Article Critique 1, Semifinal Verdict

Zach Roddy
January 29, 2008
Article Critique One
Prof. David Schreindl


About a week and a half ago (January 17) Scoop Jackson of ESPN Page 2, who is currently one of my favorite writers, wrote a column basically about the gap of legitimacy between the final four in pro football and college basketball. His ultimate question was, “Which is better.”
Being the gigantic college basketball fan that I am, it immediately reeled me in. College basketball is the essence of sports as a whole for me. It gives me feelings comparable to the romantics and the sensation they receive from their lovers. It’s Christmas minus the cold, but most of all, it is why I adore sports so much.
Scoop commenced his piece with a statement that tells of everyone having that one best friend that you can tell anything to. After his exploration of the individual’s characteristics, he introduced his “BF4L,” or best friend for life, which he called “The Encyclopedia.” The Encyclopedia is what Scoop defines as, “A sports fiend and John Madden on HGH.” The Encyclopedia is a football fanatic, but his real passion is basketball.
Scoop Jackson would eventually lead what he called, “another classic argument,” concerning what would be more of a sight; the four best teams in football playing for a Super Bowl or four division I basketball teams playing for a national title. The Encyclopedia’s main argument was that in pro football it usually pans out to what it’s supposed to be. The teams that are expected to win and have the spread to prove it do indeed pull off the victory. I was amazed at how effortlessly he put aside all of his countless aspirations for college basketball and what it meant to him to explain a point that was as so legitimate.
A couple of The Encyclopedia’s examples were Terrell Owens and Antonio Gates playing with dislocated bones in their feet and how a player in college basketball would never do that. Or a team named George Mason, who made a trip to the NCAA Final Four a couple of years ago. He admitted that the cute story of the Colonial team would never be seen deep into a playoff run in the NFL.
"People get all caught up in the pageantry and the drama leading up to the Final Four in basketball," The Encyclopedia said to Scoop. "And I agree, the first two weeks of the tournament are the best sports can give. But once you get to this stage in the NFL, all of the BS is gone and what's left standing is everything that the game represents. There are no surprises, no Cinderella stories, no more luck. Every year, the four teams that make it to this point in the NFL earned the right to be there. More than any team in any other sport."
The Encyclopedia’s points were made. After ten minutes of reading I was thoroughly convinced. The NFL’s final four was better than the NCAA’s Final Four. Am I any less enthused about the tournament of college basketball? No, of course not. In fact, The Encyclopedia’s points were all fine, but it is the uncertainty, the unpredictability, and the unforeseeable future of the Final Four that I enjoy so much. That is why I watch and that is why I will always watch.