I love my sports.
There was a time, I used to idolize the players as they performed their craft. The commitment level it takes to play professional sports today is off the charts. As a forty-ish year old man, playing professional sports is a dream I will never realize.
There was a time, training camp was to get all the athletes back in shape from the off season. Today, athletes train year round. Even when the season is over, they are in the gym. They constantly look for an edge to make them better, faster, stronger.
The game has gotten more competitive. There are more players trying to make the big leagues. Baseball has found new talent in Japan and India. Hockey now has access to players in Russia, which it didn't have 30 years ago.
The games are getting bigger. The players are stronger. The television coverage is better. And the dollars are astromungous.
I don't idolize the sport and its players much anymore.
The thing that appeals to me most about professional sport is the coach.
Coaches are not selected based on age or athleticism. Coaches were typically not great players. A great coach has an ability to get the most out of the players. The coach is the leader.
Yet teams still focus on players. They work free agency to pay for the best "free" talent only to mess with their team chemistry.
Coaches are chopped when players don't respond. Ironic in a way.
The coaches are my new idols in sport.
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