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This blog was born out of a Dynasty Rankings thread originally begun in October, 2006 at the Footballguys.com message boards. The rankings in that thread and the ensuing wall-to-wall discussion of player values and dynasty league strategy took on a life of its own at over 275 pages and 700,000 page views. The result is what you see in the sidebar under "Updated Positional Rankings": a comprehensive ranking of dynasty league fantasy football players by position on a tiered, weighted scale. In the tradition of the original footballguys.com Dynasty Rankings thread, intelligent debate is welcome and encouraged.

Wednesday, January 2, 2008

Quote of the Day | January 2, 2008: When Pride Still Mattered


From David Maraniss' biography of Vince Lombardi, When Pride Still Mattered:

They raise larger questions that address the core mythology of football and of the man who went on to become its patron saint, Vince Lombardi. What is the value of competitive team sports? Where is the line drawn between a single-minded desire to excel and a debilitating obsession to win? Are football teams essential to the well-being of institutions and communities? Do athletes deserve special consideration because of this? In a realm where the ultimate measurement is wins versus losses, do ends justify means?

The contradictory ideals of unity and independence, conformity and rebellion, run deep in the American pysche, and along that divide football is the sport most clearly aligned with unity and conformity, for better and worse. When asserting that football builds character, coaches invariably speak of teamwork, discipline, perseverance and loyalty. But even granting football those qualities, are they inherently positive? Or, as the Army honor code scandal suggests, can they also lead to group thinking, peer pressure, blind obedience and an emphasis on team solidarity over individual integrity?

Those were the questions raised in 1951, and in one way or another they would follow Lombardi and define him for the rest of his life.

2 comments:

EdMcGon said...

In battles of 45 individual players against one team, the one team will always win. You only have to look at the Patriots this year to see that.

Chris Wesseling said...

Right, but that quote was more about the complexities of the hardcore militant football mindset as opposed to insinuating that there was anything wrong with the team concept.