Reactions

Is it really fair calling out athletes for being boring?

SI.com's John Donovan weighed in with his list of the most boring sports superstars. Many of you felt the concept wasn't fair or reasonable, while others lined up with more additions to the list. Here's a sampling:

According to the standards that have been set, any superstar who is quiet, intelligent, and has dignity is boring. All the superstars you mentioned fall into that category. What is boring to me is a Mike Tyson. He is a predictable thug who spews venon with every other word that comes out of his mouth. There's nothing exciting about him; his act has already worn thin on many people. He is a pathetic human being. To me, that is boring. He has nothing intelligent to say, has no depth nor dignity. Any human who has little intelligence, depth or dignity is definitely boring, to say the least.
-- Richard Kerby, Newburgh, N.Y.

I disagree completely with this article. The majority of the people mentioned, such as Duncan and Sampras, aren't necessarily boring. Instead, I tend to look at them as classy. I think they are a much-needed change from the players who talk smack, complain and talk themselves up. I would gladly take any of these players over a Deion Sanders or Shaq. I understand the unfortunate need for the media to have their 10-second highlight for TV, but I think these players should be heralded far more then the athlete who talks himself up like he's the greatest ever.
-- Doug, Washington, D.C.

Anytime an athlete starts talking on camera, I turn off the sound or change channels. The media spends an amazing amount of time airing interviews with athletes who have little to say and don't know how to say it anyway. They just want to take a shower. I love to watch them; I'm not silly enough to ever want to listen to them talk. There are a few exceptions: Scottie Pippen is one. The most flagrant foul ever was giving a microphone to Bill Walton and letting him just talk for years and years and ... My point? Athletes saying dumb and boring things is hardly a scoop.
-- Randy, Portland, Ore.

What you're saying is that no one wants to see the only decent human beings in sports because they're not covered in tattoos, getting arrested and shamelessly spouting off with their uninformed, uneducated opinions. Shame on you. Guys like Tim Duncan and Bernie Williams know how to compete and win with class. They know how to "act like you've been there before," graciously accept defeat (which is rarely necessary), and how to handle the media and their personal lives without self-destructing. Shame on you for fostering these notions that our heroes need to be tattooed, wife-beating criminals who flaunt their money and complain. And I'm not some old-timer complaining about the new breed. I've never felt compelled to write to a sports publication before, but this was truly disheartening to read.
-- Mike Hirsh, Cincinnati

How could you forget Michael Jordan? The all-time greatest bore? Not a single quote in his lifetime was ever colorful. It was his goal to be liked by everyone, so early on he was advised to be as "general" as possible in order to have the widest appeal.
-- B.A. Williams, Atlanta

I would say that almost all hockey players -- at least in their media-induced personalities -- are incredibly boring (Jeremy Roenick, Theo Fleury, etc., as exceptions). They all seem to only speak in cliches and refuse to say anything more substantive that, "you know, ehhh, we just got to keep our heads up and sticks on the ice and, you know, eh, muck and grind ... " Out of all of them, perhaps Eric Lindros takes the cake. For somebody surrounded with so much controversy and who, at least at times, plays with so much aggression and fire, he is as dull as razor blade after being used to shave George "The Animal" Steel's back.
-- Adam Scheer, Southampton, Pa.

I can not believe you would put Tiger Woods in this list before golfers like Vijay Sing and David Duval, who are so boring that I cannot even watch a Sunday final if they're in the top five. If these guys ever stopped moving, I think they would just fall over dead. I do agree with the Tim Duncan stats. Boy, is this going to be a tiresome Finals.
-- Mike P., San Diego

This is the most ridiculous article I have ever seen posted. The media and the fans whine and complain when athletes break the law or offend the masses or act like jerks. Yet, you make a list of superstars who act with courage and class, and you call them boring. SI and CNN should be ashamed of themselves for posting such nonsense. I'm embarrassed that I even read through this page.
-- Guelph, Ontario, Canada

Karl Malone. Listen to this guy talk and do his United Way (or whatever charity he does) commercials is painful. The only thing that makes me listen to him is because I'm trying to figure out if he has an accent or if he just lacks verbal skills.
-- Nathan Barrett, Philadelphia

The most boring sports "superstar" is John Donovan. Claim to Fame: Wins Gold Medal in both the Long Distance Kvetch, and Marathon CyberCarping. Claim to Lame: Myopic world view of what sports are all about prompts him to "diss" athletes whose abilities are far beyond his own. The ultimate ho-hum.
-- Linda, Seattle

Tom Glavine is definitely the most boring athlete ever! He has absolutely no passion for anything and has the personality of a robot. I hold his lack of visible enthusiasm and his complete pulseless attitude largely responsible for all of the Braves' past postseason shortcomings.
-- Jim, Atlanta

You guys are scumbags. Bashing true athletes who are excellent role models. They all have grace, class and superior skills in their profession. Sorry they don't have criminal records, beat their spouses or talk enough trash to entertain you clowns. Perhaps if you were more capable of writing material without plagiarizing from a police blotter you would not be publishing this sort of crap.
-- Jason Stone, Princeton, N.J.

