The NBA Has Gotten Older, Has It Gotten Better?
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by Notthatgood4
Lately it seems like I have been going to my assortment of AARP, Denny's Senior Discount, Depends Adult Diaper, and prune juice jokes way too often. Who is to blame for this? The culprit is the National Basketball Association.
Pro sports have traditionally been a young man's game, and the more athleticism the sport requires, the younger the athletes tend to be. Basketball is perhaps the sport that requires the most athleticism at its top level; however, there seem to be more players in their late 30's and early 40's than women of the same ages in the Cougars group on NBC's cheezy reality show the Age of Love. The phrase "over the hill" seems to have been replaced by "even older than Grant Hill."
First it was 36 year old Penny Hardaway coming out of retirement to join the Miami Heat. Then it was 42 year old Reggie Miller expressing interest in returning, followed by 36 year old Allan Houston announcing his desire to comeback, followed by 43 year old Charles Oakley's intentions to return being leaked. And it's not as if they are the only ones, 41 year old Dikembe Mutombo, 40 year old Cliff Robinson, and 44 year old Kevin Willis are among those still playing well passed their prime.
Charles Oakley once said 60 percent of the NBA smokes pot, now it appears he was being conservative.
Despite scientific proof that players over the age of 35 are not able to perform to their maximum capacity, these players stubbornly defy logic in a pursuit of what exactly? Is it for the money? Is it a refusal to accept reality? Is it just plain stupidity?
And why are teams giving in?
American culture stresses individual pursuits over public benefit, and this epidemic indicates this. Whatever happened to gracefully passing the torch to the next generation?
The public has a right to receive maximum performance from the basketball player's whose salaries they pay. Airline pilots are required to retire at an age when they are no longer able to perform at their peak, why should basketball players be any different?
Perhaps it shows the sad state of affairs in NBA basketball if someone can make a living shooting the occasional jump shot.
