Sports Stars with the Most to Prove This Fall
There comes a point in a player's career when, no matter how big he has gotten or what he has accomplished, there will be doubters questioning his ability.
Has he lost a step? Does he still deserve superstar money? Can he ever win a championship?
These questions are, in a way, a backhanded compliment, as the player has reached a level of stardom that fans and media care enough to wonder what the future holds.
And with a few sports stars in the spotlight as the fall approaches, I'm giving you those who need to prove themselves once again, whether fair or not, to remind us that they're still who we think they are.
Alex Rodriguez
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Although the New York Yankees have plenty of other factors that need to come together in order for them to make a postseason run at a 28th World Series title, the player under the most pressure during October baseball would be a guy who missed the entire 2014 season.
What Alex Rodriguez has done in his first season back after his suspension last year is simply remarkable, as he has shown to return to the form fans were accustomed to seeing from him.
That said, A-Rod's postseason struggles since joining the Yanks have been well-documented, and those failures—each strikeout or simple base hit—get criticized simply because of the magnitude of his name.
Rodriguez isn't the sole reason the Yanks will or will not win a World Series, but he's the one who will get the most criticism should he not produce if the Yankees make it to the postseason.
Trevone Boykin
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It's not as if TCU Horned Frogs quarterback Trevone Boykin hasn't already shown that he's one of the best signal-callers in the entire country—that's what happens when you score 42 total touchdowns and lead your team to a 12-1 season.
But, in the history of the school's football program, there has never been loftier expectations than 2015, as TCU enters the season as the preseason No. 2 team in the country, with a realistic shot at a national title.
And it all rides on Boykin.
A serious Heisman Trophy candidate, the dynamic Boykin must prove that he can lead his squad past the disappointment of missing out on last year's College Football Playoff and into this season's knockout round, capable of beating the big boys on a quest to a national championship.
Alex Ovechkin
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Over the years, I have been one of the harshest critics of Washington Capitals star Alex Ovechkin, who continues to put up insane numbers but fails to lead his team to a Stanley Cup Final.
After leading the NHL in goals during the 2014-15 season and helping his Caps earn the No. 4 seed in the Eastern Conference, Ovie didn't do enough in the playoffs, again, failing to make an impact as his team got bounced in the second round.
Commonly discussed as the best player in the league, Ovechkin has all the talent in the world and is a bona fide superstar, but until he delivers on the biggest stage—which won't come until the spring of 2016 in the playoffs—his legacy will earn an incomplete grade.
It takes a Stanley Cup title to maintain standing alongside all-timers, and Ovechkin needs to prove he belongs there with a different mentality when the 2015 NHL season begins.
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Jim Harbaugh
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Entering his first season at his alma mater, the University of Michigan, there isn't anyone on the planet who truly believes that Jim Harbaugh is under pressure to win a national title this year.
However, with the success of the school's biggest rival, the Ohio State Buckeyes, who are coming off a national championship last season, the bitterness between the two schools is back to where it belongs.
More than just the success that Ohio State had last season, though, is that the scarlet and gray have owned Michigan in the past decade-plus, winning 12 of the past 15 matchups in their annual showdown, and Wolverine fans believe Harbaugh is the right man to get things back on track.
After mutually splitting from the San Francisco 49ers after the 2014 season to return to his college roots, it'll take Harbaugh a few years to get his guys to play his system, but with great success on all levels as a head coach, expectations in Ann Arbor continue to soar as the fanbase itches to get back to an elite level.
Bryce Harper
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The addition of Washington Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper onto this list comes down to one thing—the postseason.
While showing that he has the necessary skills of a superstar, Harper—who is the current NL leader in homers this season—has disappointed in his two trips to the playoffs since entering the majors in 2012.
A paltry .200 batting average and a disappointing .238 on-base percentage in his postseason career, Harper needs to perform better for the Nats to have any chance to even think about a World Series.
Passionate, fiery and as talented as anyone in the game, part of being the face of a franchise is getting credit and criticism when the stakes are high, and it's up to Harper to show he can overcome doubters and take his team to the next level through his leadership.
Carmelo Anthony
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Would the real Carmelo Anthony please stand up?
That's the question that New York Knicks fans are asking after a completely lost season by their biggest star, who, once again, failed to have any support from his teammates and, ultimately, shut himself down in February following nagging injuries.
An eight-time All-Star and one-time scoring champ, Melo received a max deal from the Knicks last summer in hopes that he could lead them deep into the postseason, finally ending any questions about his superstar status.
With last season going about as poorly as it could for both Anthony and the team, he seems to have approved of the moves the front office has made this summer in order to right the ship, but the progress lies squarely on Melo's shoulders, as he's in the spotlight in the biggest city in the country.
Not everyone who bleeds Knicks blue and orange is convinced Melo is the man for the job, but with little options to rid themselves of his contract, it's up to him to turn things around.
Robert Griffin III
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Um, does anyone else remember Washington Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III?
You know, he was the guy who the Skins traded the entire farm to get with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2012 NFL draft, subsequently won the league's Offensive Rookie of the Year award and guided the team to the postseason.
