Sports analysts should avoid cliches like the plague

I haven’t done the math, but by my estimation about 75% of sports talk is comprised of clichés.  Well-worn bromides that an analyst can utter reflexively without any thought, a nice way to cover those dull bits in between the blather and nonsense.  Lately I've been hearing a lot of my two least favorite sports clichés, and I am starting to get irritable (and to paraphrase Dr. Bruce Banner, you wouldn't like me when I’m irritable).

The first is connected to the University of Kentucky’s seemingly inevitable march to the national championship. Before they reached the conference tournament a lot of folks on ESPN broke out the idea that it would be better if they lost a game.  The idea being that the quest for perfection would apply too much pressure to these young kids, and they’d be more likely to lose in a tournament game if the burden of being perfect was still on them.

This is nonsense.  First, to quote probably the most uttered quote at ESPN, why do we play—we play to win the game.  Playing to lose makes no sense.  I would submit it also makes no sense for teams in the NBA deliberately losing so they have a greater chance at a higher draft pick so they can draft a fair-to-middlin’ point guard who’ll average 5 points a game.  But it certainly makes no sense when a team is good.

Winning is a habit more than anything else.  Once you break that habit, it may be hard to get it going again.  In 2009 the Indianapolis Colts were 14-0 and seemingly headed towards an undefeated season, something that would have taken some of the starch out of those annoying 1974 Dolphins.  But their head coach, the genius known as Jim Caldwell, benched his starters over the last two games and ended up 14-2.  Fat lot of good it did as the Colts lost in the Super Bowl to the Saints, putting another wing on the “Peyton Manning chokes in the post-season” museum.

Does being perfect put more pressure on players?  Maybe, but players are supposed to play better under pressure.  That’s largely what separates professionals from also rans.  Doing things that may weaken you, like resting starters late in the season, may be a good thing, but deliberately trying to lose never does anybody any good.

The second cliché I hate relates to the Oklahoma City Thunder and their star player, Kevin Durant.  Durant’s contract ends after next season, and with his injuries and outstanding play of teammate Russell Westbrook, some have speculated that Oklahoma City might not be willing to offer Durant as much as he likes and he may end up leaving for his hometown team, the Wizards.  So we hear people trot out the axiom that they should trade him, otherwise “they’ll lose him and get nothing in return.”

This dates back to the old days in professional sports, before free agency.  In those days, especially in baseball, teams literally “owned” players.  If a player refused to sign with a team, he was prohibited from playing with another, thus teams never “lost” a player unless they traded him for compensation.

Now we have free agency, but some people still act like players are bound to their teams in perpetuity.  If a free agent signs with another team, then he was lost without getting anything in return.  But the team DID get something in return—that player’s services for the remainder of his contract, exactly what they bargained for. Teams are not entitled to anything else.

Besides, if you do trade a star player, will you get an even up trade?  Of course not! If the Thunder trade Durant with a year left on his contract, and the average contract is 7 years (let’s say), then they will get a player 1/7 as good as Durant.  As good as Durant is, that ain’t much.  Their fans are deprived of the joy of watching Durant play for another season, and instead they get to watch a part-time shooting guard rack up 7 points and 2 rebounds a game. 

So let’s stop all this talk about “not getting anything in return” if a free agent goes elsewhere.  The team isn't entitled to anything, so why cry over not getting it?  If a free agent doesn't re-sign with his team, the team probably did something to push him away.  So make hay while the sun shines, and stop crying over spilled milk.  To coin a phrase.