I spent about a minute and a half today deciding which one I like more. Here's what I came up with:
- A friend of mine once stated simply "dude, hockey's sweet." He couldn't have been more correct. Hockey is indeed awesome. Problem: the NHL has become a mystery to me. I know like three, maybe four players on each team currently in the playoffs. I love watching Alexander Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby, but they're the only young stars I know of/care about. There are a lot of knowledgeable sports fans who I think are the same way. I love hockey. I do enjoy watching it. But, it's not marketed well at all. I have no idea who a lot of these guys flying around the ice are. I don't know where they come from. I don't know if they had a great season. Maybe their hockey mullet is new. Maybe they have a hot Russian wife. I just don't know. The NHL has themselves and ESPN to blame for this. Having no connection with the World Wide Leader in Sports is a mistake. Barry Melrose will come on Sportscenter every few days with a three minute clip of highlights and analysis, but that's all hockey gets. As much as I despise ESPN, the NHL has to strike a deal with the evil empire. It's the only way for hockey to win back the heart and mind of your typical sports fan. Come get me, NHL. I'm ready to be a fan again.
-The NBA. It's huge in cities with good teams. San Antonio, Utah, Dallas, Los Angeles. Those cities go nuts for "da Association." Personally, I have a hard time enjoying a full game. Now, the last two minutes -- that's always fun -- but regular season NBA basketball comes off as boring to me. College basketball, on the other hand, is always exciting. Defense is played tight, shots aren't guaranteed, and one-on-one drives are rare. That appeals to me. It is also why I am attracted to the NBA Playoffs. The players begin to look like they actually care. LeBron throws fist pumps to the crowd. Tim Duncan even shows emotion. And how about Golden State fans last year? They were going wild. The NBA draft is also great to follow. It might even be cooler than the NFL draft. Oh, and those commercials. You've gotta love the NBA Playoffs commercials. I've never seen one that didn't give me chills. "This is where amazing happens," and these are the times I wish my home city had a team.
If I was put in a room with no ability to change the channel but given one choice: NBA Playoffs or NHL Playoffs? Damn. This is where challenging self-questioning happens. Hmm. I'm probably picking basketball. At least I know a thing or two about Antawn Jamison and DeShawn Stevenson.
I was checking in on our U-23 Olympic Men's Soccer team this morning (they're not too shabby) and came across this banner. That slogan is a wee bit familiar, nay? "Amazing Awaits." Sounds eerily similar to the NBA Playoff slogan "Where Amazing Happens." I'm no linguist (?), but I think they have just about the same meaning. And their use of the word "amazing" -- that's no coincidence. The U.S. Olympic Team is a buncha thieves. If we were talking about the possible theivery of an NFL playoff slogan, heads would roll. Heads would be rolling. Goodell and Co. would be all over that sh-t. 
