The sports world is chock-full of larger-than-life figures who often make their fortunes through their talent on-field, yet keep us entertained with their flamboyant personalities and antics both on and off the field.
Several names from the past few years come to mind, most of which are National Football League players who, in the past, have dominated the competition yet more recently have gotten a little long in the tooth, perhaps not quite admitting that their twilight years may be upon them.
As a fan of the game, I can wholeheartedly say that it is good to see the league finally putting these players in their places.
Since 1996, Terrell Owens has become a household name in the football world as well as in the entertainment world with his appearances on several reality shows, including his own eponymously named, “The T.O. Show.”
After a lackluster season with the Cincinnati Bengals in 2010, the team passed on re-signing Owens and the wide receiver attempted to get picked up by a team for the 2011 season by televising a workout to show off his skills.
No NFL teams cared enough to come.
Owens ended up playing for an indoor football league for the 2011 season and was released in 2012 when he decided to pick up where he left off and signed with an NFL team who needed a man of his considerable experience.
The Seattle Seahawks signed Owens on Aug. 6 to the tune of almost a million dollars and released him on Aug. 26, less than a month into the one-year contract, before the actual season had even officially started.
Owens is washed up, plain and simple.
The wideout was a great player for the late 90s and deep into the 2000s, but it’s time to hang up the cleats.
Although it’s strange that a team would pick him up and release him less than a month later, this does tell us something about the current state of football: the new players are finally getting their chance to prove themselves out on the field and do not have to compete for their jobs with a dinosaur who is a shadow of his former self, yet is playing because of reputation alone.
Another example of this trend is the case of Chad Johnson (see Ochocinco), who played last season with the New England Patriots yet was released after he didn’t meet expectations in Bill Belichick’s AFC East powerhouse.
During the off-season, Johnson was signed by the Miami Dolphins, but he rubbed management the wrong way starting with an expletive-laden press conference that coach Joe Philbin didn’t appreciate, as covered by the HBO football reality show “Hard Knocks.”
After Johnson was arrested for domestic violence on Aug. 11 for allegedly headbutting his wife during an argument, the Dolphins released him as well.
It is unclear whether Johnson will play on a team this year or if he will be relegated to his own living room, watching the games from afar like the rest of us.
It is refreshing to see teams cracking down on players who try to get by simply by their personalities and not their abilities.
Many questioned Johnson’s current abilities after the abysmal season he has last year, and Terrell Owens hasn’t had a good season since 2008, his final year with the Dallas Cowboys.
Perhaps these cases will show the rest of the “super seniors” in the NFL that results are everything in this game.
Simply being a controversial personality like Ochocinco or having your own reality show like Owens just doesn’t cut it anymore.
In order to play, you have to demonstrate prowess and expertise on the field, period.
These guys are getting paid way too much money to underperform, and finally management seems to be acknowledging this.
Gerry Wachovsky is a graduate student and a contributing writer for the Daily 49er.