Most boring: writers and other media types who whine when athletes don't see fit to be "interesting" enough and have the audacity to simply do their jobs and win. Each of your nominees certainly has his or her faults
-- who doesn't?
-- but bashing them because they're not self-promoting, coach-firing, car-crashing, me-first jerks is pretty silly. And boring.
-- Paul Hauge, Westfield, N.J.

Charles Barkley
-- He is his own favorite topic. It's all about him. And he goes on and on and on and on about himself in a monotone that you'd think would put HIM to sleep ... unfortunately, it doesn't.
-- Tracy Everett, Dallas

How can any athlete lead his teammates if he can never show any emotion on the court? If [Tim Duncan] makes a big play, he still looks like a deer in headlights. Someone needs to put some fire ants in his uniform and see if he starts to show a little emotion. Or put him in a room with just a TV and VCR and make the guy watch highlights of Kenyon Martin, Shaquille O'Neal and any other player who knows how to enjoy the game of basketball. Comment to Tim: "Tim, you are playing in the professional ranks of the best sport ever created, have some fun out there."
-- Matt Semmler, Beresford, S.D.

Raphael Palmeiro is the most boring sports superstar. For a man with 500 home runs to be a questionable Hall of Fame candidate is due entirely to his lack of charisma. He's almost as boring as the teams he's played on over the years. It's sad but the most "exciting" thing about Palmeiro is his deal with Viagra.
-- Patrick Wheeler, Washington, D.C.

Can somebody please tell me what is so wrong about being boring? Would people rather have classless or clueless idiots like Rasheed Wallace, Mike Tyson or even Shaq? Tim Duncan is good, but you'd rather have Shaq over for dinner? So he can insult other players/teams in the league, lie about sleeping with various women, or make borderline racist comments about Asians? Give me a break!
-- Aaron Chin, Davis, Calif.

Warren Sapp. His act is so tired I can hardly change the channel fast enough when his face fills my screen. He could announce he's coming out and dating Mike Piazza and I wouldn't actually ever know or care.
-- Dan, Columbus, Ohio

Personally, I don't think Jeff Gordon is boring. I am a 60-year-old grandmother who goes to Texas Motor Speedway specifically to watch him race. I love to listen to interviews with Jeff.
-- Sue Sandifer, Allen, Texas

Honestly, I believe Manny Ramirez belongs on the top of that list (or somewhere close). Boston's slugger is about exciting as the condiment bar at Fenway. He's a great gamer, but unfortunately his persona is completely boring. He doesn't even bother with Gatorade. He simply takes a sleeping pill with a shot of distilled water. Try looking for a quote of his in the Boston Globe or Boston Herald -- nada! The only time he speaks is when he's at the bank and says, "I'd like to deposit this, please."
-- Bryan Teixeira, Boston

If you add Nomar Garciaparra to the list you can have the most boring couple: Mia and Nomaahhh
-- Patrick, Melrose, Mass.

Curt Schilling. Listerine has more charisma.
-- Fernando Soto, Bogota, Colombia

I think Brad Johnson of the Tampa Bay Bucs is a boring superstar. He is awesome on the field, but if he could just add a little more excitement when he is out there. He may give a "pat on the butt" every now and then or a "tap on the helmet" here and there but no real rejoicing. When you throw for a touchdown or complete a pass for a first down, most quarterbacks jump up, yell, get his team fired up or even headbutt one of his teammates, but not Brad. He goes back to the huddle and gets ready for the next play. I would love to see more excitement from him.
-- Nickie Sanders, Fort Meade, Fla.

I'm sorry ... I didn't know it was an athlete's responsibility to be compelling, PC, charismatic AND win ... give me a break. I'll take a winner over some fool spouting off at the mouth any day. The various media today (TV, magazines, the Web) try their darnedest to create a story out of nothing, and this is a prime example. Who the heck cares? You want a boring superstar? I'll nominate CNN's Bill Hemmer.
-- Dan Vaughan, New York City

 

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