By Will Leitch
(Editor's note: Deadspin.com's Will Leitch will be in Arizona through Super Bowl Sunday, writing exclusive columns for Sporting News.)
I haven’t done the research that’s probably necessary to make a statement like this, but I still feel pretty comfortable in its veracity: I’m the only person who came to Phoenix this week who, upon making it to the University of Phoenix Stadium for the first time, said, “Holy crap, an Arizona Cardinals team store! Awesome!”
[img=http://i.tsn.com/i/photos/20080131/86148.jpg]
As has been mentioned time and again, no team has ever hosted a Super Bowl in their own stadium. This assuredly was not a concern this year. Back in July, Cardinals quarterback Matt Leinart announced that he would be co-hosting a Super Bowl party called “Welcome To Arizona.” (It was Wednesday night. I missed it, as did Kurt Warner.) Everyone sort of nodded their head, yep, makes sense, Leinart hosting a party, but not a single person considered the possibility that he might, you know, have a game to attend to that week. It’s safe to assume Leinart didn’t.
Yes, because of a boyhood near St. Louis, I cheer for the Arizona Cardinals. I stuck with them through their move to Arizona; I can’t exactly abandon them for leaving St. Louis when I don’t live there anymore either. This has led to spending most football Sunday afternoons in the back of the bar, watching the one little black-and-white television showing the Arizona game. When I ask bartenders to direct me to the television showing the Cardinals, they inevitably direct me to the Rams game first. It’s difficult to fathom someone
wanting to watch the Arizona Cardinals.
Not only do I not have any friends who are Arizona Cardinals fans, I’ve never even
met another Arizona Cardinals fan. So I was awfully excited to come to Arizona. There had to be others like me out here. It’s Arizona! It’s the local team. I will find my kindred spirits!
Since arriving here, I have talked to 26 different locals. (Nearly half of these have been cab drivers.) Of these 26 people, five don’t care about sports at all, which surely is making this week particularly annoying. Of the other 21, I’d say 15 were just sort of humoring me when I asked them about football, the way you’d humor your cable guy if he suddenly started yammering to you about digital converters and that darned DirecTV while installing your unit. They were more cheerful than that first five, and definitely more patient.
I’ve met six real, live, hardcore football fans who live in the Phoenix area, and one of them even has season tickets. And not a single one of them cheers for the Arizona Cardinals. In fact, when I tell them that I’ve followed them since they were in St. Louis, they look at me as if I have started growing a foot out of my head. No, that’s not quite right: They look at me as if I have some exotic, dangerous hobby that I pursue in my spare time for no other reason that I want to destroy myself. Like I enjoy base jumping, or street luging, or staring down Cobras, or taunting bears.
Pretty much all our conversations go like this:
Local: In town for the Super Bowl?
Leitch: Yep! Though it’s funny, I’m actually a fan of the Arizona Cardinals.
Local: (cue taunting-bears face) Why would you want to do that?
Leitch: Well, actually, I’m grew up near St. Louis, and --
Local: Man, those guys, they’re just the pits. They (insert long-winded but lively story about a particular instance in which Bill Bidwell and company ruined a city that was primed to support an NFL team, any NFL team).
What these conversations ultimately come down to is this: According to NFL fan locals, the only reason that I can continue to root for the Arizona Cardinals is because I don’t have to live with them every day. For a team with a brand spanking new stadium, hosting pretty much every major decision maker and media figure in the world of professional football for a week, this would seem like an extremely bad sign. They should put that warning on tickets: “ENJOY ARIZONA CARDINALS FOOTBALL! (WARNING: BEST GLIMPSED THROUGH TINY BLACK AND WHITE TELEVISION IN THE BACK OF A SPORTS BAR.”)
But, man, that team store. Do you know how difficult it is to find Arizona Cardinals merchandise in New York? I called the store this afternoon to see if they had any Cardinals salt shakers; I’ve always wanted one of those. Turns out, they’re closed all week. Apparently there’s some sort of game going on.
This post originally appeared on the Sporting Blog. For more, see The Sporting Blog Archives.
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Comments
Ayone paying attntion can argue this. As you said Ovechkin is older, thus more developed at this point. He has had the advantage of playing in the Russian Elite League for two seasons already, yet he is barely out scoring Crosby. Give it a couple of years when Crosby is Ovechkins age and he will probably already be one of the top 4 players in the league(he’s already in the top 15 and he’s not even legal drinking age).
Realistically though we should be talking about Eric Staal and the way he’s single handidly turning Carolina into a contender.
We should also be talking about how the Senators top rookie Andrei Meszaros is playing 16 minutes a game on the best defensive core in the league and leading the NHL in plus\minus rating!
