Anyone else tired of pro athletes "guaranteeing" victories? (1 Viewer)

[Brian Perry]

A few weeks ago Sam Cassell of the Milwaukee Bucks guaranteed a victory in the final regular season game, which would have assured them a playoff berth. Instead, they got their butts whipped and failed to make the playoffs.

Tracy McGrady of the Orlando Magic guaranteed a victory in Game 4 of their playoff series with Charlotte, only to lose and be knocked out of the playoffs.

I have a suggestion for those athletes who feel compelled to promise or guarantee victory: put your money where your mouth is! If you want to guarantee victory, state that you will donate your one-game salary to charity if you lose. It's a simple as that. We'll see how many choose to do so.

 

[Bill Balcziak]

It's funny, I was just thinking about this the other day!

I guess it's hard to avoid a few instances of this when every sportscaster in the world feels obliged to stick a mike in some jock's face and demand an answer to the question "are you guaranteeing a win, then?"

I think this is more of a trend among cliche-addled sportscasters than it is among athletes--just so the sportscaster can breathlessly say, "there you go, folks, Kevin Garnett is guaranteeing the Wolves will win this playoff series! You heard it here first."

Blah, blah, blah.

 

[Richard Kim]

Boy I do remember one player that put his money where his mouth is: when Mark Messier guaranteed in 1994 that the Rangers would win Game 6 of their playoff series against the Devils, and then scored a hat trick! That was a magical year. Too bad the Rangers haven't made the playoffs in 5 years. :frowning: Ah well, at least the Islanders got eliminated.

 

[Tom Johnson]

I think it's very easy for an athlete to understand why. An athlete always thinks he is going to win. The "guarantee" is merely a statement of confidence. It also puts a certain amount of pressure on the person saying it. True leaders in sports thrive on that type of pressure. They use it to inspire themselves and their team mates. The aforementioned Mark Messier is a great example of this. Of course it doesn't always work out, but when it does it's a beautiful thing. Would you rather the atlete say, "I think we might lose, but I hope we win?"

 

[Brian Perry]

The "guarantee" is merely a statement of confidence. It also puts a certain amount of pressure on the person saying it.

I think it also motivates the other team to kick your ass.

 

[Howard Williams]

Would you rather the athlete say, "I think we might lose, but I hope we win

Although this response is often the most honest and accurate, it doesn't bode well for a true competitor.

Big time super stars should be smart enough to "dodge" or address this question properly. The experienced ones are. You can come up with an answer that pleases both sides. When asked "Do you guarantee a victory in the next game?", the smart response is something like, "My teammates and I all know how important the next game is. Our opponent is very tough but we'll do the best we can to walk away with a win. All we have to do is come out, play as hard and as smart as we can. When the final buzzer goes off, we'll see where we stand. I guarantee we will leave it all on the floor. No regrets, no sorrow, no what ifs" If the interviewer tries to press with a follow up question like, "So do you guarantee a win in the next game?" the smart response is, "The only things I'll guarantee is maximum effort and that we will be prepared mentally and physically to do our best. Anything else is foolish". That's all real fans want to hear or see. True fans appreciate effort and dedication. Wins and championships are icing on the cake.

Yeah, anybody can shout and holler when your team is winning a championship but how many stay and cheer as your season comes to an abrupt end in your own building? Few, very few. What pisses off fans more than anything is to see players not trying, not hustling and those that don't give a shit.

Often, especially the lesser experienced interviewees get caught up in the moment and let their emotions say things they later regret. After all, they're only human.

 

[Howard Williams]

Just one more thing.

Does the "smart response" above sound very familar? Almost rehearsed? Cliched, like you've heard it a thousand times? Well it is and you have, and there's a reason for that. It true, it's honest and it works.

 

[Bill Balcziak]

Howard, you gave 110% on your post. You just gotta take it one post at a time. A guy's just gotta show up and give it his best post and the rest will take care of itself. You can't worry about what the other members are doing, you just gotta be focused on your own post. If you post hard every day, maybe you'll still be posting in October.

God, I love sports posting cliches!

 

[Dan Keefe]

I prefer to watch someone who speaks his mind. I like the guarantees. Especially if it motivates the other team. If you don't have something interesting to say, keep your mouth shut. That is whats wrong with athletes these days, they are afraid of sticking their foot in their mouth. While I didn't agree with John Rockers comments about NYC, I liked the fact that he spoke his mind. It was especially sweet seeing the crap the fans in NY gave him when he played there. It made headlines because so much of what people say these days is rehearsed.
I wish someone on the Bills would have guaranteed a Super Bowl victory back in 90's, maybe it would have motivated the rest of the team :frowning:
dan

 

[Howard Williams]

Howard, you gave 110% on your post. You just gotta take it one post. You just gotta take it one post at a time. A guy's just gotta show up and give it his best post and the rest will take care of itself. You can't worry about what the other members are doing, you just gotta be focused on your own post. If you post hard every day, maybe you'll still be posting in October.

God, I love sports posting cliches!

My response: Again I say, Huh???!!?

Have I just been insulted or what? I'm kinda slow these "daze"

 

[Tom Johnson]

Big time super stars should be smart enough to "dodge" or address this question properly. The experienced ones are.

I totally disagree. I don't see Joe Namath, Mark Messier, or Jim Fassel as being inexperienced. It really says something about the personality of the person making the claim. A normally quiet type like Derek Jeter would never make such a boast. However, it sounded very natural coming from Mark Messier.

 

[Howard Williams]

I think it also motivates the other team to kick your ass.

If that's what it take to get you up for a game, you've already lost and you have no business being in professional athletics. It might induce them to talk even more trash during the game, but if they didn't already want to kick your ass, something was very wrong from the jump.

It is silly to guarantee a win, period, other than the fact it gets you on the sport shows and in the paper. There is no good that can come from it. What about that games you don't make that statement about?