Players For Rent

by Jacob Westlin
Love of Sports Correspondent

It’s hard to imagine, isn’t it?

Given the modern-era culture of quick fixes, win-today attitudes and, above all, bottom-line business ethics that there was a time, however, when players, coaches, and management alike were all striving toward one goal - together, patiently. 

Sure, this progression can be attributed to any number of factors, including the massive economic growth of sports and its global coverage to simply adapting to the spoon-fed American culture in which we now find ourselves. The most important factor, though, seems to be the introduction of free-agency into the modern world of professional team sports.

Free-agency has shaken the foundation of what sports, and specifically sports’ connection to the community at-large, represents. Consider just what Bill Russell meant to Boston, what Joe DiMaggio or Mickey Mantle meant to New York, or what Dan Marino and John Elway meant to Miami and Denver.

The team itself is much more stable. Coaches and management are more likely to know who is on their roster for the upcoming season, and as a result, are given a longer leash with which to groom their players for success. This, of course, translates to better play.

The atrocious state of NFL quarterbacking as a whole can be largely attributed to the impatient culture of current NFL standards. Coaches are only given two or three years to build a contender, and that first-round draft-pick no longer has the luxury of waiting behind a veteran for three seasons. Let’s not forget: that rookie is being paid $8 million a season; he can’t sit on the bench!

Secondly, and most importantly, the athlete’s connection to the community in which he plays is immeasurably strengthened.  Because fans 30, 20 and even 10 years ago had more stability of roster with which to base their fan-hood, their interest in the team remained strong. 

If a father could groom his child to become, say, a Troy Aikman fan, knowing that Aikman would almost certainly be a Cowboy for life, the child has a genuine connection to the team, via the face of the franchise. 

Furthermore, the relationship of community to athlete is not one-directional.  The athlete becomes ensconced within the fabric of the area, giving back to local needs and hopefully, in the process, becomes a positive athletic celebrity in the community.

If, on the other hand, as we are beginning to see more and more often, players move from team to team every few seasons, yet another ripple effect occurs. This time, coaches are expected to win right away, as the players on their rosters have been purchased for the short-term. There’s no patient grooming. The GM equally wishes to keep his job.

Now, the rookie quarterback who would benefit most from sitting on the bench for a season or two is thrown immediately into the fire, hoping to prove his ridiculous price-tag justifiable. Of course, more often than not, this stunts the growth and progression of the kid, and he now has to move on to another team three seasons later, as once again, the franchise is going in a new direction.

Let’s not overlook how this quick turnover affects fan interaction with their local franchises. A fan not unlike the Cowboys’ fan of the 1990’s, now ten-years later living in the Twin Cities, begins grooming his child to be a Kevin Garnett fan. KG represented Minnesota pristinely for twelve seasons - excelling on the court, while truly embedding himself as one with the community off of it. Then the unthinkable happens as KG suits up in a green number five jersey for the Boston Celtics and wins the NBA championship the same season (sure, he was traded and didn’t sign elsewhere, but how often were superstars of yesteryear traded, while still athletically effective?).

The child is now in a conundrum, as being a Garnett fan and being a Minnesota Timberwolves fan have been one in the same for his entire life. To whom does he stay loyal, the face of his franchise playing elsewhere, or to the now faceless franchise of his hometown?

In the end, the free-agency period is great for ESPN and the like, as it gives them something to talk and speculate about in the off-season. Ultimately, if the current trend continues, the sports world could morph into a cold, loveless single-season success story that leaves fans wondering just who the “good-guys” and “bad-guys” are.