Close your eyes. Visualize watching some of your favorite players growing up. Try to remember reading and hearing about some of sports’ greatest players. Now, I’ll mention some all time greats, and we’ll see if you can tell me what uniform they were wearing when they retired.
Up until Barry Bonds came along, he was the all-time home run leader. He played most of his career with the Milwaukee/Atlanta Braves. (The Milwaukee Braves moved to Atlanta in 1966.) But, what team was he playing for when he retired? Would you have guessed the Milwaukee Brewers? Aaron finished up his career in 1976 as a Brewer with 10 home runs and a rather paltry .229 batting average. Hardly Hall of Fame numbers if you average that over a career. But, when you think of Hank Aaron, you think of the Milwaukee/Atlanta Braves Hank Aaron, don’t you? Did his time as a Brewer ruin his impression?
The man known as “Broadway Joe” or “Joe Willie” is perhaps best known for starring in Super Bowl III as his underdog New York Jets upset the heavily favored Baltimore Colts. He famously guaranteed victory in the days leading up to the game and it defined his career. Take that game away and his legacy wouldn’t be nearly what it is today. Did you know that Namath ended his career playing for the Los Angeles Rams? Did his time as a Ram ruin his legacy and his reputation as Broadway Joe?
Johnny U threw 290 touchdown passes in his career. He made the Pro Bowl 10 times, and won a Super Bowl with the Baltimore Colts. He played in “the greatest game ever played.” When you think of Unitas, you think of the quarterback for the Baltimore Colts. But, would you have guessed he finished up his career with the San Diego Chargers?
“His Airness” is arguably the greatest basketball player ever. He won six NBA titles with the Chicago Bulls, with back-to-back-to-back titles on two separate occasions. He retired and came back two different times before finally retiring in 2003. He’s only been retired for six years, but 20 years from now are many people going to remember that he retired with the Washington Wizards?
The answer to all four of the questions involving these four sports icons is NO! No one will remember that they finished their careers with pedestrian numbers playing for different teams. Their legacy was set long before they reached the twilight of their careers. Did they hang around too long? Perhaps. But, the legacies of Hank Aaron, Joe Namath, Johnny Unitas, and Michael Jordan are intact due to their incredible achievements that they accomplished during the peak of their careers.
Read the debate intro and Sports Geek’s opinion.
