These Guys Deserve to be Remembered.
If you're under 40, you have perhaps never heard ofthe World Football League that existed in 1974-75. The league was a joke and if you do any study of it at all, you will come to that conclusion.
But one team stands out. They did not win the championship but they came close. They did something no professional football player would ever do today.
That team was the Florida Blazers. They went almost the entire season without getting paid because the team could not afford to pay them. They were angry about it and took it out on the other teams in the league (many of whom were poorly paid). They came within one play of winning the Championship (The World Bowl). Could you imagine professional football players doing that today?
Could you imagine a unpaid professional football player saying this:
"We've made up our minds that we're going to win the championship," offered wide receiver Hubie Bryant, "They've done everything else to us, but if we win the championship, they can't take that away from us."
In the greed that often consumes professional sports today, the spirt and focus of a team that faced this much adversity, on and off the field, and almost won it all deserves to be remembered.
But one team stands out. They did not win the championship but they came close. They did something no professional football player would ever do today.
That team was the Florida Blazers. They went almost the entire season without getting paid because the team could not afford to pay them. They were angry about it and took it out on the other teams in the league (many of whom were poorly paid). They came within one play of winning the Championship (The World Bowl). Could you imagine professional football players doing that today?
Could you imagine a unpaid professional football player saying this:
"We've made up our minds that we're going to win the championship," offered wide receiver Hubie Bryant, "They've done everything else to us, but if we win the championship, they can't take that away from us."
In the greed that often consumes professional sports today, the spirt and focus of a team that faced this much adversity, on and off the field, and almost won it all deserves to be remembered.
posted by shoprat at 7:00 AM
3 Comments:
I guess partly you can blame the fans for spending the money to make that greed possible. Maybe we get the sports figures we deserve like we get the leaders we deserve. Character is one of the reasons my favorite football player is Peyton Manning. When he was in college, he had a chance to go pro, but he said no because he started and was determined to finish. He also supports several charities.
inlegolas,
I like how you put that..."undeniable character flaw (aka 'sin')". I've been calling it "inherent evil" and people get really upset with me. Maybe to help others to better understand what I believe, I should use your description. Thanks.
Well, I don't know why, but you're right about greed taking over pro sports. Our U.S. basketball team did very poorly in the Summer Olympics because not many big-time players wanted to take the chance of getting injured in off-season. Gosh! Show some American pride!
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