It’s 2017, and with a new year comes various resolutions. Trying to eliminate writing columns about defecating was near the top of my list, as was cutting down on my binge drinking. One of those is not going as planned, but I’ll let the readers decide which I’m talking about.
At the very top of my list was increasing the number of hot takes I deliver to my friends and readership. So, without further adieu, here is my first hot take of the New Year: American sports fans over the last 15 years have lived through the greatest era in sports history. Not just football or basketball or baseball; we’ve seen it in all sports. But it’s going to end very, very soon.
Don’t believe we’re in the best era in sports history? Consider that this century has seen the second-best basketball player to ever live and the two greatest quarterbacks in NFL history. Arguably the best shortstop, best golfer, best male and female tennis players, two best soccer forwards and the most dominant sprinter and swimmer of all time competed in the last 15 years too.
Aside from their obvious legendary accomplishments, what makes them so great is that I didn’t even need to list any of their names to make you think of them. Chances are, it took you less than a couple seconds to think of each.
A former Scout staffer wrote a column last semester about feeling nostalgic in the moment. It’s time sports fans ought to feel that way about the twilight years of our greatest era, because the athletes mentioned above aren’t going to be around much longer.
Some have already thrown in the towel, like Peyton Manning and Derek Jeter. Michael Phelps is likely done, and though Tiger Woods is trying for a comeback, his prime is almost certainly behind him.
Tom Brady won’t be around much longer – the guy turns 40 in August. LeBron James, 31, has logged more minutes than anyone his age ever and will almost surely fall apart much like Kobe Bryant did in his final two years.
But Brady is still dominating, reigning as the class of the league at his position. James is still the most valuable player in the league and could (should) have, like, eight MVP awards. Hell, even Roger Federer is the favorite to win the Australian Open this weekend, and the guy is a Swiss relic.
Relish these moments, especially over the next few months. Brady may have one last good year left, so this could be his last Super Bowl. Who knows about LeBron – I’m not sure he’s human – but everyone retires at some point. This is certainly Federer’s last chance at a grand slam. Even Serena Williams’s time is drawing to a close – she’s 35, newly engaged and has won, dominantly and repeatedly. She may call it quits to start a new life with her fiance because, well, what else is there to do in tennis for her?
The new breed of stars won’t shine quite as bright as our current ones do today. Maybe that changes over time – maybe it doesn’t. Don’t take for granted that you were alive to see Usain Bolt win the 100, 200 and 4×100 meter dash in three consecutive Olympic Games, or that you saw Michael Phelps win eight gold medals in 2008.
Please don’t forget that you saw Peyton Manning break the single-season touchdown record, only to see Brady steal it and then reclaim it all within a decade. We’ve even seen the Red Sox and the Cubs win a World Series, for crying out loud.
We’ll still have Leo Messi and Christiano Ronaldo for a few years. Those dudes have ran the pitch for the last nine years, splitting the Ballon d’Or trophy every year. Messi is 29, Ronaldo, 31. They have some time left on the clock, but please take my advice – enjoy them while you still can. It won’t last forever.
Sports fans, we’ve been spoiled. So, as you watch Federer possibly win another Aussie or Tom Brady hoist his fifth Lombardi Trophy, remember to recognize how remarkable it is to be a sports fan in 2017, and how life may never be the same.
