Past, Present, and Future…

Last night I was watching Sports Center and they were talking about the fact that Brett Favre’s locker is still intact in the Green Bay locker room. Then someone commented about how Aaron Rogers must feel seeing it every time he walks by. The truth of the matter is, who gives a flying monkey f*ck what Rogers thinks. Favre is one of the most revered players of his generation, as is evinced by the pic of him with his mouth open in jubilation after a victory. The guy’s father dies and he has a career night on MNF (regardless of whether or not it was against the Raiders). Rogers should see that locker and know what he has to live up to… motivation can be a powerful little tool.

The comments on Rogers got me thinking about another athlete who is supposed to be the savior of a sport– much like Favre was the golden child of Green Bay and the NFL as a whole– and Sydney Crosby popped into my head. This kid is supposed to get hockey back on track, er, notch at least 2 more fans by the end of the year. His job is difficult, much like Kirstie Alley’s attempt to get back to her Cheers-figure days. But he could do it. He also has the charisma that Favre has and he plays with an emotion well beyond his years. Could he get the attention of fans that hockey needs (and trust me, it is needed… go to a bar and see how many TVs are turned to the Stanley Cup Playoffs and then compare it with how many have golf on instead)? Maybe we won’t know the answer to that for a few years. But, if he can get me to watch a game or two, he has a helluva chance.

So who is the next big thing? Who will take their sport to a level that we have yet to see? King James has made us all “Witnesses”; baseball has a number of players that could be argued as the reason why thousands of fans watch and pack stadiums everyday; but who will step up and make sure that all sports have passionate followers? Who will be found on the streets playing stick ball only to be in the majors when they come of age? Who will take a driver at the age of 5 and hit it straight down the fairway? Who will take a raquet and be unstoppable on both clay and artificial courts? Who will get behind the wheel and make sure that people who aren’t named Billy Bob will watch machines go in an oval 300 times? Who will sleep with Pamela Anderson and not catch a venereal disease? Who will it be?