Championship attitude

Bledsoe displays an unselfishness rarely seen in sports

Sports Illustrated senior writer Phil Taylor touches on a Hot Button issue each Monday on CNNSI.com. After you read Phil's take, give us yours.

What exactly is Drew Bledsoe trying to pull? For months now he has been the ultimate good soldier, uttering not a word of objection after an injury led him to lose his job as the New England Patriots starting quarterback to Tom Brady. It must be some kind of trick. We all know that professional sports figures rarely act like mature adults in these situations, that they don't actually accept the loss of personal glory for the good of the team. It's not fair for Bledsoe to throw us this kind of curve. It's been so long since we've been exposed to an attitude this admirable, how are we supposed to know how to respond to it? He should be made to study the sports celebrity handbook, with special attention paid to the "I-Me-Mine" chapter, before his unselfish tendencies start to spread and throw the entire sports world out of whack.

Perhaps he needs a tutoring session from San Francisco 49ers wideout Terrell Owens, the poor, mistreated soul who has been recounting the horrible tale of the shabby treatment he has received from the Niners to anyone who will listen. It seems San Francisco coach Steve Mariucci had such an axe to grind with his receiver that he failed to fill his playbook exclusively with pass plays to Owens. The fact that the Niners threw to Owens often enough for him to catch 93 balls, 16 of them for touchdowns, or that they paid him handsomely for his services, hardly makes up for the mental anguish he suffered from not being the center of attention for every minute of every game. Thank goodness his constant complaints have put it all in perspective for the 49ers and their fans, who surely realize now that when San Francisco loses a playoff game it's a disappointment, but that when T.O. doesn't get enough touches, it's truly a day for mourning.

Or maybe Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban can give Bledsoe a lesson in what to do when you feel you've been wronged. Cuban likes to rant about NBA officials, whom he's accused of everything but running the paper shredder at Enron. Of course, by being so over-the-top in his criticism, Cuban has obscured any valid points he might have about the officiating in the league, but hey, at least he got a photo op at Dairy Queen out of it. People always find it amusing to see a rich guy slumming. Bledsoe should have taken a page out of Cuban's book and said New England coach Bill Belichick wasn't fit to manage a Burger King. He still would have been on the Patriots' bench, but at least everyone would have been paying attention to him, and isn't that all that matters?

Not once during his time as a benchwarmer did anyone hear Bledsoe suggest that a player of his stature deserved better treatment, the way Utah Jazz forward Karl Malone did when he wasn't asked to carry the Olympic torch on a sufficiently prestigious stretch. Not once did Bledsoe demand a trade or act as though sitting on the sideline and making millions was tantamount to doing time at San Quentin, the way a Golden State Warriors malcontent named Marc Jackson (Marc Jackson!) has for the last several months.

Clearly, Bledsoe doesn't get it. He doesn't realize that although lots of athletes talk about just wanting to win, about being willing to give up all their individual accomplishments in exchange for a championship ring, very few of them actually mean it. Bledsoe didn't pout, he didn't posture, he just prepared. When his chance arrived Sunday, he was ready for it, and he quarterbacked the Patriots into the Super Bowl. He was more concerned with his team than with himself, and now he has a chance to be a champion. But that's just a coincidence.

Isn't it?

Sports Illustrated senior writer Phil Taylor writes about a Hot Button issue every Monday on CNNSI.com.

The opinions expressed here are solely those of the writer.

 

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