From the Empirical Archives: Crowned by Dan O'Brien

Crowned
LeBron "King" James

Dan O'Brien

Originally published in the September 2012 issue of Empirical

"LeBrown James with Halo"
PHOTO: Craig Hatfield

I have always loved basketball.

When I was much younger I would sit by the TV with a pen and pad and write down the order of the NBA draft as it was announced. I remember quite clearly talking about the free throw percentage of particular players during the playoffs as an indicator of their eventual success. As I grew up, the game changed. Michael Jordan and Larry Bird were replaced with players who no longer seemed bigger than the game, but demanded to be. My brother and I pretending to be Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen as we played on cracked asphalt, shooting a basketball through chain nets, was a thing of the past.

Harbaugh's Heroes: Ray Rice vs. Frank Gore

Ray Rice vs. Frank Gore

by Dan O'Brien

Photo credit: cbsnews.com

The comparisons continue; this time with two premier backs. Frank Gore became the leading rusher in 49ers history this year and has stuck with the team through thick and thin. Ray Rice became the main attraction of a powerful run game the moment he stepped on the field. Both of these running backs are strong downfield runners who are not afraid of some contact. Part of what makes this Super Bowl (or Harbowl) so fascinating is that the match-up is between two old-style clubs: a strong run offense and a hardnosed, lights-out defense.

Ray Rice

Photo credit: sports-kings.com

Ray Rice is a complete running back. He is great off-tackle and he is great in the open field. He has the speed and the strength to be considered an elite running back, which he most certainly is. When he came into the league in 2008, he was not the first option for Baltimore. This, however, quickly changed. In 2009, he rushed for 1339 yards and 7 touchdowns. He caught 78 passes for 702 yards, solidifying his presence as a double-threat back. In 2012, the year that matters because the Ravens are in the Super Bowl, he rushed for 1143 yards and 9 touchdowns; he added to that 61 receptions for 478 yards. Despite a strong season, this was by no means his best season. 

Frank Gore

Photo Credit: examiner.com

Frank Gore is a part of 49ers history and this game might mean more to him than a lot of the other guys on the team. Gore, while being a powerful runner, is not the same dynamic back that Rice seems on track to be. He rushed for 1695 yards and 8 touchdowns in his first year as a starter (2006), which are monster numbers, but he managed to only hover around 1200 yards for the remainder of his career. If you add 61 receptions for 485 yards, then you are talking about more than a 2000-yard season in 2006. Fast-forward to 2012: this was a pretty good year as well, as he rushed for 1214 yards and 8 touchdown, adding to that 28 receptions for 234 yards. It seems clear to me that he never recovered from the knee injury, taking a little power and speed out of his step.

Opinion Time

Both teams are going to threaten the run. Both defenses are prepared for the run. Both of these running backs are willing to stretch and fall for that extra inch. I feel like Kaepernick should be included in the running back conversation, simply because the threat of his quickness and the Read-Option make the 49ers running game more of a threat. Gore average 4.7 yards per carry for an average of 75.9 yards per game. Rice average 4.4 yards per carry for 71.4 yards per game. Those numbers are too close to call. Gore had three fumbles on the year, one of which was taken back for a touchdown, while Rice had only one. I think whichever team wins the contested run game will inevitably emerge victorious this Sunday. With numbers this tight between two powerhouse running backs, something has to give.

More about the author: A psychologist, author, philosopher, freelance editor, and skeptic, Dan O’Brien has published several novels and currently has many in print, including: The End of the World Playlist, Bitten, The Journey, The Ocean and the Hourglass, The Portent, The Path of the Fallen, Book of Seth, and Cerulean Dreams. 

Follow him on Twitter (@AuthorDanOBrien) 

Visit his blog at http://thedanobrienproject.blogspot.com.

