How would sports greats of yesteryear fare against the stars of today?.
Inspired by a sour-grapes comment from Dallas Cowboys Owner Jerry Jones, Jonathan Bales explored the “Old school v. New school” argument in football:
The game has changed so much over the years—even a lot since Sanders’ prime—that it’s unlikely many of the athletes from even a couple decades ago would be able to hang with the big boys in the NFL in 2013.
Full article: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1830174-why-deion-sanders-wouldnt-shut-down-calvin-johnson
Bales’ piece underscores an important point:
We are too deferential to players of past eras—especially in baseball and football—when comparing greatness then to now.
People don’t account for changes in player size/speed that result from advances in medicine and sports training; You can’t evaluate stats in a vacuum.