Home > Jessie Nunery > Archives > 2008 > September > 23 > Entry
The cycle of sports
Imagine a sports fan falling asleep for 10 years and waking up. Boy, have things changed since then. The Tampa Bay Rays have clinched a spot in the American League playoffs. So much has changed in a decade that sleepy fan knew the team as the Devil Rays. But what else has changed? I did a quick glance back at the four major professional sports (football, baseball, basketball, hockey) to see what things looked like compared to today.
BASEBALL THEN: The New York Yankees won the World Series by beating the San Diego Padres. The Yankees won 114 games during the regular-season.
BASEBALL NOW: The Yankees (86-71) will miss the postseason for the first time in 13 years after being eliminated Tuesday night. Yankee Stadium has seen its last baseball game. Some things are still the same there, though. New York still has unlimited financial resources and Derek Jeter is playing shortstop. Some things don’t need to change.
BASKETBALL THEN: The Chicago Bulls (and Michael Jordan, of course) won their third consecutive NBA title. The victory was the last of Jordan’s six titles.
BASKETBALL NOW: The Bulls won only 33 games last season. Michael Jordan is now making player personnel decisions for the Charlotte Bobcats. Yes, back then, Charlotte had a team called the Hornets. The Hornets are now in New Orleans. Yes, times have changed.
HOCKEY THEN: The Detroit Red Wings earned Lord Stanley’s Cup in 1998, back when Hockey was popular (sorry, hockey fans, but it’s true).
HOCKEY NOW: Maybe some things don’t change. The Red Wings are fresh off a sweep of the Pittsburgh Penguins and will enter the upcoming season as the defending champs. The NHL is certainly in last place of the four major sports.
FOOTBALL THEN: The Denver Broncos edged the Green Bay Packers, 31-24 in Super Bowl XXXII. That was a great Super Bowl. John Elway vs. Brett Favre (as the media put it then as if the Hall of Fame quarterbacks were the only ones playing).
FOOTBALL NOW: The New York Giants are the defending champs after a 17-14 victory in February. That victory made one member of the Telegram sports department a happy man.
Thanks, Giants. I’ll never forget that win.
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