Harbaugh's Heroes: Flacco vs. Kaepernick

Flacco vs. Kaepernick

by Dan O'Brien

As the drama unfolds this Sunday in the aptly named Harbowl, there is something fascinating brewing in the background, estranged match-ups that seem ripe for comparisons. Leading up to Super Sunday, we here at Empirical are going to provide our two cents about the marquee match-ups in this brother bowl. Joe Flacco has been called many things, chief among them "weak under pressure" and a "loser" for not making it to the Big Show. This has now changed, right before a contract year I might add, in that it certainly puts into perspective a winning quarterback who had yet to win it all. Colin Kaepernick was at the center of a QB controvery in the Bay that turned out to be less a controversy and more a misunderstanding by the public as to what was in the best interest of the team.

The proof, as they say, is in the pudding.

Joe Flacco

The 6’6” quarterback from the University of Delaware has over the course of his short career (starting in 2008) racked up some impressive statistics: an average completion rating of 60.5 percent; 102 touchdowns to only 56 interceptions. The worst season under Joe Flacco the Ravens went only 9-7, a telling statistics given the presence of a playoff wrecking ball like the Steelers being in the same division. What is most interesting about this run of winning seasons (every season since Flacco has started has been a winning season) is the lack of jewelry, the true testament to the efficacy and noteworthiness of a quarterback. Another notable Flacco fact, despite not appearing in the big game at season's end,  he does hold the NFL record for most playoff road wins. While his averages are striking when juxtaposed with the same quarterback class, which includes another perennial winner as-of-yet to make it to the most important Sunday of the season, Matt Ryan, is the criticism that he [Flacco] does not have what it takes to join other Super Bowl winners.

The more important and relevant statistic is how Flacco stood up this year. The Ravens went 10-6, though this seems better than the late-season lull in Baltimore right before Ray Lewis announced his retirement at the end of the season and the AFC juggernaut gathered steam. He completed 317 of 531 passes (59.7 percent) for 3817 yards over the course of 16 starts. (I realize that you know a regular season is 16 games, but it becomes important we when compare him to a fresher quarterback who started half as many games.) He was fairly efficient, throwing 22 touchdowns to only 10 interceptions. He had an 87.7 Quarterback rating; a statistic that I think has been given too much weight in the current NFL climate.

A pretty solid year for a consistent quarterback chasing greatness.

Colin Kaepernick

The 6’5” quarterback who came out of Nevada-Reno has been spectacular this year. There was some speculation about his game and field management when Jim Harbaugh first benched Alex Smith after a concussion. I would think that the doubters, for the most part, have been silenced by this point in the season. With Kaepernick at the helm, the 49ers were able to do what they could not do last year: make the Super Bowl. In the 7 games that Colin started, San Francisco went 5-2. He made 136 out of 218 passes (62.4 percent) for 1814 yards. He threw 10 touchdowns to only 3 interceptions. His QBR of 98.3 is impressive, but I do not think it is as telling as many people would like to believe.

Not bad for a second-year back-up quarterback starting for a team in the Super Bowl.

So What?

Looking at the numbers, you might shrug and say So What? The numbers are pretty close and if Kaepernick had played a whole season his numbers would be about the same or marginally higher. I could regale you with statistical analysis (but this is not ESPN and I do not get paid as much as John Hollinger), but needless to say a little goes a long way in terms of what is significant.

There is a key difference between these two quarterbacks that warrants mentioning: mobility. Both are tall and athletic, but Kaepernick has a very similar game to RG3, Russell Wilson, and Michael Vick. The threat of the Read-Option, even if it is only run three times per game, gives defenses the fits. Jim Caldwell calling the offense certainly gave the Ravens a much-needed boost in the passing game, but there are only so many times that you can Ray Rice the ball on a first down before a defense knows it’s coming and renders it ineffective. The 49ers have quietly created a three-headed monster with a dynamic passing game (with Michael Crabtree, Vernon Davis, and an aging, but spry, Randy Moss), a monster running game fronted by Frank Gore, and the late year brilliance of a young Kaepernick.

I think we might be in for a slugfest this Sunday after all….

