Tragedy Made Steve Kerr See the World Beyond the Court
1–10 of 30 posts
Re: Tragedy Made Steve Kerr See the World Beyond the Court
#2There's also a great podcast interview between David Axelrod and Steve Kerr from several weeks ago:
http://podcast.cnn.com/the-axe-files-david-axelrod/episode/a...
Axelrod goes into Kerr's background, his reaction to the assassination of his father, etc. really great listen in my opinion. It's always fascinating to see someone who's in an expert in one field (pro basketball), have such a good understanding of something entirely different (Middle Eastern politics).
Re: Tragedy Made Steve Kerr See the World Beyond the Court
#3I hate Golden State. They're an eminently villainous team: overconfident and insufferable. (This can also be said of many of their fans -- most of whom I suspect had not called themselves a Golden State fan until 2013 -- and their owner, who described their organization as 'light-years ahead' of the competition because they had the good fortune to sign Curry to the best contract in the NBA due to his reputation as injury-prone.)
I can't hate Steve Kerr. He's self-deprecating, he's insightful, and he's fun. He's spoken passionately about basketball, obviously, as a coach and player and commentator, but his use of his platform is truly admirable. The sports world needs more people like him.
Largely speaking, it's becoming easier and easier for me to watch the NBA instead of the NFL, if for no other reason than I don't feel guilty about it. As more evidence piles up that American football devastates the human body and mind, it disgusts me a little to watch owners, GMs, and coaches avoid talking about "the world beyond the gridirons" as much as possible.
Contrast this with figures in the NBA like Kerr, Gregg Popovich, and even the commissioner Adam Silver (who handled things like Donald Sterling and the All Star Game in Charlotte very well), and it just feels better to be a fan -- and I hope the coming generation of aspiring athletes feel the same way. (This is not to diminish the great job that players like Lebron, Carmelo, and Cousins have done off the court to improve their communities and speak out about issues, but I think the calculus is a little different as a player.)
[EDIT -- I forgot to include perhaps my favorite Steve Kerr moment, the speech he gave after his game-winning shot in Game 6 of the '97 finals: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOCcd-iAljI]
Re: Tragedy Made Steve Kerr See the World Beyond the Court
#4I hate Golden State. They're an eminently villainous team: overconfident and insufferable. (This can also be said of many of their fans -- most of whom I suspect had not called themselves a Golden State fan until 2013 -- and their owner, who described their organization as 'light-years ahead' of the competition because they had the good fortune to sign Curry to the best contract in the NBA due to his reputation as in…
When you say you "hate" a sports team, it's time to do some self-evaluation.
Re: Tragedy Made Steve Kerr See the World Beyond the Court
#5I hate Golden State. They're an eminently villainous team: overconfident and insufferable. (This can also be said of many of their fans -- most of whom I suspect had not called themselves a Golden State fan until 2013 -- and their owner, who described their organization as 'light-years ahead' of the competition because they had the good fortune to sign Curry to the best contract in the NBA due to his reputation as in…
When you say you "hate" a sports team, it's time to do some self-evaluation.
Don't forget the "I liked them before they were cool":
"most of whom I suspect had not called themselves a Golden State fan until 2013"
What are the rules on when you are allowed to become a fan?
Re: Tragedy Made Steve Kerr See the World Beyond the Court
#6I hate Golden State. They're an eminently villainous team: overconfident and insufferable. (This can also be said of many of their fans -- most of whom I suspect had not called themselves a Golden State fan until 2013 -- and their owner, who described their organization as 'light-years ahead' of the competition because they had the good fortune to sign Curry to the best contract in the NBA due to his reputation as in…
It's a trade-off and it's a tradeoff that a lot of NFL players are clearly becoming aware of but are willing to make. In some weird sense you can only appreciate them for making that tradeoff.
Effectively, they are at 20 (with today's knowledge) given 15 years at the top of the most popular American sport. They make hundreds of millions in the process (possibly).
By the time they are 40 or 50 they might be a vegetable or have committed suicide, but honestly how is that different than any other job? It's a decision they make for celebrity and money and competition - how many CEOs have killed themselves via overwork?
