“Home Sweet Home,” Part 1

Storyline: Follow along as I reminisce about “the good old days” in sports. It was a time when having home court or home field advantage actually meant something. It was a time when opposing teams dreaded coming into a hostile environment.

Because the Golden State Warriors have dominated the NBA landscape so far this season, I didn’t want to be a bandwagon writer and follow the status quo. How much more can you report on their amazing “Rags to Riches,” fairytale story? It’s beginning to be plain overkill.

So, instead, I’ll write an article that has our readers reminiscing about “the good old days” in sports. A time when having home court or home field advantage actually meant something. A time when opposing teams dreaded coming into a hostile environment trying to secure a victory.

I wanted to reflect on those times when a San Diego Chargers v. Kansas City Chiefs playoff game meant DOOM for whomever was the visiting team. I wanted to write about a time when a Sacramento Kings v. Los Angeles Lakers playoff game meant a LONG night for the visitors.

Corporate branding gone wild (DeadSpin.com)

We now live in a world where corporate sponsors rule marketing and merchandising. It has taken away from the purity of sports, replacing that with “BRANDING!” In this article I’ll take readers on a journey through time. A time when being a professional athlete meant just that! I’m going to rattle off some names and explain the nature of their once powerful existence.

I’m going to start with the National Football League. The places of play? Jack Murphy Stadium (Chargers), Arrowhead Stadium (Chiefs), Mile High Stadium (Broncos), Candlestick Park (49ers), Three Rivers Stadium (Steelers), Veterans Stadium (Eagles), Pontiac Silverdome (Lions), Metrodome (Vikings), Kingdome (Seahawks), Joe Robbie Stadium (Dolphins), and The Coliseum (THE RAIDERS!).

You see, those names were more than just names of stadiums. Whether it was conditions on the field or the name of the stadium, visiting teams expected a dog fight and, more often that not, they got it! The seats were filled with knowledgeable fans who came to wreak havoc behind the visitors bench. In today’s game, the seats are normally filled with celebrities, corporate big shots, and a host of other attention seekers. Note that I didn’t refer to them as fans? That’s because I know the difference between a diehard fan and a person who just covets more “Likes” on their Instagram or Twitter feed!

Junior Seau (USAToday)

The players? Guys like Mark Gastineau, Derrick Thomas (R.I.P.), Neil Smith, Steve Atwater, Junior Seau (R.I.P.), Rodney Harrison, Rod Woodson, Joey Porter, Kevin Greene, Greg Lloyd, Jevon Kearse, Bruce Smith, Cornelius Bennett, and Darryl Talley made their “BONES” wreaking havoc on opposing offensive players at home. They made a road trip through the AFC similar to getting a root canal without Novacane! It was not only their job. It was their PASSION!

The integrity and pride they displayed while playing at home was incredible! It seems like today’s players just don’t “get it” or do they care to. As long as their endorsement dollars are up, I don’t think these guys care much about protecting the home field. Not so for guys like Ronnie Lott, Chuck Cecil, Andre Waters (R.I.P.), Darren Woodson, Reggie White (R.I.P.), Jerome Brown (R.I.P.), Charles Haley, Ken Norton Jr, Deion Sanders, Dana Stubblefield, Lawrence Taylor, Carl Banks, Leonard Marshall, and Michael Strahan. They made navigating through the NFC similar to swimming with sharks in blood stained water! As disgusting as that analogy may be that’s just how terrifying and gruesome those defenders made it for visitors.

That’s how its supposed to be! No one should be able to come into your home from being outside in the snow–and not remove their shoes at the front door. That’s just disrespectful! With all of the corporate sponsors attaching their names to new stadiums–instead of replacing the stadiums and keeping some remnants of the old stadiums–you get these weird names that make no sense at all. Let’s face it, who’s going to be intimidated by playing at Levi Stadium, Invesco Field, M&T Bank Stadium, Qualcomm Stadium, Sun Life Stadium, Cinergy Field, Heinz Field, or Lincoln Financial Field? These Stadiums sound like they should be meeting centers or conference rooms for board meetings–not places where a violent game, like Football, is being played.

Courtesy: pinterest

In the past, home stadiums in the NFL were places where visiting teams dreams DIED! Plain and simple. The aforementioned players and their respective home stadiums normally spelled DOOM for visitors. No matter how well the visitors performed at home, it all went out the window when they arrived in a place where the showers gave off nothing but ICE COLD WATER! Where the field was so terrible that opposing players didn’t play to their full potential (fear of injuring themselves on the turf).

Writing this article bought back plenty of memories … and goose bumps, too. I don’t get that feeling anymore watching football games, not even in the post season.

Team owners need to review the quality of the games in today’s NFL and take a stand to correct the wrongs. Side-step the corporate dollars and replace them with team integrity and pride. Make players more responsible and less reckless.

Let’s get back to plain old FOOTBALL!