More about the author: A psychologist, author, philosopher, freelance editor, and skeptic, Dan O’Brien has published several novels and currently has many in print, including: The End of the World Playlist, Bitten, The Journey, The Ocean and the Hourglass, The Portent, The Path of the Fallen, Book of Seth, and Cerulean Dreams. 

Follow him on Twitter (@AuthorDanOBrien) 

Visit his blog at http://thedanobrienproject.blogspot.com.

From the Empirical Archives: Pulling on Superman's Cape by Dan O'Brien

Pulling on Superman's Cape: A Brief Perspective of Sports Heroes in a Modern World

Dan O'Brien

The NBA's "Superman," Dwight Howard
PHOTO: I'll Never Grow Up

Originally Published in the July 2012 issue of Empirical

Once upon a time, sports were a metaphor for the strength of the human spirit; the tenuous connection between human and myth brought to life when the cameras rolled–in the modern age. The hero’s journey begins in obscurity, and it is the rise to fame–to prestige–that comes to define how we see them; it is in actions tempered by adversity and the opposing forces in their lives, on and off the court. 

We have lived long enough to see the death of the sports hero.

No longer is the player who puts on the bold colors of a hometown team a hero, but rather a clever con to the average sports fan. Cynicism aside, where do we go from here? Strikes have become less about the love of the game and more about shouting matches between players and owners for the shares in a billion-dollar enterprise. When we talk about the pillars of the game in this era, we talk about individual players, not the teams they played for. Every player who can manage to carry a team a few games is ready to look for greener pastures, to play a market flooded with politics and consumerism. The real question becomes: what does it take to be a sports hero? When I think back to the posters I had on my wall, I am reminded of the players who transcended the game.

Let’s keep this to one sport, as I could very easily become highly tangential and follow a course through every major professional sport–with varying degrees of deviation from the mysticism of a sports hero. Basketball has always had an appeal to the average sports consumer who, if they wished, could set up a court in their backyard or beneath the rolling door of their garage.

Legends have played the game. Some–like Jerry West and Michael Jordan–have been immortalized on the memorabilia passed down through the canon of sports discourse. What a player does on and off the court determines the level to which we should respect and talk about them. In the modern era, the notion of the greatest to play the game has become a purely statistical question, and not a qualitative assessment of what a player has given to the game.

When we discuss where a player as physically gifted as Lebron James is in the halls of the mighty basketball gods, we are not all asking the same questions. Statistically, his average points, rebounds, and assists over the course of his career are astounding–easily placing him among the greatest if we go by the numbers. His PER (Player Efficiency Rating) this past season alone borders on the incredible. Taking another superstar of this generation into consideration, Kobe Bryant, we see a similar pattern of incredible numbers and statistical outliers. There is something to be said about the skills of each player, their strengths and weaknesses. But when considering both of these men, we wonder about some of the qualitative aspects of the game in lieu of the numbers they put up. What is truly the difference between these two men in terms of their place among the greats?

Leadership: to me the glaring difference between the two men is leading teams through a season, navigating the ups-and-downs, and being the type of player that is needed. This is not to say that James has not done this, but he certainly cannot claim the same level of authority and je nais se qua on the field that Bryant has exuded his entire career–most notably the two titles runs during the post-Shaq years.

A sports hero is more than a mechanized entity capable of putting up astronomical numbers. On any given night, a player can channel one of the greats and perform at a level that appears otherworldly. But putting any one of those nights in perspective is important in understanding how one becomes a sports legend, and to a greater extent, a sports hero. Being able to do it one night, or one year, is not the same as playing the game with heart. There was a shift somewhere–if you were to ask my father’s generation, it was televising games that replaced heroes of the game, those men and women of the sport who put everything on the line, with iconic statues like the Colossus of Rhodes. A hero of the game rises up when others might stay down, stands and battles when others might linger behind.

