Sports Halls of Fame
The Basketball Hall of Fame inducted some new members this past week. Unfortunately for Basketball, no one cares about it’s Hall. No disrespect to Michael Jordan, Jerry Sloan, David Robinson, and the other inductees, but who really cares?
Why are Halls of Fame so different in importance from sport to sport? I’m not entirely sure, but here is a little ranking of the major ones and my reasoning for why they are as important or meaningless as they are:
1. Baseball Hall of Fame: While the actual site of the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown may be just as important as the site of Football’s in Canton, Baseball gets the edge. The sheer importance of making the Hall in Baseball transcends the sport. When discussing a player’s accolades in baseball, the Hall of Fame is the highest honor one can achieve. The sport is so obsessed with statistics and numbers that it makes sense the Hall would be so important.
2. Football Hall of Fame: Everyone has heard of Canton and the Football Hall of Fame. While Championships are important in football, the Hall is something every great player aspires to. It is not necessarily as central to the sport as baseball, but it is still very important.
3. Hockey Hall of Fame: I have actually heard of it, which is enough to put it above basketball’s Hall. Please direct questions to StevieY about the Hockey Hall of Fame.
4. Basketball Hall of Fame: Why is the Hall so meaningless in basketball? Here is my theory. In no other sport is a team championship given so much credence when discussing the success of an individual player’s career. Sure Charles Barkley is a Hall of Famer, but all anyone ever talks about is how he never won a Championship. Basketball is a team game in a way that none of the other 3 sports are (besides hockey maybe). Since the team is given importance above all else, Championships are how great players’ careers are judged, not individual accolades like induction into the Hall of Fame.
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Comment from bitternutz
Time April 7, 2009 at 3:22 pm
some good points expect you forgot the obvious! The reason the basketball HOF is so meaningless is that it has no affiliation with the NBA and therefore a player with 3 great seasons in college is put at the same level as Michael Jordon in the HOF. I’m not even gonna start with the WNBA…