We fans are weird people to say the least.
As much as we love humble athletes such as Russell Wilson and Peyton Manning, do we really want to spend time with them over someone such as Richard Sherman or Yasiel Puig?
And are fans starting to turn on Marshawn Lynch for not doing the exact thing they rip Richard Sherman for? Fans are only a stickler for the rules when it comes to athletes.
It seems as they will say Marshawn is "contractually obligated" to do it. Sweet, we get to hear Marshawn mumble the same word countless times during an interview. I'm glad we made him do this.
Another thing I've noticed is that they always complain that athletes are overpaid, and not the owners and general managers.
Sure, they are making at least six-figures to play the sports we love, but they are always upset whenever an athlete tries to obtain how much they were worth.
Dez Bryant said at the beginning of his contract negotiations with the Dallas Cowboys that he was a very loyal dude, but that they should not test his loyalty.
Of course, sports fans questioned his loyalty instead of realizing that he wanted to play for Dallas, as long as they did not try to take advantage of him.
Had Dallas low-balled him and Dez responded by signing with Jacksonville for $12 million a year, of course his attitude and will to win would have been questioned — despite his All-Pro status that says otherwise.
It seems as if many fans want to believe this myth that if they were pros, they would all be Russell Wilsons from the mannerisms right down to the contracts. Which is fine, but we also need our villains.
I'm an NBA fan, and my biggest criticism of that league is that it seems to not allow rivalries to brew. I feel part of that is because they would unfairly get labeled as "thugs," but it also takes a little away from the game.
As an athlete, you want your rival to stir up the pot, because it drives you that much more to beat him or her and makes the competition that much better.
You think the Seahawks and the 49ers of the world don't thank each other for that extra push to defeat their foe?
The most ironic thing to me about NBA criticisms is that they do not really want what they say they want.
The league has been criticized since the end of the Jordan era as being a one-on-one dominated league with no team play but the antidote to this, the San Antonio Spurs, seem to always have the lowest ratings on television.
The NBA has also been criticized for being too buddy-buddy, but if LeBron James or Kevin Durant started acting like Sherman, would fans really appreciate this behavior?
The NBA still has image problems somehow, and their top stars have not done anything illegal like NFL or MLB players (besides Russell Westbrook's wardrobe, but let's not get off topic).
Fans seem to not mind paying extra dollars for a new stadium to appease the owner, but are completely mortified that their star player may want an extra millions.
Athletes have spoiled us to the point that we take their performances for granted and expect them to do it for whatever price their owner throws at them; which is strange because I have never heard someone get excited to see Jerry Buss over Kobe Bryant.
As a Dallas Cowboys fan, I would love for them to be able to retain both Dez Bryant and DeMarco Murray, but the shelf life for a running back is significantly lower and this is his first injury-free season. He deserves to chase that paycheck as he was the linchpin for their offense this season.
As much as we rip on ollin Kaepernick when comparing him to Russell Wilson, wouldn't you also enjoy the fruits of your labor if you were successful at your favorite hobby?
We seem to forget how much we love to brag when it comes to activities we partake in and bash athletes for being the best at it.
Maybe, just maybe, we have grown a little bit of a high horse when it comes to judging them.
