When do you cross the line?Is it the comparasions?The outregeous Shoe Deals and endorsements?Do the sports analysts only make it worse?Somewhere along here, the hype crosses a point where it's just much. Where is that point?
I don't know what kind of answer your expecting. But I don't think there's a limit on how much hype a player has. If anything, that depends on the individual. Different players have different hype. Some don't live up to it and some do. You can't really pinpoint whether or not someone is overhyped. Because simply that comes after.
"Hype", as far as the NBA is concerned, is just another word for advertisement. And you can never get too much of that.
I think the hype that high schoolers get is ridiculous. Sure players from the 1970's and such got tons of hype (Ralph Sampson for example who was praised as the next coming, Kareem was praised in HS as the next coming...) but these days it's all the time 24/7 hype...It's not the few prodigy's...now it's any HS player with 'potential' that gets thrown into the magazines. I used to look into HS players and look at the magazines, but now in the last year I've stopped doing it. I don't like what SLAM Magazine is doing at all, I don't blame them for trying to make money but I feel they are doing more harm than good with giving high schoolers magazine covers...etc...I don't like scouts going in and ranking middle school players, I don't like any of it, the basketball culture is so set on finding the next young kid to make money on...the kids well being is not considered...just like with young actors throwing them in the spotlight when their not ready can cause problems that will effect them their entire lives. I used to be guilty, but I told myself I would not buy the magazines. I think players should be left alone until their senior HS season when college recruiting comes into play. I understand that the business wants to make money, but I'm not going to fall in line.
I dont think there is anything wrong with having alot of hype on players. It informs the basketball world about what the NBA is going to be like in a few years, and it gives us background information on the players. It just gives people something to talk about for the future. Lebron had alot of hype, and he lived up to it. As long as the players deserved to be talked about, they should get the recognition...
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (ballerman2112 @ Mar 1 2007, 06:53 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>I dont think there is anything wrong with having alot of hype on players. It informs the basketball world about what the NBA is going to be like in a few years, and it gives us background information on the players. It just gives people something to talk about for the future. Lebron had alot of hype, and he lived up to it. As long as the players deserved to be talked about, they should get the recognition...</div> But when does it become too much too soon? Now you have middle schoolers being scouted for NBA teams and these kids know about it...
I never hear of middle school kids being scouted...And if they are being scouted, you dont hear any news about it...It is a good thing to start scouting at a young age if the GM's are doing it, and as long as they dont get publicity at that age, what is wrong with it? I dont hear anything about it, and I am really in to the sports world. Obviously they arent being overhyped.
Hype is a funny thing. Its great for the fans and the Gm's because it sells tickets. But I think it puts undo pressure on the players. Look at Lebron. before he dawned a NBA jersey he was expected to be the "savior of the game". When he had an outstanding rookie season it was overshadowed by peoples expecetations of him making the playoffs or a championship run. Im not saying its a bad or a good thing but that it just influences people to much in to many ways.
I definatly think lebron got too much hype.. which is a main reason why I didnt like him when he first came out. I thought he would be too cocky arogant and full of himself. Media talking about him day and night, getting comparisons to MJ coming out of highschool. It was crazy
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (ballerman2112 @ Mar 1 2007, 07:52 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>I never hear of middle school kids being scouted...And if they are being scouted, you dont hear any news about it...It is a good thing to start scouting at a young age if the GM's are doing it, and as long as they dont get publicity at that age, what is wrong with it? I dont hear anything about it, and I am really in to the sports world. Obviously they arent being overhyped.</div> Well, they are scouted and the players know about it. OTL's did a big special on it a few months ago, it was pretty disturbing/pathetic. Who cares if the general media doesn't know about it, these kids being scouted and ranked know about it...I'll try and find the OTL special, they talked to kids who were ranked in middle school and how they felt about it...etc...Top NW 8th grade players by positionhttp://mb15.scout.com/fdragongurlzfrm2.sho...ic&index=11 Here are being discussed the top 8th grade girls basketball players in the country.
Hype gets to be too great when fans say that players have no weaknesses. Whenver someone argues that Greg Oden has a weakness in his game, they all point to his injured hand. Guess what Buckeyes, his injured hand doesn't make up for his bad rebounding footwork!
Well he's averaged 9 and a half rebounds in college, his footwork will obviously be worked on quickly when he gets drafted, thats not a big issue.
