Then and Now
Lou Gehrig of the New York Yankees held the record for most consecutive games (2,130) up until 1995 when Cal Ripkin Jr. of the Baltimore Orioles surpassed him, eventually playing 2,632.
Back in those days, ballplayers played about 120 games a season, compared to the….what, 180 games they play now? And back then, ballplayers were ballplayers. They weren’t men on steroids, they weren’t men demanding millions of dollars for a contract.
My grandfather (a picture of him with a recruiter for the Baltimore Orioles, showing where he could hold 7 baseballs in his hand), rest his soul, was always under the opinion that if you’re going to compare records, you should do it on an even playing field. Could Cal Ripkin have played as many games if he was playing less each season, forcing him to play for many more years? Going from almost 15 years of play to almost 22 years?
It’s the same with any record in sports. Most home-runs, most touch downs, most grand slams in a career (a record also held by Lou Gehrig). How can we compare to the men who built the foundation of American sports, when the sports players today are given such an advantage?
Just something I was thinking about tonight while obviously watching a movie about Lou Gehrig. I’m almost touched at the difference in sports from then and now. Where back then men played because they loved the game, and people loved and respected them. Compared to now where….do I really need to elaborate?
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