The 6 Biggest Debates In Sports

By JOHN P. WISE
One Great Season

Sports fans love lists and sports fans love debates. So how 'bout we make a list of the best debates in sports?

Here they are, the six most-argued topics in sports:

1. Should there be a playoff in college football? I used to support the plus-one model, but then I wrote this last week, touting an 11-team playoff. Anyway, those who say no like to claim college football has the best regular season in sports. True as that may be, how precisely does that matter? Fix the postseason so you can crown a true champion.

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2. Should college athletes be paid? On the surface, it sounds like a good idea. But everything involving money goes far beyond the surface. I'll let Bill Plaschke's excellent recent column explain why college athletes should not be paid.


3. Kobe or Lebron? There was a short spell where I would have picked Lebron just based on his individual talent. But even before I witnessed "The Decision" and even before I read every single word that Adrian Wojnarowski wrote about King James, I remembered that Kobe wins big games on big stages with big plays and Kobe has five NBA rings.


4. Brady or Manning? Manning has put up more prolific numbers over the years, but Brady has led his team to four Super Bowls. If you're asking who you'd want to lead your team on a fourth-quarter comeback, maybe Manning should be your guy. But Brady is the consummate pro, a three-time champion surrounded by offensive talent inferior to Manning's, and the guy who I'd want to lead my team over an entire season.


5. Does Pete Rose belong in the Hall of Fame? Despite having lived in Cincinnati for many years, I don't get into this debate too often. But I believe in logic and common sense, so if there's one take I support, it's MLB writer Jayson Stark's. He's long stated that "The Hall is a museum, not the Vatican." Though I think Rose deserves entry, I also agree with Stark and most others that Rose never will be inducted.


6. Will Tiger pass Jack? No. Tiger will play his next major at Augusta at age 35. He's got 14 majors now — compared to Jack's 18 — but the window is closing. And although he's feeling better physically and mentally, his bum knee and off-course distractions have chipped away at the mystique that made him so intimidating on Sundays. He's now merely a good golfer whose colleagues no longer fear him.

Comments

[creighton]

JW - Tiger will win 2 Majors is 2011 and pass Jack by 2013...you heard it hear first. The distractions are gone and all he has is golf and his legacy on the course, he will be dominant again. I agree with this list and actually love reading your takes. Keep it up brother!!!!

[John P. Wise]

That's a gutsy call, young man! Don't know if I agree, tho I know you're a big golf guy. But thanks for weiging in and for the kind words as well.

[Sluggo]

Remember the precursor to Brady or Manning? It was Manning's senior year at UT and the debate was Leaf or Manning? I wonder how time will impact some of the current debates.

[John P. Wise]

Good point, Sluggo. No one was talking about Brady, as they shouldn't have. No one expected much from him.

[jiminez]

Now, when you say Kobe or LeBron, are you talking about who you would take right now? Or are you talking about who you would want going forward? Or are you talking about whose career, when all is said and done, will be more celebrated?