Gear-grinders beware, fans’ love is conditional

Who doesn’t love watching their favorite players succeed? The answer is no one. When your team wins a championship or your favorite player wins MVP, it’s like you won along with them. Even when they falter, we, the fans, remain positive in hopes of improvement. This may lead you to believe that a fan’s love is unconditional, but that is simply not true. Sometimes players, coaches, and teams say or do something that pushes all the wrong buttons. Not everyone has a column to express their frustration, but, luckily, I do. So here are three players who really grind my gears.

Gear-grinder number one is Stephen Jackson, aka “Captain Jack,” starting forward for the Golden State Warriors. For those of you who have yet to join my fan club, I am a die-hard Warriors fan. I was there when we were terrible, when we were good, and now, when we are less terrible. Before the start of the season, Jackson mentioned to the media that he wanted a trade out of Oakland. I wasn’t shocked, considering we have not been able to recapture the magic of 2007, but I was pissed off. After Jackson went apeshit in the stands at Detroit, which team gave him a second chance? That would be the Warriors. Where’s the loyalty? Anyway, I’m not angry that he’s upset with the current situation, but he needs to keep that in-house. Talking to the media doesn’t help anyone, and to be frank, it only makes him seem like a troublesome player. On a similar note, I want to give an honorable gear-grinder mention to Monta Ellis, who said that he can’t play in the same backcourt with Stephen Curry. Note to Monta: one who sits out most of a season because of a moped accident isn’t allowed to make demands (I think Confucius said that).

Gear-grinder number two is the NFL’s Judas, Brett Favre. I’m going to ignore the fact that he continues to come out of retirement because it seems as if he can still play. Before I go on, I have to mention that if his body fails towards the end of the season like it did last year, I will shout “I told you so” from the mountain tops. Instead, I’m going to focus on his lack of loyalty. A professional athlete joining his lifelong rival because of some childish grudge is pathetic. Joining the Vikings may have gotten back at the Packers’ upper management, which appears to be his intent, but it also spat on the Green Bay faithful. This was all the more evident during last weekend’s Packers-Vikings game at Lambeau Field. The Vikings dominated the Packers as Favre led his new team to victory, all with a stupid smirk on his face. I understand you love the game, but how about the legions of fans who showed you unconditional love for so many years?

Here comes a curveball: gear-grinder number three is not a player but instead a network. I am referring to ESPN. Like most sports enthusiasts, I flip to ESPN nine times out of ten when I turn on the TV (the one other channel being Comedy Central to watch South Park). What’s better than watching the exciting recaps of the night before or the top 10 plays of the day? Nothing’s better. However, there is a dark side to ESPN, which is also true of 24-hour news networks. ESPN, in its constant search for sports news, will make news out of anything. The Cleveland Cavaliers lose their first two matchups; why not bring on experts to talk about how the Cavs will never make it to the championship series? Or, Terrell Owens complains again; why not interview all his teammates and coaches to delve deeper into what is troubling T.O.? Not everything is worthy of being discussed on SportsCenter, PTI, Around the Horn, and 1st and 10. More importantly, it gives athletes, like T.O. or Stephen Jackson, a medium through which they can complain to the public. I will continue to watch ESPN because I like sports too much to quit, but that doesn’t mean I care about what Tony Romo does before a playoff game.

Before I wrap up this rant, here are a few honorable gear-grinders: A.I., JaMarcus Russell, Kobe, the Oklahoma City Thunder, Bud Selig, and Tom Brady, just to name a few. Want to share with me who grinds your gears? You can find me at the Tailgating Tales secret clubhouse, which can be found only by those who already know where it is.

Bart Lopez is a Columbia College junior majoring in economics-mathematics.
sports@columbiaspectator.com