Rest is Not the Devil

The hoopla over player rest needs to calm down.

NBA

Hey Sports Media, stop whining and wailing to NBA players and coaches for resting. They did not slight you. It is overused to hear pundits complain about what they want. Instead accept what you deserve from players, which is nothing. Players and coaches owe you nothing, they do not work to serve you or the fans.

The sports world is fussy about the recent trend of resting NBA players. Every television and radio host has issue with Steph Curry, Lebron James or any healthy player taking a night off. There are a myriad of complaints and arguments why resting is so egregious. All are wrong. The objective is not to spurn the fans and media and you need to stop taking it this way. Players rest because they have one job and one goal. That is to compete for a NBA championship.

Some coaches, the ones ahead of the curve, rest players at the advice of trainers and physicians. The coaches seek rest to better the team for peak performance when it counts, the playoffs. This is the simple fact from a better understanding of health and science. The “back in my day” comments do not trump science. Stop bringing up alternative facts to fit your narrative.

The players are not softer, weaker or less manly than previous generations. They are more educated and more informed and are acting accordingly. This nonsense citing of Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, or other legends never resting when healthy is dumb. You bring an outdated NFL mentality that “toughness” prevails. Superior healthy tactics replace your machismo perception.

Statements that players get paid millions of dollars to work 36 minutes a night are stupid. The amount of preparation and work ethic these players exhibit is world class. Their rare talent and the nature of their business are why they get paid so handsomely. Radio hosts and television personalities need to stop crying and drawing the ridiculous parallel that they show up to work everyday and have only taken one day off for sickness. Your job is not the same. Delivering your one to three hours of rhetoric is not the same as playing in the NBA.

Stop clamoring with the argument that players are there to entertain and therefore must play. That is not what they do. Players compete to win. And to win a championship, not every single insignificant-in-the-bigger-picture regular season game. The by-product is that they entertain because they compete to this end. We as fans choose to watch for our own entertainment and passion. Our viewership and loyalty do not shift the players’ and coaches’ responsibility to serve us over their own personal goals.

ESPN or Turner paying big money for these games is irrelevant. Every purchase or investment carries risks. The companies risk that on any given game the marquee players might be injured. That same risk applies to rest. The investment to broadcast certain national games does not give these companies leverage to determine coaching decisions. The players and coaches are not at fault for reacting to the schedule. Any fault lies with the league for scheduling games on a back-to-back.

Stop evoking the imagery of disappointed fans, especially young children. It is a cheap emotional tug to demonize teams, coaches and players. Again the goal is not to appease everybody, but to win a championship. Fans of all ages and demographics assume the same aforementioned risks when buying a ticket.

How do we eliminate those risks? The solution is to demand league accountability in its scheduling. If the schedule allows players to play all 82 games on adequate rest, they will play all 82 games on adequate rest. The league should spread out the season (or reduce the season, which will not happen) and eliminate jam-packed scheduling. Call out the league for accountability, not coaches and players.

Stop promoting faulty solutions such as fines or making a rule requiring healthy players to play. These are directed towards the wrong parties. The answer is not to make laws or hand down rulings that are unenforceable. It is frivolous and does not get the job done. Players will play a minute and exit. Coaches will list a possible injury or strain. Do not lead us down a path of antagonizing the talent.

Your job is to report the sport news. You educate the public with your point of view. You create progress with your power. First accept disappointment over inciting outrage. Then calmly and collectively direct your efforts to pushing for change to the correct responsible parties. End your mob mentality.