Then, crash, he fell out of favor in a hurry by clashing with both former head coach Mike Shanahan and the current one, Jay Gruden.
After being benched by the latter last season in favor of Colt McCoy—yes, that happened—RG3 has to prove himself to the coaching staff and fanbase that he's the right man for the job.
With Gruden recommitting himself to Griffin as the starter heading into the 2015 campaign, it's on the former Heisman Trophy winner to grab the perennial bull by the horns, remain healthy and return to the dynamic force he was his first season. Otherwise, he may find himself frustrated and on his way out of D.C.
Truly a do-or-die season, Robert Griffin III might be the signal-caller with the most to prove outside of some guy up in Foxborough.
Kevin Love
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After a turbulent first season with the Cleveland Cavs that ended with a separated shoulder during the first postseason series of his NBA career, Kevin Love was left wondering what was the best choice for him as a free agent this summer.
Weighing his options and seeing how he could coexist with fellow superstars LeBron James and Kyrie Irving in Cleveland, K-Love re-upped with the Cavs for five years, instantly making the squad the team to beat heading into next season.
That doens't mean it'll be that easy, though.
As we all saw last year, Love had trouble incorporating himself into an offense that didn't utilize his post skills as frequently as he would have liked, instead stretching him out to the three-point line in favor of opening up the lane for James and Irving.
It was just a couple of years ago that Love was mentioned as the best power forward in the game, and with that type of recognition and skills, he has to prove that he can do it alongside his more popular mates and return to All-Star form—as well as prove that he isn't feeling any ill effects from his injury.
Connor McDavid
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There are very few athletes who ever come along and get compared to an all-time great, but when that player happens to be mentioned in the same breath as the greatest to ever play their sport, there's a hell of a lot of pressure on that person.
Welcome to the world of Connor McDavid, who was the No. 1 overall pick of the Edmonton Oilers in this year's draft and is, presumably, the heir to the NHL throne as the next superstar.
Having been talked about for years, the 18-year-old finally gets his chance to show why so many people were salivating over him and hoping to win the rights to the first pick.
Not only is the anticipation in Edmonton at an all-time high, but for casual hockey fans who have heard of the kid, excitement is building to see what the kid has.
Not since LeBron James has there been this much hype surrounding a phenom in a sport, so it'll be interesting to see how McDavid handles the pressure and adapts to life in the NHL—and, for his sake, it better be fast to prove he's worthy of all the praise.
Cardale Jones
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I actually debated putting the entire Ohio State football team on this list, as so many of their star players have to prove that they are who they showed to be during the team's national title run during January.
However, I settled on quarterback Cardale Jones because, well, he's the biggest X-factor in college football right now.
After being a third-stringer for nearly all of the regular season last year, Jones came in to relieve an injured J.T. Barrett late in the Michigan game, presumably crushing Bucks' fans hopes of winning a national title.
Jones silenced doubters, though, as he demolished Wisconsin in the Big Ten title game and defeated both Alabama and Oregon to capture a national championship.
All that's fine and dandy, but don't think that the keys to the car are still in Jones' possession, as Barrett is returning from injury and the starter for 2015 is still up for grabs, creating one of the most compelling position battles in recent memory between these two signal-callers.
I've heard of the saying, "What have you done for me lately?" but just seven months removed from an epic display of will and talent, and Jones is left to show that he has the guile to be named the starter.
Clayton Kershaw
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Earlier in this 2015 season, there were plenty of people who were wondering what was up with Los Angeles Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw.
Some wondered if he had reached his limit from all of the innings he has thrown up to this point in the big leagues, or if a new addition to his family—his daughter—was distracting him from dominating like we have all become accustomed to.
Well, the big lefty has silenced those doubters, absolutely mowing down opponents over the past month or so, which includes two scoreless innings streaks that are absurd.
As unreal as the guy has been during the regular season over the years, though, one thing that he still has yet to prove is that he can pitch in the postseason, as he currently holds a 1-5 record with a 5.12 ERA.
Very un-Kershy.
With his Dodgers poised to make the playoffs again, Kershaw has to show that he's the big-game pitcher everyone knows he is—as the Dodgers can't win a World Series without him being at his best.
Tom Brady
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Four Super Bowls, two league MVPs, 392 career touchdown passes and over 53,000 career passing yards—oh, and one of the greatest underdog stories in all of sports.
So why does New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady have so much to prove this fall? I think it's pretty obvious (Deflategate).
For years, Brady and the Pats organization have been the class of the NFL, having consistency like few in any sport has seen, competing for championships and retooling no matter what players are on the roster.
However, while 2007's Spygate was a black eye on the signal-caller and his head coach, Bill Belichick, Deflategate is squarely on the future Hall of Fame passer, as he's the one who people are pointing fingers at as the culprit this time.
Currently on the hook to miss the first four games of the 2015 season for his part in the act, Tom Terrific is fighting the suspension in hopes of it being overturned. But, the damage might already be done to his legacy, as people wonder why he continues to find himself in precarious positions that seem like bending the rules.
No matter how many games Brady plays in this season, he has to ignore the haters and prove that a few deflated footballs won't define his entire career.
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