[qwerty007]

Originally Posted by grossnex

Brilliant analysis Qwerty my brother.

I just want to back it up with some more talk in the same vein. In my opinion the NBA & NFL are the 2 most talked about sports in this country for 1 essential reason: The Player.

Both of these leagues decided a long time ago to market the player 1st & the franchise 2nd. The Lakers are the champs so let's use them as an example. I'm willing to put myself out there & say that every 1 mention the Lakers get as a franchise by the sports media, is quickly followed by at least 2 statements about Kobe Bryant. There's also a statue of Micheal Jordan outside the arena in Chicago that the media show every time there's a Bulls game these days. And he owns another team.

Compare this to hockey from an American perspective. Hardcore hockey fans know the good players in the league, but myself as a casual hockey fan I can probably name 2 players in the entire league. I do however know all of the teams. The NHL hasn't caught up with the marketing aspects of hyping their superstars.

In the NFL even, we had a moron named Plaxico Burress go carry a loaded gun into a nightclub & accidentally shoot himself in the leg. Now he's sitting in prison since you can't carry guns into clubs in New York. All I can think is that this guy felt he had some sort of entitlement because he was an athlete that he could do whatever he wanted to.

I really don't care how much they get paid as much as the way they conduct themselves. Are they rap stars or professional athletes?

You sir, are correct. They are rap stars...