As we watched the madness of the Dwight Howard saga, which has in many ways sullied the otherwise superhero-like veneer of arguably the best center in the league, we are struck by a simple question: what does the game mean to this generation’s players? Calling for a coach’s dismissal and then holding a team hostage as he negotiates with larger markets certainly makes Lebron James’ ill-fated Decision seem less of an anomaly among modern superstars.

There is something to be said of the child who has posters of sports icons on their walls, and what those giants of the game mean to them. Is it the case that they want to exude the same strength of character, the pioneering spirit that makes them transcend the game and inspire us to be better people? Or is that we want the same money, access, and prestige awarded with being immortalized so brazenly on the white plaster of a Midwestern bedroom? How do we reconcile heroism and the iconoclastic nature of the modern sports figure? Are we to blame the game, and not the player, as we so glibly comment in self-defense?

Unfortunately, we now only hear the negative aspects of a player’s life: dogfighting, murder, attempted rape, gun possession. The 2011-2012 regular season will be remembered for two things: the truncated, lockout induced season and the vicious elbow Metta World Peace, the player formerly known as Ron Artest, visited upon an unsuspecting James Harden, making us forget all of the positive things he had done to distance himself from his previous image. We wonder, as intellectually honest people, if the seven-game suspension will be enough to deter this kind of behavior, but a question of whether or not the impetus for such a short suspension is an appeal to higher ratings for another possible altercation on the court is certainly forefront in my mind.

When we compare Michael Jordan-theplayer to Michael Jordan-the-owner, we are struck by the reality of possibly the greatest player to ever don a basketball jersey being associated with the worst record in the league. In the legacy of the greatest basketball player ever, there is now an asterisk beside his name: the worst regular season record of any team as owner of the Charlotte Bobcats, and being the type of owner to hide behind yes-men and being responsible for the destruction of a culture that values being a team. Juxtapose this with the heir apparent for Jordan’s crown–Kobe Bryant–sitting out the last game of regular season, and allowing Kevin Durant to assume the scoring title for the season. If the selfishness of this season was not egregious enough, we have Amar’e Stoudemire punching a pane of glass after a loss in Miami. Are either of these the actions of the competitive titans we ascribe them to be in the annals of NBA history, or is a sad statement on the power of sports culture at large? Are we to blame for a culture of sports that supports a cookie-cutter factory for producing spotlight stars that fill stats sheets and highlight reels? Can we really blame that on players who simply want to make the best possible living with the skill set they are most adept with? Do guys like Jeremy Lin–steeped in hard luck stories and meteoric rises–present the greatest opportunity to revive heroism in sports? 

I think the answer is much simpler than that. We often look externally for answers to the problems of our lives, and this problem of heroism in the modern sports figure is no different. The athlete does not have an obligation to be a hero, but rather chooses to be perceived one way or another based on the manner with which fans reinforce their behavior. We want to see more offense and less defense; we want more dunks than lay-ups. Is it any real surprise that vaulting over a Kia represents a shining moment in sports history when its value is traded so highly among fans? If we want to see a game where teams don’t throw in the towel at the end of the season to get a higher draft pick, then we need to demand it. If you don’t like players who use their status to influence the trajectory of the game, then don’t support those athletes–invest your money in someone else. Heroes carry with them the dreams and hopes of those who aspire to be great. They are often lost in the wilderness and through the context of their lives find what it takes to be great, to be a hero. We have to want to be better, and we have to demand more of the sports we love and the men and women who play the game. We must help them in their journey. We must start looking for heroes once more.

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From the Empirical Archives: The City of the Future by Dan O'Brien

The City of the Future

Dan O'Brien

ILLUSTRATIONS: GM Press Kit

Originally Published in the June 2012 of Empirical

As the world continues to suffer in the throes of energy and financial crises, a movement has emerged in eastern Asia. Auto giant GM has lent a hand to creating futuristic cities that seem more like a setting in an Asimov novel than in real life.

