The Modern Sports Super Villain

Whether or not athletes have changed their behavior over the years is up for debate. Joe Namath was certainly no better a role model than Tiger Woods or Kobe Bryant, but one thing is certain: the public scrutiny has increased exponentially, and athletes' private lives are now more public than Google stock.

With tabloid culture exposing countless embarrassing stories, a new era of sports super-villains have emerged. Here are a few notable examples:

• Tiger Woods couldn't keep his putter in his pants
• Ben Roethlisberger's bathroom parties
• Brett Favre's weinergate scandal
• Michale Vick's journey from dogfighter to prison bitch
• Kobe Bryant takes a walk on the brown side
• LeBron James abandons his hometown for South Beach glory

Some of these have issued incincere apologies to clear their name, while others have made commercials embracing their role as sport super-villain. What troubles me is the arbitrary nature by which we select who spends the rest of their career as a pariah, and who gets off with a slap on the hand and a standing ovation the following Sunday.

Ray Lewis is a perfect example. I won't waste space by laying out the details, but it seems pretty cut and dry that the Ravens LB killed a man. The trial was publicized, the vast majority of fans know the allegations, and no one seems to care. Donte Stallworth committed vehicular manslaughter and blew a .12 on the scene, and we don't hear anything about it.

Meanwhile, Brett Favre gets ripped apart by fans and media alike for a comparatively pedestrian indiscretion. LeBron James didn't even commit a crime, and he is more hated in Cleveland than most Al-Qaeda terrorists.

If it were a race issue, Ray Lewis would never be celebrated the way he is, and Brett Favre would have been a week-long punchline at most. It seems clear that sexual allegations reign supreme in on the deplorability spectrum, and we all know PETA didn't care too much for Mike Vick's version of a doggy bath, but I can't understand how these men get crucified while Marvin Harrison escapes headlines as he's being investigated for two separate shooting charges.

At least in my opinion, if we are going to shun athletes for their off-the-field shenanigans, we need to be consistent. As far as I'm concerned, I assume that most athletes cheat on their wives, drive drunk, get into fights, harass women, and act like total jackasses on a pretty regular basis. We should look at these guys as entertainers, and admire them for what they can do with a pitching wedge or a football. If you want to live in some kind of fantasy world where athletes are good people, go turn on Remember the Titans. Or you could always just watch Tim Tebow...

-Sam

Patience is a Virtue

It's been a rough year for Bronco Nation. I don't think many educated fans went into this season with visions Kyle Orton hoisting the Lombardi Trophy, and I certainly wasn't checking travelocity for cheap airfare to Dallas in February. Managed expectations aside, while most fans expected to see some great competition for AFC West supremacy, we watched as as storied franchise and a great football town quickly imploded. With a blowout loss to the loathsome Raiders, a deplorable spygate 2.0 scandal, and a 4-12 finish as notable lowlights, Denver quickly took on the persona of a blood-drunk mob, storming Dove Valley with torches, pitchforks, and an unquenchable thirst for Josh McDaniels's head on a silver platter. Fans got their wish, but I maintain that it happened too soon.

The man's 28-game resume certainly wouldn't impress many people. He wasted no time in pissing off the majority of Denver's fanbase in a very public feud with franchise QB Jay Cutler, resulting in a trade with Chicago. After starting 2009 6-0 with wins over two division rivals and a thrilling overtime victory over the dynastic New England Patriots, McDaniels's Broncos slogged their way to a .500 finish, eventually missing the playoffs once again.

That offseason, McDaniels continued his hurricane-esque personnel approach, chasing off standout WR Brandon Marshall and trading RB Peyton Hillis straight-up for QB Brady Quinn. He continued to focus intently on offensive personnel, neglecting to bring in many big names to improve an aging and underachieving Bronco defense. He also brought in one of the most divisive players I have ever seen in QB Tim Tebow (taken significantly earlier than most experts predicted with the 25th overall pick). Many people were wondering why a 32-year-old first-time head coach was given absolute authority in personnel decisions, and fans and media began publicly questioning his qualifications and capabilities.

