We live in a youth obsessed culture. Who can deny the compelling nature of the energy, beauty, and expectations of the young? But we lovers of sports must make this confession: that a society that may be more obsessed with sports than any in history is a major contributor to creating the modern idol of strength, appearance, and the passion of youth. It is with some chagrin that I acknowledge that our ESPN era reinforces this obsession and the corresponding diminishing appreciation for age, experience, and wisdom in our society. I thought you would all be interested in this energetic and insightful diatribe from an unexpected source – Late night comedian, Craig Ferguson.
haha, dude that’s both hilarious and so so true
In sports, to some degree, youth is an advantage. When you get older, you get slower and weaker. You lose cardiovascular capacity. But that’s not the whole story. Youth is characterized not only by strength but by inexperience, which is a burden that only age can lift from your shoulders. I think that some general managers forget that fact and hire athletic bodies only, not mature minds. But a great athlete with a undisciplined mind is going to be a problem. Count on it. If you don’t believe me, simply read the NFL and NBA police blotter season after season. The only profession anywhere close to that level of self-destructive insanity is rap music.
So give me a athlete on the downhill side of his career, an athlete who knows how the game is played and who knows the value of intelligence. Or, put differently, in the 2010 Tour de France, I’d rather build a team around 38-year old Lance Armstrong than around 24 or 25 year old Alberto Contador — even though Contador is an unmatched physiological marvel. Mental toughness will prevail.
HAHAHA I love his accent