Before we run to the city of the future, let’s take a moment and examine Tianjin before the inception of an eco-city that might revolutionize how we perceive sustainability. Developed on land that was equal parts saltpan, deserted beach, and an unseemly wastewater pond, the city seemed more the part of a dystopian city lost in the mist than the staging point for a revolutionary idea.

This, however, changed when the idea came across the transom – to use a very old publishing term – and enlivened a nation. With the expectation of the fully realized city by the 2020s, the eco-city will comfortably house 350,000 citizens in a dynamic environment meant to leave the smallest possible environmental impact and enrich the lives of the people who live there. It is an attempt at an ecologically sound city; the surrounding environment will be maintained and feed into the platform of sustainability that the Sino Singapore Tianjin Eco-city is aspiring for. While local rainfall will not be able to buttress the water supply, much of the water for the city will be drawn from novel sources like desalinated water.

It boasts a light rail system that will be easily accessible and entirely sustainable. GM has offered to help the endeavor by creating the ENV, which looks and functions like a Segway PT — but with room for two. The onboard GPS systems will allow for object detection and distance technology that will mediate car lengths, and essentially allow you to sit back and have the EN-V take you where you want to go. The notion of a legion of bumper cars equipped like Night Rider – minus David Hasselhoff, of course – conjures an image of a futuristic city where everyone wears white vinyl jumpsuits. We can put away the tin foil hats, because this is an endeavor that we will see the fruition of in a decade or less.

The pursuit of a harmonious community is at the heart of this effort, as well as an attempt to satisfy the demands of a rapidly growing country – China – to create an environment where works can have a high quality of life. Much of the media commentary has focused on a concerted attempt to provide affordable housing for the lower income populations of the community.

This is Tianjin today, with older Chinese architecture dwarfed by modern skyscrapers.
PHOTO: Shubert Ciencia

The notion of a melting pot of socioeconomic classes is meant as a strong selling point for a social society predicated on a single community consciousness. What makes this futuristic city any different than a green city like Portland?

Where other cities that are trying to create a sustainable future, the reality of this eco-city is that it is starting out sustainable, without the need to rededicate and repurpose existing resources to become more green. The infrastructure is rife with community transportation and less dependency on outside resources to maintain continuity for the city’s inhabitants. Each year starts with the promise of changes for the future. Are we to believe that these changes will come about organically, or should we be cognizant of the kind of participation we can have in a movement toward a more sustainable future?

The promise of such a utopian concept as a city where vehicles drive themselves safely and the community itself is sustainable still seems like such a dream. What it will take to bring about the necessary paradigm shift in the world’s social consciousness that would make an eco-city a normal practice is something we need to ask ourselves as free-thinkers. This insistence on tribal thought is central to such a movement. We can see the pieces coming to together: the series of interconnected parts that are necessary to create a global phenomenon. The idea of sustainable, self-contained cities has to become vogue.

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From the Empirical Archives: The Carousel by Dan O'Brien and Olav Bryant Smith

The Carousel: The NFL's Dark Carnival

Dan O'Brien and Olav Bryant Smith

PHOTO: John Martinez Pavliga

Original Published in the June 2012 Issue of Empirical

Joe Montana, Brett Favre, and now Peyton Manning.

For the majority of their careers, these three quarterbacks were synonymous with the cities they carried on their backs every Sunday–through sunny skies and inclement weather. The other thing these hall-of-famers–and all future hall-of-famers–have in common is finishing out bright, record-breaking careers anywhere other than where they had hung their helmets for a decade or more. Some of us who are old enough to remember Joe Montana donning a Kansas City Chiefs’ jersey wonder what the football gods were thinking. The same feeling came when Brett Favre departed from Green Bay–making way for a talented young quarterback–and jumped from the Jets to the Vikings as though he was climbing aboard porcelain horses, faded and greasy, at some mind-bending circus.

