If you could choose an era of sports in which to live, which would you choose and why? Be sure to cite examples from the era in your response. Which athletes would be important to you? Why? What was your favorite team like? What has changed since that era?
Eras to Consider
Pre WWII
Post WWII
Civil Rights and the Desgregation Era
The Wild 60s and 70s
The Conservative 80s
The Overpaid 90s/Steroid Era
TODAY
After answering the above questions, consider the following question for discussion tomorrow.
What is the future of sports going to look like?
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I would pick the late 80's and 90's because that is when Michael Jordan was dominating basketball, along with Scottie Pippen, Charles Barkley, Isaish Thomas, the end of Magic Johnson's and Larry Bird's Career, John Stockton, and Karl Malone. The level of competition was great, and popularity was soaring. The athlete that would be important to me would be Michael Jordan, just because he was so good and he was the leader of my favorite team. The Bulls were dominant. What has changed is that popularity has dropped a little bit. Maybe people have lost interest in the Chicagoland area because the Bulls aren't nearly as good as they were and they aren't competing for championships. Also, there is a lot more money involved today, so some of the athletes are just playing for the money.
ReplyDeleteI would pick the 80's. I've always wished that I could have seen the bears win the super bowl. Also just to see Payton live sometime. The Bears were incredible and i feel like i missed that. there wasn't as much showing off, it was just the game back then too. I like that. Also the Bulls. They were alot better then, and i would have wanted to see more of them.
ReplyDeleteI have kind of a different era for different sports
ReplyDeletefor baseball i'm going post WWII. When the Dodgers and Giants were still in New York the rivalry between the two and how baseball completely captivated New York was great. Also so many good players playing like Ted Williams, Mickey Mantle,etc. Along with that the emergence of a new wave of athletes like Willie Mays, Hank Aaron and Frank Robinson onto the scene made the level of play then so high. Also that was still a time where the players were played a modest living so the idea of them as ordinary guys was still possible. I loving hearing the stories about players riding trains with fans, that's just great to me.
For basketball I'm going with the 80's. So many rivalries that made the game great. Magic v. Bird was incredible and with the Pistons coming on late in the decade as a great team along with the emergence of Michael Jordan, would have been an incredible time to follow the game.
Hockey- 80's just to watch Gretzky and the Oilers in there greatness but the 90's were pretty good as well
Football I'm going with the 80's as well. The last decade prior to free agency so you really got some great teams assembled because they did not need to worry about getting your team raided year after year. 49ers, Bears, Giants, all these teams were so good. Also had the greatest clutch player prolly of all time winning championships in the decade in Joe Montana.
For me, I'd pick a certain year instead of an era. My year would be 1961, more like the summer of '61. This was the summer that Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle went head-to-head in the home run race to beat Babe Ruth's record. I've watched the movie 61*, but to experience that in person would be awesome. The money those guys were making was just enough to get them by, but baseball was what they did best and they loved it, therefore they played. Some of the guys needed the bonuses they got for the playoffs and winning the world series and they did everything they could to get there. But, being there in 1961 to watch that would be awesome. To see the things that Roger Maris went through in New York would just amaze me.
ReplyDeleteAll in all, I'd love to experience that summer, not only because of the home run race, but also to see the difference between baseball then and now.
It's different now because baseball isn't as pure as it used to be. Also, back then, baseball was the most important sport so people were much more passionate about it.
I'm torn between two different eras. I'd either go 90's or pre WW2.
ReplyDeleteI'd pick the 90's because of how entertaining it was to watch monster home runs and Jordan's Bulls. The 90's were what made me a sports fan so it would be interesting to relive that era. Although players were cheating in the MLB, we didn't know it at the time and we could just enjoy the bombs completly clueless.
I may pick pre WW2 because of what baseball and football were. Two guys I would definitly love to see play are Babe Ruth and Red Grange. Ruth is still the greatest player ever to play the game and back then there was no argument to be made. I think it would be interesting to see the pre-Super Bowl era and the old Big Ten which featured the now D3, University of Chicago.
For baseball, I would choose the sixties. The Cubs were loaded with Ernie Banks, Ron Santo, Billy Williams, and Fergie Jenkins. Elsewhere, other greats such as Mickey Mantle, Willie Mays, and Hank Aaron were playing. For the most part, the single-team player still existed. Today, you're lucky if a guy sticks around for four or five years without being traded. I miss the guys who spent their entire career with the same team. It showed loyalty to the game and their city. Guys like Mark DeRosa and Kerry Wood, they deserve to spend their whole career playing for the Cubs. They were in it for the team and for the city - true players. But now, it's all about the business, and they get shipped away like mail.
ReplyDeleteFor basketball, it's hard to argue anything but the 80's and 90's, back when the NBA was worth watching. Jordan and the Bulls...enough said. I can remember watching the Bulls with my whole family; now we don't even pay attention to the NBA.
Football, the 80's as well. The Bears owned and it would've been great to see Walter Payton play.
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ReplyDeleteI Will have to choose the 80's and 90's because that is when Nascar was at it's prime. You some great drivers back thenm, Kyle Petty, Dale Earnhardt Sr., Jeff Gordon, and more. these driver drove the cars liek there was no tomarrow. They showed the fans what racing realy is. Racing Back then wasteh type of racing that you had literly "fight" your ways to win. Now, if you barly hit the car they go spinning out of control. teh cars back then could take a beating for a couple of races before rebuilding them.
ReplyDeleteKent you stole my glory. I to would go back to the 80's to see Wayne Gretzky, I've heard it was something else watching him play and win all those cups with Edmonton. Also, hockey hasn;t seen a dominant figure like that in awhile. Greatzky not only ruled hockey, but also was one of the main figures in all of sports. The 80's also brought the Miracle on Ice.
ReplyDeleteim gonna have to go a different route from everyone and say today. even though we can make an arguement for every era i just feel every sport has become a lot more competitive. athletes are a lot stronger,faster, agile and just seem to be more athletic overall. past eras had great athletes but i think it is harder now to be considered great compared to back then.
ReplyDeleteI have to agree with O. In todays era athletes are way more athletic overall. I like how competitive everything is. In the NBA there are Kobe and Lebron who are some of the greatest athletes ever. If they were to play with their same ability 10 years ago no one would come close to stopping them. (Even thought they cant be stoped now). The only reason i would go back would be to see the cubs win the world series.
ReplyDeleteIf i had to pick an era id definately go with today because the competition is getting better and better and younger prople are joined the pros better then younger people before. Biology has improved the way atheles work out, eat, and train to make the level of competition more intense.
ReplyDelete