21_Dickings
09-02-2010, 06:16 PM
I know what everyone is thinking, it's how simple your minds are, "But, but, what about the Yankees and their 27 World Series championships! Heck, the Lakers don't even have the most titles in their sport. How can they be the best franchise!?"
Simple. Because they just are.
First of all, no one cares about baseball anymore, and every year its popularity wanes more and more. Soon enough, those "27" titles will be as relevant to the sports world as all the records the UCONN Women's basketball team has set. Contrast this to the rising popularity of basketball and the marketing power of its flagship brand, the Los Angeles Lakers, and you'll catch my drift.
Secondly, the Lakers have accomplished 60% of what the Yankees have accomplished in half the time. And when you consider that Larry O' Briens are more important than whatever the hell they call the World Series trophy, the two clubs are equal as far as hardware goes. To say the Yankees are the more successful franchise than the Lakers just because they have more titles, is like saying The Phoenix Mercury are superior to the Suns because they have a WNBA title.
Thirdly, the Lakers have a richer history than the Yankees. Yes, the Yankees are roughly twice as old as the Lakers, but old age doesn't automatically translate into "history." A 30 year old person who's had many life altering experiences can be said to have already lived a richer life than a 70 year person who sat at home his entire adult existence and collected welfare. Much in the same way, the Lakers have a richer "pound for pound" history than the Yankees.
Fourthly, the Lakers boast greater and more recognizable players than the Yankees. No one cares about that fat slob Babe Ruth anymore, and even if they did, Kobe Bryant has already surpassed anything Ruth has ever done.
Today, people essentially regard Ruth as some kind of comic foil who loved to eat, lusted after women, and hit a homerun for some lazy, bedridden kid. Now compare this to how people will consider Kobe in 60 years. If the ones who were fortunate enough to watch him play are still alive, they will recall with misty eyed reverence how they saw the greatest athlete in human history ply his trade in a fashion that can only be called "transcendent."
Time will be very kind to Kobe, unlike Ruth. And then when you factor in Magic, Baylor, Kareem, West, Worthy, Shaq, the gulf widens even further. Who else can the Yankees offer that is in any way comparable? A guy who had a disease named after him? Or some wop who was more famous for being married to Marilyn Monroe than he was as a baseball player? Or a drunkard? Please.
So there you have it, folks. A powerful, irrefutable argument demonstrating that the Lakers are indeed the GOAT sports franchise.
(Note: I don't care about soccer clubs. They're irrelevant to US sports fans, and since the United States is the global leader in just about everything from technology to good looking women, we ARE the world),
Simple. Because they just are.
First of all, no one cares about baseball anymore, and every year its popularity wanes more and more. Soon enough, those "27" titles will be as relevant to the sports world as all the records the UCONN Women's basketball team has set. Contrast this to the rising popularity of basketball and the marketing power of its flagship brand, the Los Angeles Lakers, and you'll catch my drift.
Secondly, the Lakers have accomplished 60% of what the Yankees have accomplished in half the time. And when you consider that Larry O' Briens are more important than whatever the hell they call the World Series trophy, the two clubs are equal as far as hardware goes. To say the Yankees are the more successful franchise than the Lakers just because they have more titles, is like saying The Phoenix Mercury are superior to the Suns because they have a WNBA title.
Thirdly, the Lakers have a richer history than the Yankees. Yes, the Yankees are roughly twice as old as the Lakers, but old age doesn't automatically translate into "history." A 30 year old person who's had many life altering experiences can be said to have already lived a richer life than a 70 year person who sat at home his entire adult existence and collected welfare. Much in the same way, the Lakers have a richer "pound for pound" history than the Yankees.
Fourthly, the Lakers boast greater and more recognizable players than the Yankees. No one cares about that fat slob Babe Ruth anymore, and even if they did, Kobe Bryant has already surpassed anything Ruth has ever done.
Today, people essentially regard Ruth as some kind of comic foil who loved to eat, lusted after women, and hit a homerun for some lazy, bedridden kid. Now compare this to how people will consider Kobe in 60 years. If the ones who were fortunate enough to watch him play are still alive, they will recall with misty eyed reverence how they saw the greatest athlete in human history ply his trade in a fashion that can only be called "transcendent."
Time will be very kind to Kobe, unlike Ruth. And then when you factor in Magic, Baylor, Kareem, West, Worthy, Shaq, the gulf widens even further. Who else can the Yankees offer that is in any way comparable? A guy who had a disease named after him? Or some wop who was more famous for being married to Marilyn Monroe than he was as a baseball player? Or a drunkard? Please.
So there you have it, folks. A powerful, irrefutable argument demonstrating that the Lakers are indeed the GOAT sports franchise.
(Note: I don't care about soccer clubs. They're irrelevant to US sports fans, and since the United States is the global leader in just about everything from technology to good looking women, we ARE the world),