On the other hand when Tony Dorsett says "I didn't expect the end to be like this", it does shock you to the core. And it's a sport that kids should not be playing.
Football is a violent sport but that's what makes it magical....you can't have men that are 6 foot 6 and can run a 4.3 without it happening. But you can't get something that completely tactical and brutal without those dynamics. I'd hate for football to die.
There's also genuinely good owners in the league; hate someone like Jerry Jones all you want but he has taken care of all of his former players and is one of the most giving people in the league. There's also some really brilliant and good front offices (New England or even Dallas with Will McClay).
....also regarding Kerr, he's had an amazing career.
Bulls in the 90s, Spurs in the 00s (killed the Mavs in 03 WCF), then goes to Phoenix and helps build the Seven Seconds or Less Suns, now GS. And he was a pretty good analyst! Talk about a winner.
Re: Tragedy Made Steve Kerr See the World Beyond the Court
#7Earlier quoted context omitted.
When you say you "hate" a sports team, it's time to do some self-evaluation.
Don't forget the "I liked them before they were cool": "most of whom I suspect had not called themselves a Golden State fan until 2013" What are the rules on when you are allowed to become a fan?
If you simply like a team while they're winning and then don't when they lose. You're not a fan. You're just someone who likes to be part of a winning team. (Echoes Silicon Valley quite a bit eh)
Re: Tragedy Made Steve Kerr See the World Beyond the Court
#8I hate Golden State. They're an eminently villainous team: overconfident and insufferable. (This can also be said of many of their fans -- most of whom I suspect had not called themselves a Golden State fan until 2013 -- and their owner, who described their organization as 'light-years ahead' of the competition because they had the good fortune to sign Curry to the best contract in the NBA due to his reputation as in…
When you say you "hate" a sports team, it's time to do some self-evaluation.
I don't think I've ever met a sports fan who hasn't hated at least one team. Rivalries are fun; teams that you relish rooting against are fun. Emotional investment in the outcome is one of the biggest reasons folks watch sports; rooting for the underdog to win is rooting for the overdog to lose (and I can't remember a larger overdog in quite some time than the Warriors.)
It's also eminently clear from my comment that I don't have some all-consuming blind rage for the team, given that I just complimented the head coach, so I'm not really sure what you're getting at.
Re: Tragedy Made Steve Kerr See the World Beyond the Court
#9I hate Golden State. They're an eminently villainous team: overconfident and insufferable. (This can also be said of many of their fans -- most of whom I suspect had not called themselves a Golden State fan until 2013 -- and their owner, who described their organization as 'light-years ahead' of the competition because they had the good fortune to sign Curry to the best contract in the NBA due to his reputation as in…
When you say you "hate" a sports team, it's time to do some self-evaluation.
[deleted]
Re: Tragedy Made Steve Kerr See the World Beyond the Court
#10I hate Golden State. They're an eminently villainous team: overconfident and insufferable. (This can also be said of many of their fans -- most of whom I suspect had not called themselves a Golden State fan until 2013 -- and their owner, who described their organization as 'light-years ahead' of the competition because they had the good fortune to sign Curry to the best contract in the NBA due to his reputation as in…
It's a trade-off and it's a tradeoff that a lot of NFL players are clearly becoming aware of but are willing to make. In some weird sense you can only appreciate them for making that tradeoff. Effectively, they are at 20 (with today's knowledge) given 15 years at the top of the most popular American sport. They make hundreds of millions in the process (possibly). By the time they are 40 or 50 they might be a vegetabl…
The median NFL salary is $1.9million. The median NFL career length is 3.5 years. If you're in the NFL for 15 years, you are an extremely fortunate outlier.
I think the main difference between someone putting their health on the line as an NFL starter and as a CEO is that, as a CEO, you know what you're getting into. There has been, to my perception, a concerted effort to avoid educating football players about the risks they face and the precautions (financial and health) they need to take to ensure safety after their time in the league.
I agree that there are great owners and individuals in the NFL; it's unfair of me to paint them all with the same brush.