I just figure these guys deserve our attention more than Ovechkin or Crosby at the moment.
by d_lyons69 on Jan 31, 2008 1:00 PM EST reply actions
i def agree that ovechkin is better right now… and both are gonna be great for a long time. i am not a big crosby fan, but i gotta admit that he is extremely talented and is the reason pittsburgh can even compete this year. that said i think he complains to officials too much, talks a lot and should never have been given the “A” at his age. btw… check out Vanek, he plays for buffalo (GO SABRES!!!) and like the rest of the team gets little attention. 8)
by hockeynut1230 on Jan 31, 2008 1:00 PM EST reply actions
staal is second year nhl player…big dif.
by griffin66 on Jan 31, 2008 1:00 PM EST reply actions
No reason to compare apples and oranges at this point of their carreers. I love to watch both these kids play, I just wish it was on more competitive teams.
Ovechkin flies and stick handles with ability well beyond his years. Crosby sees the ice like few can. Meszaros, Vanek and Phaneuf are all notable as well, and with no real team to cheer for, hockey overall looks to have a promising future.
by JAMR on Jan 31, 2008 1:00 PM EST reply actions
Alexander Ovechkin is DEFINATELY a better player than Sydney Crosby. All you have to look at to prove this is the players each is playing with. Ovechkin is playing on one of the least talented teams in the NHL. Crosby is surrounded by talent. Pittsburg has a boat load of talent on offense, but ownership forgot that DEFENSE wins championships. To date, Ovechkin has 22 goals and 20 assists for 42 points and is -1. Crosby has 18 goals and 22 assists for 40 points and is -5. Just imagine the numbers Ovechkin would have if he played with Mario Lemieux, Ziggy Palfy, Mark Recchi, and John Leclair. Its time for the media to jump off the bandwagon, and STOP calling him the “next one” until he proves he is.
by 64flyer on Jan 31, 2008 1:00 PM EST reply actions
Like JAMR said, its comparing Apples and Oranges. Both are different players in different circumstances. To say that one is better than the other before the year is through is ridiculous.
I think both young men are extremely talented, but they aren’t the only rookie or second year players in the league who are flat out getting it done for their teams. I think we can all pick one rookie and say why they are better than all the others.
Sure, Crosby gets 90% of the media attention, but why is that? Likely because he is a) a Canadian and b) English is his primary language. Most of the hocky media had immediate access to Crosby game tapes while he was in juniors, while you probably had to do some sleuthing or actual investigative reporting to get film on Ovechkin in the Russian Super League. So they probably “know” Crosby a little better, which makes them more comfortable in writing about him. Also, look to their home markets for media access. In D.C., how much attention do you think the Capitals are getting while the Redsins are in playoff contention, or the Wizards are doing well? Next to Zip, I guarantee you. In Pittsburgh, the Penguins get a little more equal share solely becuase they only have one other professional franchise in their sport to compete for air time with.
As for statistics and comparisons to past players… Ovechkin is going through the same thing Lemieux went through when he first came into the league. Awesome talent on a very thin team. Crosby does have the advantage of having some “superstars.” But are those superstars really helping him out?
I think this debate won’t play itself out until both men have retired from the sport. Then there will be another era for us to argue about who was the greater. For me, the first was Gretzky v. Lemieux. The next will be Crosby v. Ovechkin. I look forward to highlight reel goals from both those kids for a very long time.
by venkelos on Jan 31, 2008 1:00 PM EST reply actions
Yes, I totally agree. Ovechkin is Playing with alot of sub-par players and is carrying his team on his back. Crosby is playing with alot of players that might not be superstars anymore but they are definetly good hockey players. I also noticed that his point totals have dropped off since Lemieux is out of the lineup.
Go Ovechkin!!
by NWT4L on Jan 31, 2008 1:00 PM EST reply actions
Firstly thank god we can sit here and argue about who is better between two legitimate NHL stars that are both under 21. For too long we have had to debate the merits of the Pavel Brendls and other first round busts who were held up by the media hype for far too long. And for far too long all the stars in the NHL have become older, fatter and richer – and consequently have made 60 point seasons into 5 million dollar salaries. Get these young punks out there trash talking and scoring – hype them rather than a 76 year old Chelios or the joke JR has become in LA. Its good for the league …
Its too early to debate who is better – they are both ridiculous talents. I like that Ovechkin celebrates when he scores the big goals … how long till someone runs him over when he is doing a ‘canoe ride’ in celebration? I’d say Crosby is the better player for his age – but who is having a bigger impact is completely up in the air.
by murderOne on Jan 31, 2008 1:00 PM EST reply actions
Pittsburgh has a baseball, football and hockey team that’s two teams to compete with for air time. And everyone know that this is Steel town you know the Steelers. This there team. As for my rookie thoughts Ovechkin, only because I hate Crosby.
But what about other rookies like Marek Svatos, Mike Richards, Jeff Carter, Henrik Lundqvist, Jussi Jokinen, half of the Hawks line up.Oh sorry screw the Hawks they suck!
by senatorsguru on Jan 31, 2008 1:00 PM EST reply actions
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