I am an odd sports fan. I am usually the most critical of the teams I support. I can also keep hope when there is no hope left. When the Philadelphia Eagles were 4-8 last season and appeared to be down and out, they suddenly pulled together for four wins and made the NFC East divisional race very interesting. If they had won one more game or if the Cowboys had defeated the Giants in the final game of their seasons the Eagles would have miraculously qualified for the playoffs. At 4-8, I hadn't lost hope in my team.
When the Boston Red Sox were down three games to none to the New York Yankees in the 2004 American League Championship Series, I refused to lose hope. As a small 10 year-old fifth grader in a class of all yankees fans, I showed resiliency. When classmates told me the Red Sox were done I rebuked with, "It isn't over yet." And sure enough the Red Sox pulled out one of the greatest comebacks in sports history. They won four straight games, won the ALCS, and went on to win the World Series. I hadn't lost hope in my team.
However, this year is a different story. I have finally lost hope. At 3-8, the Eagles are done. Michael Vick, DeSean Jackson, and LeSean McCoy, the Eagles three most electric playmakers are out due to injury (Concussion, broken ribs, and concussion respectively). The offensive line has been obliterated with injuries and poor play, the defensive line has disappeared, and Nnamdi Asomugha has not lived up to expectations. The team is in utter disarray and may fire the most important individual associated with the Philadelphia Eagles: Andy Reid.
Now that the Eagles are down and out, what next?
Well in recent years a certain "losing mentality" has entered the minds of the media, sports fans across America, and now myself. This mentality is when teams are out of the playoff race and have nothing left to play for. Should they sabotage the rest of their season to receive a high draft pick?
My Dad is a Washington Redskins and Buffalo Bills supporter. He has experienced some tough times in sports the past decade and a half. Each year around November and December I always hear, "They need to lose the rest of their games for a higher draft pick!". He even gets upset when his teams win meaningless games during the latter half of the season.
Should this strategy be put into place and executed? I am starting to hope the Eagles lose the rest of their games to obtain a high draft pick and hopefully pick up a strong linebacker, preferably Notre Dame Heisman-hopeful Manti Te'o. They can also take the last five games to allow injured players to rest, provide playing time to younger players to gather experience, and to assess their personnel on the field and on the sideline.
This mentality was prevalent last season with the Indianapolis Colts. Peyton Manning was out for the season and the Colts were losing games left and right. Many people in the stands, at home, and even on television were pondering if the Colts should lose as much as possible to receive the first overall draft pick in the 2012 NFL draft. This would ensure that they could snag Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck.
Whether they were trying to or not they had the worst record in the NFL and they drafted Luck. Now he is setting rookie records and is on track to have the best rookie season by a starting quarterback ever. Luck set the record for most passing yards in a game by a rookie, 433. The Colts are 7-4 and Luck has tied Sam Bradford's record of seven rookie season wins. Luck is also in position to lead his team to the playoffs.
With all the success of Luck and a team that may have adopted the "losing mentality", maybe other teams will follow suit. I for one hope that the Eagles do. But is it right? Should teams really practice this? Probably not. It can be compared to throwing games. This is an interesting theory and it will be interesting to see if teams start losing games on purpose, or not giving as much effort as they may not care what the outcome is later in their "lost" seasons.
I also think that teams won't adopt this mentality and strategy. Year in and year out the Cleveland Browns, St. Louis Rams, and Buffalo Bills are out of playoff contention early. Yet they don't simply give up. They could gain a higher draft pick. But they seem to push on. They persevere to preserve what little pride they have left. They seem to show some hope. They cling to their pride and hope that next year will be their year.
Usually it isn't their year. But seeing personal pride in an age that has slowly but surely become more about money for some players is refreshing.
When the Boston Red Sox were down three games to none to the New York Yankees in the 2004 American League Championship Series, I refused to lose hope. As a small 10 year-old fifth grader in a class of all yankees fans, I showed resiliency. When classmates told me the Red Sox were done I rebuked with, "It isn't over yet." And sure enough the Red Sox pulled out one of the greatest comebacks in sports history. They won four straight games, won the ALCS, and went on to win the World Series. I hadn't lost hope in my team.
However, this year is a different story. I have finally lost hope. At 3-8, the Eagles are done. Michael Vick, DeSean Jackson, and LeSean McCoy, the Eagles three most electric playmakers are out due to injury (Concussion, broken ribs, and concussion respectively). The offensive line has been obliterated with injuries and poor play, the defensive line has disappeared, and Nnamdi Asomugha has not lived up to expectations. The team is in utter disarray and may fire the most important individual associated with the Philadelphia Eagles: Andy Reid.
Now that the Eagles are down and out, what next?
Well in recent years a certain "losing mentality" has entered the minds of the media, sports fans across America, and now myself. This mentality is when teams are out of the playoff race and have nothing left to play for. Should they sabotage the rest of their season to receive a high draft pick?
My Dad is a Washington Redskins and Buffalo Bills supporter. He has experienced some tough times in sports the past decade and a half. Each year around November and December I always hear, "They need to lose the rest of their games for a higher draft pick!". He even gets upset when his teams win meaningless games during the latter half of the season.
Should this strategy be put into place and executed? I am starting to hope the Eagles lose the rest of their games to obtain a high draft pick and hopefully pick up a strong linebacker, preferably Notre Dame Heisman-hopeful Manti Te'o. They can also take the last five games to allow injured players to rest, provide playing time to younger players to gather experience, and to assess their personnel on the field and on the sideline.
This mentality was prevalent last season with the Indianapolis Colts. Peyton Manning was out for the season and the Colts were losing games left and right. Many people in the stands, at home, and even on television were pondering if the Colts should lose as much as possible to receive the first overall draft pick in the 2012 NFL draft. This would ensure that they could snag Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck.
Whether they were trying to or not they had the worst record in the NFL and they drafted Luck. Now he is setting rookie records and is on track to have the best rookie season by a starting quarterback ever. Luck set the record for most passing yards in a game by a rookie, 433. The Colts are 7-4 and Luck has tied Sam Bradford's record of seven rookie season wins. Luck is also in position to lead his team to the playoffs.
With all the success of Luck and a team that may have adopted the "losing mentality", maybe other teams will follow suit. I for one hope that the Eagles do. But is it right? Should teams really practice this? Probably not. It can be compared to throwing games. This is an interesting theory and it will be interesting to see if teams start losing games on purpose, or not giving as much effort as they may not care what the outcome is later in their "lost" seasons.
I also think that teams won't adopt this mentality and strategy. Year in and year out the Cleveland Browns, St. Louis Rams, and Buffalo Bills are out of playoff contention early. Yet they don't simply give up. They could gain a higher draft pick. But they seem to push on. They persevere to preserve what little pride they have left. They seem to show some hope. They cling to their pride and hope that next year will be their year.
Usually it isn't their year. But seeing personal pride in an age that has slowly but surely become more about money for some players is refreshing.