So, a recent incident where Houston Astros' pitcher Justin Verlander refused to allow a Detroit Free-Press entry into the locker room for postgame pressers has me thinking about a topic: of the four major American sports (take your soccer shit elsewhere) which one has the most emotionally immature labor force. This then led me to another train of thought, namely, what percentage of each sport's labor force votes primarily for one political party or another.
So here's my thinking:
Let's take emotional maturity first. Baseball has to be your most emotionally stunted labor force, right? Miguel Cabrera is an elder statesman of the game at this point and he still thinks slapping people on the ass is hilarious. Baseball is the sport that gave us the Wade Boggs drank 56 or some goddamn number of beers on a flight story and countless others. I guarantee at least ten percent of all baseball injuries are lies to cover up these mongolid manchildren have set each other's shoes on fire.
Close second -- but a distinct second -- is NHL. These people basically just emotionally aged from baseball's composite maturity of 14 to 18 and are all still college freshman frat boys at heart. #2 NHL.
NBA vs NFL is really hard to parse and I think its so difficult to parse because its hard to normalize for the NFL's larger labor force. In the NBA's defense (in this case, making the case they are the most emotionally mature sport labor force), I think there's a business savvy by a large percentage of its members that is really unmatched by any other league. In no other sport do I see an ex-athlete having the financial savvy, personal werewithal, and business acumen to become an owner in this day and age (Gretzky is the exception). And yet, Jordan does. LeBron almost certainly will. Their top players have an unrivaled control over their own lives that they've bought through generations of players having the sense to agitate for. Hell, you see headcases like Steph Marbury make perfectly reasonable decisions like taking eighty qabillion dollars to go play in China to the detriment of their ego.
On the other hand, JR Smith exists.
NFL is creeping up there. You see more players understanding things are business decisions and holding out to preserve their bodies but then there's so much kooky behavior like holding out over helmets and the string of assaults. But again, to be fair, it's five time the labor force the NBA has -- we should hear about it more, and especially with the larger spotlight on the NFL as the biggest sport in the country. A tough call.
In the end, giving it to NBA.
Rankings:
1. NBA (Most emotionally mature)
2. NFL
3. NHL
4. MLB
Now let's talk about politics. Strangely I think these align kind of alot? I guarantee less than 5% of the NBA's labor force voted for Trump. And that's generous. And MLB -- holy shit, if a small market team wants to compete just rename yourself the San Diego MAGAs or the Colorado Fountainheads and I guarantee you will have a murder's row of talent play for a discount.
The middle is fuzzy and there's a wrinkle with so many non-American hockey bros. Do I imagine all these guys were American and guess who'd they vote for or do I just go off American NHLers? I'll choose the former. Lots of Canadians and Euros probably hate Trump but I think we cannot downplay how many of these manbeasts think they're a hero in some Ayn Rand fever dream every time they elbow a person's skull into the glass. "I AM EXCEPTIONAL" they say as a shocking number vote for Trump anyway.
NFL I think is secretly more Trumpian than you think. I guarantee 75% of all Offensive Linemen are Trumpsters. Going by percentage of labor force and not raw votes, here it is:
1. NBA (last Trump votey)
2. NHL
3. NFL
4. MLB
What does all this mean? I have no idea. I do find it interesting that the NBA -- the sport who comes out looking the rosiest in this -- is the one I watch the least, and by the least, I mean virtually never unless its on in the background where I am.
Thoughts? Arguments? Defense of your favorite sport? Let's hear it.
