Morning Brew: Questions ruin season’s thrill

Friday, November 13, 2009

Will the Jayhawks win the national championship this season? Where is LeBron going to sign in 2010? How high will Sam Bradford be drafted?

These questions don’t have answers yet, but we keep asking, seemingly everyday. We know the exact time and location where the results will be revealed, yet we keep trying to solve the mystery for ourselves.

Sports are unscripted and enigmatic. The thrill is the not knowing; the satisfaction (or disappointment) is the final outcome.

The amount of exposure and energy exerted on predictions could go to better use. For our own sake and sanity, let us enjoy the games as they happen and not get caught up in the constant fortune-teller mentality. Predictions are meant to be fun, but they are getting out of hand.

Look at a league like the NFL right now. Every week, panelists are considering Super Bowl match-ups and who has the best chance to go undefeated.

First off, no one is going undefeated because no one has a team remotely like the 1972 Dolphins or the 2007 Patriots. Secondly, it would be nice to get through at least 12 games of the season before we crown paper champions. Who knows what will happen to the Saints, Vikings or Colts at that time.

Remember when the Giants were the best team? That was around week three, and now they could miss the playoffs. Time is wasted overanalyzing a 5-0 start.

And maybe the media are at fault here.

LeBron James recently told the media he is done talking about the 2010 free agency period and speculation of what team he may or may not sign with. Good for him. We still have more than 70 games to go this season. Just focus on the next game, please.

Again, making predictions is fine, just not to the degree it has evolved into. Literally, right after college kids get drafted, they look at the next class and rank them. There are so many variables that I guarantee no one can ever be even remotely accurate.

Sporting events are unique in this situation. There aren’t nearly as many people openly predicting outcomes of cinematic content, for example. I’ve never seen movie critics guess at the ending of a movie before its release. The fun of watching is enjoying the ride. We should treat our sports the same way.

When we get caught up in everyday “what ifs,” it’s easy to miss the “what is.”

Sports are unscripted masterpieces. Just watch.

— Edited by Abbey Strusz

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