A fan imitates the praying posture that Tebow took whenever he reached the endzone. Now, Tebow has been traded to the Jets to compete with Mark Sanchez for playing time.
PHOTO: Alan Light

The house of mirrors that was the quarterback sweepstakes of 2012 was more than a key party gone awry. Teams took gambles, some with untested young quarterbacks–Matt Flynn based on one outstanding game–and others with the future of a coach-quarterback relationship that seemed cemented in stone (Alex Smith and Jim Harbaugh). The landscape of the NFL is a microcosm blown into a kaleidoscope of shifting emotions and personalities that have grown identities all their own.

PHOTO: Matt Martin/Wikimedia Commons

Many of the colors of the current kaleidoscope began to reveal themselves with the decision by the Indianapolis Colts not to re-sign future hall-of-fame quarterback Peyton Manning. Faced with paying Manning (who has undergone four neck surgeries) a $28 million dollar bonus after a season where the team had gone 2-14 in his absence, the Colts opted to seize the opportunity created by the horrible record to draft their possible future franchise quarterback instead. With this decision, a number of quarterbacks who previously thought they were comfortable in their own situations were in the hot seat. The NFL quarterback carousel was turning.

PHOTO: Sharon Chapman

It must be understood that Manning is not just another quarterback. Quarterbacks are often measured in rings acquired, trophies hoisted above their heads, but in the case of Peyton Manning, we need to think critically about being a leader–a coach–on the field. What separates Manning from other quarterbacks–especially for readers who might not be familiar with him–is that athleticism and accuracy are not what make him a great quarterback, but instead his Zen-like philosophy on the field. His intelligence and adaptability is unique among active players at that position. The classic image of Manning is of his coming to the line, assessing the defense arrayed against him, spotting a weakness, and directing his offense on how to attack that vulnerability. He has been more often successful in this than not.

Manning's agent quickly set up visits with other interested teams, and the NFL world watched to see where Manning would go. When it was learned that the San Francisco 49er coaches went in secret to become players in the Manning contest, their presumed quarterback Alex Smith (who had just led his team to the NFC Championship for the first time in many years) was so frustrated by being in the shadow of a potential trade that he visited the Dolphins in pursuit of a new deal for himself. No quarterback, striving as they are to be the undisputed leaders of their respective teams, wants to feel expendable. With Manning on the move, and the carousel turning, the real truth of expendability for a number of these quarterbacks was revealed.

Now Peyton Manning, he of consistency and decade-long loyalty to the Indianapolis Colts, will be donning a Broncos' jersey heading into a season where Tim Tebow had been heralded as the face of the Denver franchise. When we consider how Peyton Manning felt, being shuffled about after a tumultuous season during which he had yet another neck surgery, how does knowing that the NFL is a game predicted on business impact quarterback loyalty to a team?

In light of the media frenzy that was Tebow-mania, this was a startling move. Elevated to starting quarterback mid-season, and leading a then 1-4 team through a first-round playoff win, Tebow earned a certain amount of qualified respect amongst players and coaches. Many fans, and especially Denver Bronco fans, were looking forward to seeing if the Tebow magic would continue next season. With the availability of the phenomenal Manning, however, the would-be hero (Tebow) was swept aside.

PHOTO: Chris Staley

Interestingly enough, it was the New York Jets and the vociferous Rex Ryan who bit and grabbed a player that, in many ways, is a good fit. The Jets have a strong defense–much like the Broncos who used a strong defensive presence to offset offensive failures through three quarters of football–and an offense that likes being physical, perhaps more physical than incumbent quarterback Mark Sanchez is comfortable with. "I'm excited to e here. I'm excited to be a Jet," as espoused by a smiling Tebow amidst a press conference for an alleged back-up quarterback, speaks volumes about what the move to New York means for a team that has struggled to live up to the boisterous expectations of Rex Ryan. How excited is the Jets starting quarterback Mark Sanchez, we wonder, after watching what happened to Kyle Orton (who lost his starting job to Tebow) in Denver? We find ourselves imagining Sanchez sitting in an expensive hotel suite and, upon hearing the news, tossing a double-pump caramel macchiato across his room while sending chairs and tables (overflowing with free merchandise) hurtling to the ground.

