If Today's Athletes Were Characters on "LOST" Who Would They Be and Why

If any of you followed the six seasons of “LOST,” you know that it is a heavily character-driven show. So much so that the writers thought it not important enough to explain any of the most important plot mysteries during the last season (Side note: The only comparison I can make is if you were watching a porno and they only showed the lame acting and dialogue for the entire movie. Infuriatingly disappointing!).

But I digress.

As I was watching a few of the old episodes, I got to thinking about the landscape of today’s professional athletes. Which top-tier sports figures today relate most to certain characters on “LOST?”

Being the sports and pop culture nerd that I am (Example: after never watching the show until 2009, I caught up on four seasons of “LOST” in a week and a half. Help—life needed!) I decided to compare some of the most well-known athletes to some of our most intricate television characters.

*Spoiler Alert*

Alex Rodriguez

For the majority of his career, Rodriguez has been self-centered, selfish, powerful and always looking out for number one. Yet as of recently, Rodriguez has been quiet, and he played an integral role in New York’s 2009 championship.

Although quite villain-esque for many seasons, the Rodriguez of late has been—dare I say it—a pretty decent teammate. He’s a lot like Darth Vader in the sense that there is still some good in him.

If you’re a fan of the show, I can safely assume you know where I am going with this. Rodriguez’s “LOST” counterpart is none other than the crafty Benjamin Linus.

Linus, for almost the entirety of the show, was looking out for his own interests above all else. Constantly switching alliances (as Rodriguez switched teams) to award himself the best chance of survival and success, Linus was a mastermind of self-interest. Nevertheless, as the show progressed we began to see another side of Linus.

There were redeemable qualities in the bug-eyed man after all. His love for his daughter, his “Flash-Sideways” doppelganger, his role with Hurley on the Island and his own acknowledgment that he was not yet worthy of redemption all began to sway my opinion of the once-evil mastermind.

So yes, Rodriguez has been called a synonym for a cleansing product for female parts many a time. However, his growth, maturity and recent playoff triumphs have won over many fans, including myself.

Tom Brady

Ah, Brady, the golden boy! The handsome, intelligent, immensely talented leader that everyone looks to. The man who is worth quite a bit of money and is in a relationship with an incredibly beautiful woman…Man, would I absolutely kill to be this guy!

Tom Brady is a man of supreme talent, will, determination, smarts and a general “I am better than you and always right” mentality with a football in his hands. Hmmm, I wonder who on “LOST” could possibly be seen as similar?

Jack Shephard, who else? I know that didn’t come as a surprise to any of you who watch the show. From the second Jack wakes up with that “What the fu*k just happened” look on his face, there is no doubt that he is the leader of this group of survivors.

For starters, he is the only doctor and is the one who physically takes care of every sick/injured passenger. Not to mention his uncanny ability to offer just the right emotional support at just the right time (his talk on the beach with Rose, the first time he met Kate, even his highly introspective wedding pseudo-vows to Sarah).

Both Brady and Shephard are natural-born leaders who control everything. The only difference is one has a football field and the other has a supernatural island that kills people off as frequently as possible. Easy, right?

Kobe Bryant

The Black Mamba is a special breed of player. Taken directly out of Michael Jordan’s mold, Kobe has many of the intangibles you would want your best player to possess. A sickening work ethic and determination, eerie resourcefulness and adaptability and a cutthroat, take no prisoners attitude that enables him to close out games and care only about winning.

Bryant’s psyche doesn’t comprehend the concept of failure. He does what needs to be done in order to win. It’s as simple as that.

Bryant reminds me so much of another vicious, snake-like character: Sayid Jarrah.

Sayid, the master of cryptic whispering, was an Iraqi torturer before landing on the island. Then, once getting off the island, he decided it was a good idea to start offing people for Benjamin Linus.  

Whoa. Dude clearly has that cutthroat, no mercy mindset down pat.

Sayid is a survivor. He will go to great lengths to achieve his goal, such as when he tortured Sawyer for some information early on in the series. Similarly, Bryant will do what ever it takes to win. Except Kobe kills on the court and Sayid kills for business and pleasure.

On a side note, did anyone notice how Sayid kept sounding more and more British as the show went on? No, it was just me? Okay then.

LeBron James

LeBron James. The most scrutinized player in the league who is coming off the worst defeat of his career. It took me a little while to figure out whom he was most like, but in the end it was obvious.

Walt Lloyd.

Why Walt, you ask? Well, there are a few reasons.

Number one, Walt is just a little kid. With youth comes obvious immaturity. We see it in many of his dealings with his father (although Michael certainly could have handled a lot of those situations better).

LeBron, 26, has shown some signs of immaturity, especially in his post-game remarks after his Game 6 defeat. James, at times, whines while blaming everyone else for his shortcomings. Sounds a lot like a kid to me.

Reason number two is that Walt was a truly special character. This young boy had abilities that no one else could match, let alone understand. His potential for greatness was vastly beyond our comprehension. Yet, unfortunately, we never saw him fulfill his potential and do the things we expected him to do. Sound familiar?

LeBron is the most talented basketball player in the world. Very few would deny that.

However, fans have yet to see him focus all of that talent and ability in order to reach his ceiling as a basketball player. He has not yet accomplished what we have expected, and he has not shown us the pinnacle of his capabilities.

The final and most significant connection is that LeBron, just like Walt, completely disappears towards the end.

See what I did there?

So there you have it. Hopefully an article both sports and “LOST” fans can enjoy (or hate). Give me your thoughts on how the athletes mentioned or players not discussed match up with fictional characters in the comments section.