Tuesday, November 11, 2008

The Fabric of America

Do you recall an era where players spent their entire career playing for the same sports team? It wasn't uncommon for a guy to be drafted straight out of college and play every season with the same club until the day he retired. Occasionally somebody might be traded, but boy oh boy that was big news!! I mean, switching teams - c'mon!!

As a result of this old school loyalty, great rivalries formed. Bears - Packers, lookout America! Those guys hate each other! Dodgers - Yankees, oh this oughta be good! Those guys hate each other! Lakers - Celtics, grab a chair! Those guys hate each other!

Well those days are over, people (sigh). Thanks to free agency, your favorite players get richer and richer while bouncing from one team to the next. It's not uncommon now for a guy's bio to read, "He's played shortstop for twelve different major league teams and is hoping to catch on with a thirteenth next season." Personally I find it harder to root for any team anymore. The guys I root for this season will all be playing for another team the next season - and then I'll have to root against them. It all comes down to this: we're basically just rooting for clothing...just rooting for a uniform and an insignia - doesn't matter who's actually wearing the stuff.

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