What about the press conference for Manning? We seem to recall some photos and stills with Manning holding up a jersey, but no quotes that are traded as comically as Tebow's "I'm excited to be here." In comparison, Manning's arrival in Denver was a quiet affair. But while most quarterbacks are defined by the system of offense they play in or the coaching staff that supports their every move, this is not the case for Manning, who shines regardless of coaching. And this should be most apparent in his first season with the Broncos if he is, in fact, healthy.

So was courting Manning worth the trouble? Denver certainly thinks so as they inked a ninety-six million dollar contract with the star, post neck surgeries. What about the Cardinals? Does Kevin Kolb feel the same sense of commitment and loyalty to a team that would slough him off like so much dead skin if Manning had cleared his throat in their direction? Certainly it would have improved a team with a deep threat like Larry Fitzgerald, but is the anxiety going into the season worth the risk? Does Alex Smith's scare and flirtation with the Dolphins present the possibility of on-field issues for the 49ers next season? Did watching Manning throw passes on the field of the team Matt Hasselbeck is supposed to be a leader of damage Hasselbeck's relationship with his team and coaches next season? Only time will tell.

In the end, though, we are interested in the question of whether or not Manning's flight from Indianapolis was predicated on his being a victim, pushed out as expendable by a greedy franchise, or if it was his desire to be the unquestioned captain of the ship combined with his demand for a risky $28 million dollar bonus that started this dark carnival and carousel turning? Where does the darkness lie? Or is there a bit of darkness to be shared by all sides–the yin and yang of football?

PHOTO: Noel Feans

There is a temptation to see the Colts as the bad guys and Manning as the good guy, but can we really make such a claim? Andrew Luck, who may be, technically and mechanically, a similar quarterback to Manning (without the valuable edge of maturity and experience)–might become the new face of a franchise that was tied so strongly to Manning’s emotional and psychological identity. If the case should be made that football is a metaphor for life and the journey of the self, can we not then imagine a strange but more ideal version of reality where an icon of the game, like Manning, would stick around and mentor a burgeoning quarterback like Luck? Should we not believe that love of the game transcends a bonus that was promised? 

Manning arrived in Denver as a well-paid mercenary. It is true that he is currently the expected savior–a knight in shining armor. But his introduction in Denver did not give us the sense that Manning was thrilled to be there. On the flipside, we have Tim Tebow, a young man who exudes love of the game in lieu of paychecks, smiling about being included on a team that would have him, even as a back-up, not charging for tickets to ride. 

We, in part, want to view this from a distance, to say that these players are paid (or overpaid) vast sums of money to participate in a sport they love and that they have played since being a small child running around with a bucket on their heads. But, as fans, many of us get caught up in the heroic fantasy of their roles in the NFL, and we want to see this heroism bound together with loyalty to a cause, a city, and a people. 

In the end, however, despite how many cameras we shove in their faces, or billboards we erect with their images, these heroes of the gridiron are just people who are, in most ways, like the rest of us. 

The worship of idols by adoring fans, and the belief they are on safe footing, creates egos built on statistics and money instead of dynasties and loyalty to those fans. Manning’s release from the Colts seems to reveal a lack of commitment and loyalty on both sides. Fame and ridiculously high pay scales turn men who love the game into men who talk about themselves in the third-person. On the other hand, Manning was clearly crushed when his demands were not met by the team he had personified for so long. 

Psychological vulnerability is muted, but not discarded, when one reaches the upper echelons of superstardom. While stars titillate and capture the emotions of a captive audience, they appear to be invulnerable and immortal gods experiencing the height of success and happiness. But when the NFL carousel begins to turn, we glimpse the momentary revelation of the humanity of carnival clowns–replete with painted smiling faces and traces of usually well-hidden tears.—Written by Empirical editors Dan O’Brien and Olav Bryant Smith.

PHOTO: Paula Beehner

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