Hype: Good, Bad Or Ugly?

As any professional sport's draft approaches, the media spits out more and more things in a language that all sports fans have come to know very well: hype.

Webster's Dictionary defines hype as.....just kidding, I won't be that cliche. We all know what hype is.

To put a face on it, hype is: Michael Beasley, LeBron James, Reggie Bush, Vince Young and so many others of recent years.

The question about hype is: is it a good thing? Sure, it helps players like Bron Bron sign $90 million deals without playing a single minute in the NBA.

It helps a player like JaMarcus Russell get drafted number one, while Troy Smith is drafted 174th, a mere four months after he won the Heisman trophy.

But it also creates expectations, often incredible expectations.

For every player like LeBron, who took four years to drag a cellar dweller to the Finals, there are players like Andrea Bargnani, Darko Milicic, Kwame Brown and Alex Smith.

Then there are players like Tom Brady. Players who came into the lague with absolutely no hype, and now he's got three rings, (and a failed 3rd-and-4 and Tyree catch away from five rings).

He had no pressure coming in, at least not from the outside. He pressured himself to be so good, and when done out of the spotlight, thats one of the things that allows players to become efficient, lethal, winning machines like Tom Brady.

A question for you, the reader: If you were an upcoming prospect, would you rather be hyped as a no.1 pick, or relegated to the latter rounds?

Would you rather have the weight of the hopes of en entire city (somtimes region) thrust upon your shoulder, or would you rather become who you're meant to be at your own pace? 

Granted, going unnoticed isn't for everyone either. Some players need that pressure, it's that pressure that keeps them in the gym until after midnight, or shooting 3's as the janitor's try to clean the otherwise empty gym.

Is there a happy middle? Unfortunately, in our age of hypersaturated media, no. You're either picked to be a winner, or you're not. You're either a draft day steal or a snub.

Sure there are those middle players that people say, "well, they've got great potential, of only they can master their skill set." But that's a cop out.

Of course, some players have that naturally ultra-competitive drive inside them. The drive to show, on the court/field, that they are better than their competitors. They want to show that they get paid to be better than you, and dammit, they are better than you.

The real question I'm digging at is this: is hype a natural occurrence? It's not like someone just drew Reggie Bush's name out of a hat and said, "hey guys! here's a good-looking well-spoken guy, let's hype the crap out of him!"

No, Reggie created his impression on the field, with more breathtaking runs that you could shake a stick at.

Same with Vince Young, same with MMMMBeasley (note: if that nickname takes off, I want full credit). They got to their position because they did it in the game.

To those of you reading from the beginning anticipating a definitive answer to the merits of hype, I apologize.

I meant for this to be more of an exploration about how hype is created, and what the alternartives are, and how they contribute to the landscape we call professional sports.