The 2010 season got ugly. Real Quick. As the losses piled up, I started hearing more and more outcry from Denver fans for Joshy's firing. Vendors were selling t-shirts outside Invesco Field with the word's "Not My Coach" plastered across the front, sporting a silhouetted picture of Coach McDaniels. After the aforementioned Raider fiasco and the embarrassing videotaping scandal, owner Pat Bowlen finally dropped the ax, appointing RB coach Eric Studesville as interim coach. The excitement that ensued was comparable to that of a Bronco playoff victory. As bad as it all looks on paper, I can't help but stick to my guns. I said it then, and I'll say it now: It happened too soon.

The coaching carousel seems to be spinning quicker and quicker as the game evolves. Fans have become more and more impatient, and we are seeing a lot of college and NFL coaches being fired before they can even finish their second year. I recognize the evidence. I realize trends when I see them, and going from 8-8 to 4-12 in two seasons doesn't amount to the kind of results we want to see as fans. That being said, good things take time.

After dismantling and reassembling Denver's offense, the final product produced some pretty impressive results. WR Brandon Lloyd led the league in receiving, something Rod Smith, Ed McCaffrey, and Brandon Marshall never managed to do. Kyle Orton, well known early in his career for his mediocrity, was on pace to break Dan Marino's season record for passing yards. In two seasons, McDaniels had turned a perennial rushing factory into a pass-happy offense that was, at times, a hell of a lot of fun to watch.

I'm not making an argument that our running game didn't stink, or that our last-ranked defense was even worthy of the NFL logo printed on their uniforms, but it was crystal clear that our coach/acting GM had a long term vision that was still under construction. If the Broncos spent the offseason bringing in more offensive talent and turned in another losing season in 2011, I would have been standing in the riot with my own torch and pitchfork, but we didn't give the man sufficient time to put his plan to the test.

Pro football isn't college, and you can turn things around with free agency and smart drafting faster than you can with college recruiting, but you have to give a coach at least three seasons to execute any well-thought-out plan. I raised hell when the 1-15 Miami Dolphins fired Cam Cameron after one season. I am a firm believer that Mike Singletary, Ty Willingham and Rich Rodriguez both deserved one more season before getting let go. We as fans need to be patient and allow the men we place our trust in to carry out their plans before we throw them to the wolves.

John Fox (the only coach to post a worse record than Josh McDaniels this season) has been brought in as the new face of the Denver Broncos, and John Elway has been given control of personnel decisions, and Denver fans seem cautiously optimistic. I implore everyone to exercise some patience as our beloved Broncos rebuild. It isn't going to be quick, it isn't going to be easy, and I don't foresee a playoff birth for some time. Let's give Fox a chance to carry out his plan. In the meantime, don't waste your time and money on t-shirts and angry facebook statuses calling for Fox's head. Support your team and be patient.

-Sam

An Introduction

My name is Sam Smith, and I've been a sports fan as long as I can remember. Growing up Jewish in Colorado Springs (the evangelical capitol of the world), most of my friends spent their spare time at YoungLife meetings and in church congregations. I found a suitable substitute for religion in an altogether unhealthy obsession with sports. If i wasn't playing them, I was catching up on the day's headlines by watching several episodes of SportsCenter in succession. On most days, I had seen the same broadcast so many times, I found myself reciting Stuart Scott's lines as he read them from his teleprompter.

Both of my parents are journalists (quite talented journalists, actually), and I was baptised early into the world of writing and reporting. For years, it was a dream of mine to sit at a desk in front of a camera on ESPN and read the day's headlines. When "Dream Job" was created in 2004, I was heartbroken that at 17, I couldn't apply. In college, I quickly abandoned my journalistic goals in lieu of a seemingly more lucrative career choice. Not that anyone with half a brain would take advice from a 24-year old middle-class American, but I've since realized that you have to make the important choices with your heart, not with your head.

Instead of pursuing a career that catered to my passions, I graduated with a degree in finance. As a recently fired financial advisor, I can say with a surprising level of comfort that I made a big mistake in abandoning my early goals. This blog serves as an outlet for incessant need to rant about sports issues, and in my own mind, it should mitigate some of the guilt I feel for selling out and extricating myself from the world I dreamed of as a kid. I don't claim to be an expert. I'm just a normal guy who loves sports. I won't make any secrets about my loyalties. After living in Miami for three years in my childhood, I will always have a special place in my heart for the Miami Dolphins, and I love the Denver Broncos more than any pet I ever owned. I'm a huge fan of Denver sports, and I hate any and all sports franchises from the Greater-Boston area. That being said, if you're reading this, enjoy the rants and feel free to chime in with your thoughts.

-Sam