THE POP EXPOSE – GOAT Is A Bad Word!
Story by Mitchell Smith
Hello everyone, today I’m taking a look at the GOAT. A word that didn’t exist when I was growing up. I think it should be GOTE, Greatest Of Their Era. Let’s face it over time everything changes, and sports are the leading entertainment that we see the most changes in. Year by year rules are changed and decade by decade the safety of the game is increased. With that said it’s hard to compare say a Labron James to a Kareem Abdul Jabbar or Tom Brady to Joe Montana. Jordan is often considered the goat of the NBA. Jordon was a fierce competitor and obviously at the top of the list, but he never had to worry about getting his head taken off like Magic or Bird.
If you take a look at say just MLB pitchers. Today’s analytic pitchers would never be able to hold a candle to pitchers of the nineties but even great pitchers like Greg Maddox and Randy Johnson are hard to compare to someone from the early 1900’s like Babe Ruth or Red Faber. They didn’t have the training or equipment of a modern day pitcher. The NHL produced many great players including goalies Patrick Roy and Dominik Hasek that I grew up watching. Can you really even compare them to when goalies didn’t wear masks like Terry Sawchuk or Turk Broda. Granted shots were not as hard back then but a puck to the face is still a puck to the face and these gritty guys would sacrifice their face to stop a puck.
Even Tom Brady who finally retired, maybe, has to contribute some of his lengthy career to a softer game. Had he started when Jim McMahon was doing the Super Bowl Shuffle, Brady may have taken his first retirement a little more seriously. Many aspects of today’s professional sports have changed and it’s hard for me to say GOAT. I’d like to see someone like Aaron Judge pound a few hotdogs and beers and go out and hit four home runs or King James himself go down the lane get the bucket and his head cleaned off and not have to be taken out on a stretcher and then need 2 weeks in Tahiti to recoup from the trauma he has suffered. There are many other sports including women athletes who I didn’t touch on. 10
Years from now we will have a whole new round of all time greats who we won’t be able to compare fairly to athletes from 10 years ago. It just doesn’t seem like GOAT is a fair label because there are to many factors and changes from year to year to label 1 person greatest of all time. Have a great week everyone.
