The Low Down SPORTS AIN'T WHAT IT USED TO BE

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  Either I'm delusional or outside of my house looks like Lambeaugh Field. This ain't Green Bay this is Baltimore, Md.. I should be able to look out of my house and at least see across the street let alone the actual street. The strangest shit happened to me the other day while I was watching the Superbowl. I actually fell asleep in the 4th quarter, because I didn't really give a damn. The biggest game of the year and there was really no interest on my part. Now don't get me wrong I despise the Colts like every true Baltimorian should, but other than that this game was lacking something and I just couldn't put my finger on it. Then it hit me. Outside of Peyton Manning and maybe Reggie Kardashian there was no star power or controversial figures to make the game exciting. Which led me to thinking about the landscape of sports now vs yesteryear.
• I have had the fortune of witnessing both the best individual athletes and sports teams of All time. From Joe Montana and Jerry Rice to Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul Jabarr, I got to watch sports played at the highest level. Now don't get me wrong today's athletes can do some amazing things out there , but they lack the appeal and don't garner the respect of the masses the way their former contemporaries did.
• You know where it all went wrong for each sport. I will tell you. In basketball it started with the man I call both a blessing and a curse Michael Jeffrey Jordan. There was nothing more prettier than watching Air Jordan do his thing and lead his team to victory, but what happened after that forever changed the way the game was played. Michael influenced every young player coming up and led them to believe that one man was above the crew and if you wanted to win bad enough sometimes you had to do it yourself. ESPN and A Pimp Named Stern ate it up and Michael was the face of the league. What ESPN, Michael, and Stern didn't tell you was it is OK to be the man on the court as long as you didn't wear corn rolls, grab your nuts,come late to practice and wear pants sagging off your ass. A new era of guys who dreamt of being like Mike including Penny,Grant,A I,Grand Ma Ma, Cwebb,Tmac,Vinsanity and KB were told to wear suits conform and oh yeah that highlight isolation shit you saw with Mike is no more. You will pass the ball and love it. The rules will dictate that one man will never ever be able to dominate and be the sole reason his team wins again. In the process A pimp Named Stern killed individuality and creativity and shoe companies and major sponsors followed his lead. Back in the day stars had their own shoes and you knew them through marketing and commercials. Now if you are not KB 24 or Queen James no one knows what the hell you wear or who you are. Kevin Durant averages 29 points a game and you say who that kid from Texas. What shoes do Carmello and Chris Paul wear. Ever seen Joe Johnson or Darren Williams in a commercial. What position does Brandon Roy play. Get the picture yet.
• When was the last time you got excited about watching a game that Kobe wasn't a part of. For all of your love of Lebron there is really no marketing behind any other teams not named the Lakers or Celtics. Until the marketing gets better and players in Memphis get exposure everyone is going to want to play in LA, Boston or NY.
• How do you fix the problem. Change the rules to the way they were in the 80's and early 90's. Stop hiring those Dr. Phil sensitive ass referees and get someone who can appreciate hard fouls . Let Bill Laimbeer or Rick Mahorn train your referees.
• Bring back trash talking. Remember Reggie and Spike Lee going at it. What about Jordan and Starks. Those mutherfuckers talked shit and had to back it up. Imagine Kobe and Dwade exchanging words and elbows and going at it every time they played as if it was game 7 winner take all. What about Boozier tired of seeing Kirelinko getting abused floors Lebron with a hard take down. Nothing to injure him but vicious enough to make him think twice about coming down the lane next time. The reason why you used to see Mike dunking on centers was because there was no fear of taking a man out. Trust me for every dunk you saw on Sports Center there were six or seven take downs of Mike that he paid the price for. The paint was not place for point guards or guys named Sasha or Peja.
• Get rid of zone defense, doubling a man off the ball and bring back isolation on the wing. Mike made a living off that shit. Imagine if Stacy King had to take the last shot, because Mike was being triple teamed off the ball. America would be pissed as shit. The thing back in the day was you wanted your team to win and see Jordan drop 40. Could you imagine Kobe,Queen James, Dwade isolated at the top of the key and a defender at their mercy. I know if I had 6 fouls to give they would be on that line with the battle scars to show for it or they would be some jump shooting mutherfuckers.
• We are being robbed of some fantastic individual performances and there are no true rivalries outside of the Lakers vs the NBA. Don't get me wrong team ball is a beautiful to watch, but there was nothing wrong with watching AI carry the Sixers, or Tmac carrying the Magic. There are many different ways to win and I want a Pimp Named Stern to put creativity and artistry back into the game. I want a game where men can be men without the fear of suspension. If I want nice clean ball I will watch the WNBA.
• I want a league where I recognize players from commercials and I know what brands they endorse. I want a league where it is ok to be a Raptor or a Grizzly. I want a league where players are known for representing the city that they play in with pride. I don't think Brandon Jennings wears his Bucks uniform with pride at all. Last but not least I want a league wear I can watch regular season games from start to finish and enjoy them like a true fan.
• THIS IS ONLY PART 1.
• I'M OUT LIKE PEYTON MANNING AFTER YET ANOTHER POST SEASON FAILURE.