Austin Rivers Is Wrong!!
In my opinion, George Carlin is the greatest comedian ever. He would make you laugh and think at the same time. Maybe more than a comedian, he was an educator or even a prophet in his own way. In his HBO special, he talked about how many dumb people there are. He said, "Think of how stupid the average person is, and then realize that half of them are stupider than that."
One of my favorite and least favorite things about celebrities is that they get to say their stupid things in a microphone or use a platform that gets their message out to millions. How wonderful, am I right? The newest culprit, at least in the world of sports, is former NBA player Austin Rivers. On ESPN's Pat McAfee Show, Rivers made the statement, "Where the best athletes in the world are, that's us. I could take 30 players right now in the NBA and throw them in the NFL. You can not take 30 NFL players and put them in the NBA."
The Disrespect To All Professions
Most disrespectful comments are made out of ignorance, not malice. I believe this to be the case with Rivers as well. I don't know him personally, but I don't think he was trying to throw shade at the NFL. I think he was trying to compliment his basketball brethren. In doing so, he said something stupid and untrue that happened to be a slap in the face to professionals in any field.
The idea that someone can jump into a profession they've never practiced and be successful is that the new field is easy. There are 120 million people in the United States between 18 and 44. 1700 (1.17%) are in the NFL. It's one of the lowest percentages in any profession.
Just because someone is a great athlete does not mean they can play in the NFL. Like basketball, it takes years of daily drills to develop the skill set. Surgeons practice for less time than professional athletes at their craft; not anyone can become a surgeon. So why would someone be able to jump into a job that others have practiced for 20 years to get?
Because You Were Good Does NOT Mean You Are Good
Some NBA players were multiple-sport stars at the high school level. LeBron James was an All-State wide receiver, and Allen Iverson led his team to a state championship as a quarterback. This country has approximately 200 state-champion quarterbacks and 800 all-state receivers every year, and they don't all make it to the NFL. Most of them don't. Draymond Green played college football and looked like a fish trying to be a grizzly bear on the field.
Despite what your uncle may say after consuming a six-pack on Thanksgiving, being good in high school does not mean you are world-class. Getting so good at something takes years of hard work that somebody will pay you millions to do it. If it were easier than that, we'd all be driving Ferraris.
Specialization Of Football
Basketball may be easier by comparison because there are no specialists in basketball. Everybody dribbles, shoots, rebounds, and plays both offense and defense. In football, everybody does something different. The quarterback, running back, receivers, lines, linebackers, and secondary all have different jobs and use different skills.
Then we have the special teamers. My question for Austin Rivers would be, "Which 30 players could come in and kick 40-yard field goals? " The answer is none of them. None of them could play quarterback, receiver, or any position at all. They are great athletes, and maybe you could coach them up for five years, but there is no smooth transition from one sport to another.
This won't be the last dumb thing we hear from an athlete this year, and it probably won't be the last dumb thing Rivers says. The question is, which situation is sad: the fact that people with Rivers's IQ can reach millions because they are given a microphone or that millions of people believe him because he has a microphone?
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