For what it's worth

A few weeks ago I was listening to a sports radio program that was focusing on the career of Seattle Seahawks’ quarterback Russell Wilson.

The host was doing some comparisons to Drew Brees and Tom Brady. He was telling his audience how Wilson would need to play until he was in his 40’s and throw more passes to be in the same statistical league with the two future hall of famers.

What he was getting to was what Wilson would need to be to also be considered for the NFL Hall of Fame. These types of programs merely get the Wilson fan base excited but really don’t tell the entire story of team versus personal success.

I’ve watched Wilson’s success and he is at times phenomenal and seems to let the game flow easily, while at other times he gets rushed and makes poor decisions and interceptions can be the result.

When the team runs the ball well and isn’t reliant on the pass for success, then Wilson seems to go wild with play action passes with first downs and touchdowns frequently leading to team victories.

Russell Wilson is his own man. He’s confident in his ability, and man enough to take responsibility for bad games, even if he is only a small part of it — he doesn’t throw anyone under the proverbial team bus. I think Wilson will be a future hall of famer because of his success rate as a Seahawk QB, which is really enjoyable to watch.

We can get too wrapped up in the success of our favorite teams, but then have a real disdain for them when they lose. We have a tendency to blame the kicker for a missed field goal or extra point. We scream at the receiver when a pass is dropped or a running back fumbles or a QB throws an interception. And don’t get me started with the defense when they have blown coverage of the other team’s best receiver or fail to make a tackle.

Let’s face a reality that we want to ignore the other team wants to win as well. It doesn’t matter how bad of a season they are having, they still want to beat you because spoiling your trip home is worth the extra effort.

This past weekend as I was watching a sporting event or two, I noticed scrolling across the screen that Paul Westphal had died at the age of 70. I remember Westphal as a college player for the USC Trojans. I really liked the way he played, and I followed his career mostly as a member of the Phoenix Suns but also as a player and coach of the Seattle Supersonics.

Westphal was so smooth and never seemed to sweat, but he worked his tail off striving for victory and helping his teammates perform at high levels. He had some great qualities as a human being that any professional athlete should follow, but few do. His game is missed by the likes of yours truly.

I’ve reached that age when sports figures that I admired when I was a kid pass on. This was an extraordinary year for deaths of former professional athletes that really started to hit home for me. I realize that when people reach the age of 75-85 that is to be expected, but when they pass it brings up fond memories of games that were seen on TV decades ago.

We all had those sad feelings when Kobe Bryant died in a tragic helicopter crash in early 2020. It didn’t matter if we were Laker fans or not, Bryant had too much to live for as anyone that age would.

Admire todays athletes for who they are. Not all are role models and not all are playing the game for the team, but for their own legacy. I enjoy those athletes that strive for team success, because their hard work is genuine.