It's What The Cool Kids Are Doing

   

     Here is a test for all Blackhawks fans out there: name three, make it one, Hawks player from before 2007. Take a minute. Anyone? Eric Daze? Tony Amonte? Nikolai Khabibulin?

     I am not trying to practice for an audition with the show Stump the Schwab or attempting to impress lovers of sports nerds. My goal is to point out a problem that plagues the sporting world. This issue currently infests the hockey scene in the Chicagoland area. The problem I speak of are bandwagon fans springing up like weeds. 

    So called Blackhawks fans have come out of nowhere to support “their” team. Hockey sweaters of Kane, Toews, and Hossa have become a fashion fad like sperrys or Oakleys. That is just what being a Hawks fan has become: a fad. 

    Ask most Hawks fans why they cheer for the team and if they answered you honestly they would say “Cause it’s what everyone else is doing.” If you rooted for the Hawks in the early 2000's you were looked at like a homeless man preaching random bible passages on the street corner. Now if you don’t root for the boys in red, and you live in the Chicago area, you are a cast-off. 

    True, there are die-hard fans out there that have been through the days when the Hawks were not on television. I tip my cap to them and pat them on the back. However before the year that ended with Toews grabbing the Cup from goblin Gary Bettman, the United Center would be half-filled for Hawks games. The most popular hockey team in Chicago was the Wolves of the AHL located in remote Rosemont.

    I want the Blackhawks to win another cup; I truly do. Seeing the Madhouse on Madison rocking is a tremendous sight for a city whose baseball teams are struggling right now. Still,the springing up of these fans only after success, casts a negative light on Chicago sports fans. 

   Most fans of the Blackhawks are now the prime example of bandwagon fans. I am not the only one who thinks this. Ask Red Wings fans, Blues fans, or any other fans in hockey. 

    I do not expect this to change any time soon. I do want to get the word out though that if you are a Hawks fan, stick with the squad through thick and thin. If they struggle next year, still pack the UC. Educate yourselves about the non-mainstream players like Sheldon Brookbank and Nick Leddy. Enjoy these winning seasons Hawks fans; we wished we could sniff this success when Jocelyn Thibault was between the pipes. 

   While you guys watch the Hawks throughout the rest of the playoffs, I’ll be enjoying deserted White Sox games. Anyone want to join that bandwagon? Didn’t think so. 

Follow Nick on Twitter @KapN93

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Bringing Us Back to the Good Old Days

                            

     For a brief second last night, a king was dethroned. The reaction to the simple shove that briefly put LeBron James on his keister, symbolizes the disgust people have for the direction the NBA is heading.     

    Yesterday Chicago Bulls big man Nazr Mohammed pushed the divine James during a second round playoff battle at the United Center. After a technical foul was assessed to James after his brush with Mohammed, Nazr took out his frustration through action.

    The aftermath has caused quite a stir on ESPN and social media. Mohammed has received death threats from LBJ backers and marriage proposals from Bulls enthusiasts. This is not a surprise. Die-hard fans will stick by their players through thick and thin. What caught my attention was the reaction of those considered “casual” NBA fans. 

    Over the years, my interest in the NBA has subsided. A game where defense won championships has turned that aspect of the sport into a joke. Players labeled as “defensive specialists” carry the stigma that they do not belong. Flashy dunks land players on highlight reels, which it seems is all superstars care about. (Ask the Clippers how that mentality worked out for them)

    Nowadays,  I would label myself as a casual observer of a once promising league. My initial reaction to what happened to LeBron during the Madhouse Malay was “take a seat you chach” because as much as I hate the NBA, I hate everything James stands for. 

    Kids line up in droves to buy his jersey and referees provide him with every opportunity to flaunt his talents without obstacles. He controls the league and the media. Major networks flock to cover what he ate for breakfast or whether he will practice for thirty minutes rather than forty minutes before a game.

    Still there are fans and players that are fed up with James as well as the majority of other superstars in the league. The special treatment they receive tarnishes the purity of the game. Good riddance that Mohammed stood up for himself, other non-superstars, and fans that are tired with the new NBA. Someone needed to literally push LeBron off his high horse for a moment. 

    This is not an attempt to stir up a Jordan-James debate. Jordan loved the spotlight just as much as James does, and received the benefit of the doubt quite too often. Former Utah Jazz guard Byron Russell would be the first one to back up that claim. I want to acknowledge overlooked All-Stars like Tim Duncan and Kevin Love as well as Hall of Famers like John Stockton. Guys that went about their business in a professional manner and put their team first. 

    James and the superstars of today have attracted a novel following to the sport. However, fans of yesteryear desired a nanosecond that would bring us back to the good old days when the name on the front meant more than the name on the back. Those were the days when players were not kings on the court, and divas off it.

Follow Nick Kapetan on Twitter: @KapN93

The Sports ReKap will start to air again next August on MarquetteRadio.org

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If you agree with Nick's view tweet using the hashtag #Lebroning