Skip to main content

Equilibrium


A couple of weeks ago, I was watching an NFL pregame show, and in between the usual banter about RG III, Tim Tebow, and the Eagles (just three things in the NFL people need to shut up about), there was a comment that caught my attention. One of the announcers noted that the AFC had only two teams with a record above .500, the Ravens and Texans, who coincidentally would play later that day. So at first glance, as he noted, it appears the 'balance of power' has shifted to the NFC, in part due to NFC teams playing in larger markets (which is also a ridiculous statement). 

Anyway, I'd like to fast forward two weeks and shit on this dude. As the standings sit today, both conferences have 7 teams with records above .500. So, clearly, fuck him. However, this announcer has two good excuses at this point. First, he made his comments during week 7, meaning most teams had played a total of 6 games, which despite being enough of a sample to judge the balance of power in the league, is also an even number. Why is that significant? Well, it leaves open the possibility for many teams to sit at 3-3. And sure enough, going into week 7, seven teams in the AFC had 3-3 records, including the entire East Division. And the second reason, well that's easy: there's no such thing as a down year for a Conference, in any sport, due to the Equilibrium of Sports. 

Well "what's the Equilibrium of Sports?", you might ask. The Equilibrium of Sports says that professional sports have a tendency to remain balanced, perhaps due to supernatural forces. Also, don't google that, because I made it up. Moving on. Let's take a look at this phenomena across all sports (by which I of course mean football, baseball, and basketball). 

Football:
Just because we're already in the mood, let's talk about football. So it may seem as though the NFC is the dominant conference at the moment. But let's not forget, there are several teams in the AFC worthy of challenging the most dominant of NFC teams, including, but not limited to: the Steelers, Ravens, Patriots, Broncos, and shockingly the Dolphins and Colts who still boast winning records. All of these teams are on the rise after shaky starts, while teams in the NFC, such as the Eagles, Saints, and Lions, all contenders last year, continue to slide. Further, the league's worst team, the Chiefs (sorry), are 1-2 in non-conference play; so they were able to dismantle an NFC team.

Baseball:
In recent years, it has been noted that the NL is much stronger league than the AL. And yes, if you use the All-Star game this year, or either of the past two World Series, as examples, it seems to be true. But the main reason for the AL's inconsistency is the level of play in their league. The NL is top heavy, with teams like the Giants, Cardinals, Reds, Nationals and Braves playing at a high level, while teams like the Astros and Cubs lose over 100 games. Meanwhile, in the AL, the league-worst Twins finished a full 10 games better than the Cubs. In addition, the AL West only has four teams, which means they play each other 19 times each season, and they typically beat up on each other, usually just resulting in no clear front runner. In fact, this season, the Rangers, Angels, and Mariners all finished in the top half of the wild card standings, while the A's won the division. Thus, the AL isn't worse than the NL, they just beat each other up to much to let someone make a strong run through the postseason..........and they don't make their pitchers bat.....

Basketball:
Whereas the other two sports discussed may have less discussed issues of balance, the NBA continuously comes under fire for the shifts in power that occur over time. But, once more, I can show how stupid this conversation is. The first time that I witnessed this issue in the NBA was when the Boston Celtics formed their Big 3 before the 2007 season. With Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett leaving small market Western Conference teams for the Eastern basketball haven of Boston, it seemed there was going to be severe dip in performance in the West. After all, the East did boast LeBron James, Dwayne Wade, Dwight Howard, and this newly formed monster in Boston. And while the Celtics would win a championship in 2008, and are still regarded as a force in the NBA, the Equilibrium prevented them from developing any sort of momentum in the East. In fact, despite the Heat wining the championship this year, the West won all three championships between 2009-2011. 

So as the Lakers have once again developed an All-Star lineup this year, with the addition of Steve Nash and Dwight Howard, I urge you not to be too quick to worry that the power has shifted to the West. The Heat still boast one of the most powerful lineups in the league, the Nets have restocked along with the Knicks, and teams like Philadelphia, Cleveland, Chicago and Indiana, all will look to disprove the doubters this season.

Anyway, there is a supernatural force at work here. There's just too many dominant teams and players in professional sports for one entire conference or league to ever shift the balance of power. Feel free to reference this in your conversations, just give me credit, assholes.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Brett Favre's Illustrious Career and 'The Viking Situation'

Seeing as this is my first post, I would like to ask for a pass in advance for any typos, or errors in my facts in any of my posts. As his career comes to an end, (hopefully) I would like to take this time to examine Brett Favre 's career and my self-entitled 'Viking Situation' , and relate it to Any Given Sunday , which seemingly hasn't been done (other than this and this , both of which fail to fully relate 'The Viking Situation'), which I believe is odd. As well, as a disclaimer, I realize that the movie does not model the current situation, given the time difference, and merely wish to offer an odd amount of similarities. Brett Favre Dennis Quaid First, and most prevalently, credit must be given where credit is due. Brett Favre is arguably one of the best quarterbacks of all time, and seemingly the toughest. His record for yards (71,838) and touchdowns (508) are hard to argue with, although he also holds the records for most times sacked and most...
Post a Comment
Read more

When the Stars Line Up

From 2010 to 2011, Alex Smith gained one receiver, Braylon Edwards . The 49ers backfield gained rookie Kendall Hunter , and the defense acquired rookie linebacker Aldon Smith . There have been some other changes to the 49er roster, but can these fairly insignificant pickups really account for a 9-1 record in week 10, after going 6-10 last year and missing the playoffs in the lowly NFC West? The real change, although it is hard to prove, is coach Jim Harbaugh . Initially, I will note, that other than play calling and technique, I find very little sympathy for people who argue that coaches really make a significant difference in the NFL. And I know that I'll get shit for saying that, but let it go for the time being. After all, one can hardly call Harbaugh a revolutionary college coach, after he basically one the lottery with Andrew Luck and Toby Gerhart leading the Cardinal offense. So for now, imagine Jim Harbaugh has not really accomplished anything. So what makes him such a...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Phenomena of Dick-Riding in Sports (Athletes)

I have begun to notice as of late, that media outlets such as ESPN, or any newspaper, have a habit of renewing their passion for a player after he does something spectacular. And I say renew because they pretend like they always new he was great. As well, there are cases of people actually having always been good, and in that case, dick-riding is acceptable. However, I refuse to even open my ears when I begin to hear "This is a guy that has been overlooked during his career, but I always saw his true potential", or some bullshit along those lines. After all, what really gives anyone beside Mel Kiper Jr. and Todd McShay, who actually spend their entire lives analyzing NFL Draft prospects, the ability to judge anyone? But my hatred for ESPN analysts whose credentials include a six-year career with eight teams will have to be saved for another day. For now, we examine the phenomena of players that tend to suddenly rise to power. Very regularly, this trend occurs in college spo...
Post a Comment
Read more