass the ball, stop the pass.” It’s a quarterback’s league, now. It’s a star’s league. You attack, attack, attack. Sound familiar? You create turnovers more so than get stops, and you hope to have the ball last at the end to win the game. It’s not about building a lead and holding on to win, anymore. It’s offense. The amazing part, though, is fans are loving it. In 2009/2010, the NFL saw its best TV ratings in twenty years (the Saints/Colts matchup beat the record for viewers by M.A.S.H., for heaven’s sake), and with the league floating around more rule changes, such as the ban on the three-point stance, this new era of offense seems here to stay.
There are people who will say that you can’t win championships in sports without playing defense. My response to this is generally, “What kind of defense?” This coach’s system, defensively, thrives on athleticism and length; on turnovers you can capitalize on, much like the modern NFL. How did the Giants stop Tom Brady? Athletic plays made by their defensive line. How did Arizona come back against Pittsburgh, and how did Pittsburgh come back on them? An electric passing offense. How did the Saints have such a great season defensively and, also, pull out the win against Peyton Manning? Not bruising defense. Turnovers. How exciting were these games? Weren’t you on the edge of your seat like I was?
I understand that the NBA isn’t where the NFL is, yet, but I implore you to think about it. You do not need to play like you’re going to punish and throttle somebody carelessly who dares drive into the paint on you. There’s nothing wrong with playing hard, but step up and force them around or make a steal or a block. I don’t understand how using hard fouls and being the “bad guy” does anything beneficial for your team with how the rules are being called in games, now. You all see the touch fouls being called, so why not adapt and become more finesse; more crafty? Offense is starting to be favored in this league, so what’s wrong with trying to build a team around a system that takes advantage? Just because you’re a running team, that doesn’t mean you can’t play defense, too. It’s just not the defense most Knick fans seem used to. Wait until Coach D’Antoni has players that fit. Then, you can be the judge.
All that said, to me, there’s a more important point to be made, and this deals with the “softening” of all sports, not just basketball but certainly including it. In an increasingly concerned and cautious world, the safety of athletes of all ages has taken center stage. We’ve seen before how past generations loved smash-mouth sports. Hockey fans can surely cite bruising battles far better than I; football fans can surely look back and tell stories of trench battles, intense rivalries, brutal hits, and broken limbs. As we’ve approached the end of those generations, though, we’ve seen the result. Countless former pro athletes shells of themselves, not in an athletic sense, but in a functional, quality-of-life sense. We don’t see or hear enough the stories of the athletes who can’t function enough to take care of themselves because of the tens of concussions they suffered. We don’t see the man in the wheelchair who’s relearning how to write his own name. We don’t see the man who limps around on a cane in pain, wondering how he’s going to pay for a surgery he needs just to be able to keep walking in the limited way he does.
Too, the stories of a high school student left motionless on the field, everyone collectively holding their breath, praying he’s not paralyzed. Sometimes, he is. The young man or woman struck in the head in the batters’ box after a pitch gone awry. What about the kid who drives into the lane and is met with a hard foul? How many times has a young man or woman had their skull crash into a hardwood floor, experiencing a concussion that may rear its ugly head later on in their lives? What about a young girl taken down by a hard tackle on the soccer field, left with a broken leg? Not only can’t she play the game, but how much school will she miss? How much learning will she miss being out of school? Will it cost her a scholarship that was her only way of affording a higher education?
Obviously, there are risks playing sports, and we know this. We can’t prevent everything. I’m sure it’s true, too, that basketball is greatly less dangerous than football in the sense of spinal injuries and concussions, but that’s not to say it can’t or won’t happen. The sad thing is, though, the severity of injuries has the potential to get even worse. We have the technology and knowledge, now, to build such powerful bodies through proper nutrition and training, that the dangers are so very great. Can anyone argue against the positive aspects of the NFL banning players from “launching” themselves into another player, or the ban on helmet-to-helmet contact? What about NASCAR with the Dale Earnhardt tragedy and the introduction of required harnesses, and restrictor plates well before that? If we can limit injuries and still enjoy playing the sports we love, isn’t change worth it? There will always be people who want the “good ole days,” but I argue bring on the change. Bring on better training, athleticism, and a “softer” game for all sports. If it protects people and makes sports more exciting and fun for everyone involved, why not?
Fans like offense. With the explosion in popularity of fantasy sports, as well as the rise in ratings for sports lately (see: the ultimate case of “basketball on grass,” the 2010 Pro Bowl), this is something we know. Maybe it’s just me, but I can’t see that appetite for excitement diminishing, nor can I see a decrease in the need to better protect young people while still allowing them to play a game they love. This new wave, in many different sports, seems to be the real deal. I argue that it’s time the fans start to look at it from a different perspective and see how exciting the evolution of the sport we love could be. Now, basketball may not reach it as fast as football has, and, who knows, maybe, it never will, but I think we can adjust and enjoy ourselves even more than we ever imagined if it does.
minutes later he had the chance to speak with the legendary coach of Syracuse, Mr. Jim Boeheim. Fresh off Syracuse’s big win last night over Villanova, Coach Boeheim had plenty to talk about, including his current team and his former players now thriving in the NBA. Also, listen to hear what Coach thinks his old Team USA star LeBron James will do once he hits the free agent market this summer.
Randolph’s Memphis Grizzlies.
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I’m not even sure he had his infamous gold tooth when he finally appeared on Broadway.