The Art of Winning
I often have wondered why only a handful of teams keep winning in every league in sports. In basketball it’s the Lakers, in Football its the Patriots or Steelers and in baseball its the Yankees. Other than the Yankees, I really have not been a fan of any of these teams and have always hated to see them win on such a consistent basis. However, it is this sort of consistency that makes me respect all these teams that are always striving to be the best.
Yankees: The Yankees are probably the most hated team in all of sports because everyone complains that they have too much money. However, what else do you expect them to do with all that money? Owning a franchise is a huge investment and obviously the Yankees have made the proper investment. The Yankees were horrible before Steinbrenner bought them. He restored the winning tradition in the Bronx and was able to make millions of it as well. He was never afraid to spend and bring in the best players that he could find. Was he a crazy owner? Yeah of course, but that shouldn’t take away from his passion for winning. There are many crazy owners in sports ( Al Davis, Donald Sterling), but none could match the enthusiasm for winning like George could.
Lakers: There is no other team in the NBA that I can despise more than the Lakers. Ever since I can remember, this team has always been winning. Theya re going for their 2nd 3 peat this decade!! That is truly amazing. Even with salary restrictions and revenue sharing, the Lakers are finding ways to bring in talent. It might be true that Los Angeles is all about glitz and celebrity status, but if that was the case the Clippers would be winning too. All the credit to this goes to another that is truly passionate about winning- Jerry Buss. Jerry Buss like George Steinbrenner, bought the Lakers during a time where they really were not doing so great. They drafted magic and brought in Kareem and they won the championship in their first year. Soon after, it became the showtime Lakers with a great coach (Pat Riley) and the LA version of the big three (Magic, Kareem and Worthy) They brought back the winning tradition back to LA which was followed by the Shaq/Kobe dynasty. Even after the nasty divorce from Shaq, the team still did well and eventually won again in 2009 with Pau Gasol. This year they signed more complementary pieces like Matt Barnes and Steve Blake and are ready for winning another three peat.
Laker fans and Yankee fans are truly spoiled because of Buss and Steinbrenner respectively. It might be true that they have a boatload of money and fame but its their desire to put the best on the field/court that makes them true winners. Everyone might complain that they are bad for the game and always keep winning, but in reality they are the ones that other teams should strive to be like. If you really want commitment to excellene, look no further than New York and Los Angeles.
This is just my opinion so please…Pardon My Bias.
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