It’s been much too long since I’ve posted on the Suns side…and this post really doesn’t have much to do with the Suns. However, it is vaguely related so I figured I’d put here anyway.

/start rant

The NFL has dominated sports news of late solely based on childish drama. From the ever-annoying flip-flopping episodes of ‘As the World Turns’ with Brett Favre joining the Minnesota Vikings to the ‘controversy’ of a reformed Michael Vick’s reinstatement to the Philadelphia Eagles, we’ve been beat over the head with so-called ‘popular’ storylines in regards to professional football.

However, this phenomenon isn’t reserved just for the NFL. It seems to dominate sports coverage and it’s what networks like ESPN rely on for ratings – as long as fans show somewhat of an interest (whether it be positive or negative) they’ll continue updating us on Brett Favre’s bodily condition at a meaningless workout, at a nameless high school, in Podunk, Mississippi, in mid June. Sure, we get sick of it and complain but we keep our eyes glued to the television set when there is any inkling of possibility that “news” will break.

The issue I personally have with the NFL and these stories is that, seemingly, they center on players or teams that aren’t worthy of the hype. Yes, hype and worth are primarily subjective, but why does anyone care about Terrell Owens on the Buffalo Bills catching passes from Trent Edwards? Why was so much energy and weight put on Brett Favre’s potential suitor? Who gives two-craps what strip club Pacman Jones visits this week?

Logic says because it’s compelling; it deviates from the norm. It’s different. It’s not the typical mundane mantra.

That’s why I’m head over heels in love with the NBA.

Thankfully, in the Association, the hype and drama centering around these types of stories are usually resolved quickly; we don’t have to wait very long to see if a player or team has the potential to be great or for a storyline that is over-played to disappear. We can usually tell if an off-season move is going to turn out for better or worse early on in the season and valuable time isn’t wasted on so many hypothetical’s or meaningless queries.

What we see in the NBA are the typical and constant debates; who is the best player in the league, who is the most important player, who has the ability to be a star etc. But, for God’s sakes at least it’s valid and relevant. It’s current. It’s quantifiable. At least we can base it on factual evidence.

I can cope with NBA hype and drama. I can live with the over-marketing of a Kobe/Lebron match-up – hey; it’s fun to watch whether they marketed the game or not. I will concede that often times the hype overshadows the actual game, but it’s entertaining and worthy regardless. In the NFL, we’ll be beat senseless with the story of a washed-up player (cough…Terrell Owens…cough) and how many passes he dropped in a pre-season game. Who Cares? He’s not relevant anymore.

In the NBA, there is rarely a time where you can place blame on someone and justify them affecting your play. In the NFL, however, one can get away with blaming the conditions, the quarterback, the coach, the style, the media, the fans, the game plan – anything. You can attempt to deflect a similar amount of responsibility off yourself in the NBA, but at some point, you have to look in the mirror and face reality – if you’re not producing, it’s your fault.

Furthermore, if we do happen to catch word of a story that’s filled with the aforementioned drama, (i.e. a player not getting enough help from his teammates) it’s not made into a national freaking story unless they are currently relevant. Plus, it’s talked about for a short period of time, people realize it’s not a story anymore, and move on.

Unfortunately, we’ll have to wait several months for all of these NFL storylines to play out. We won’t truly see how Favre has affected the Vikings until the latter part of the year. In the NBA, we’ll know how Vince Carter has impacted the Magic within the first month of the season. We’ll see how Rasheed fits into the Celtics plan from the get go. We’ll get to judge the value and worth of Blake Griffin (even if it’s based on potential) from his first several games in the league.

Maybe it’s just me. Maybe I am oversimplifying things in the NBA and there is much more drama than I am giving credit for. But holy hell am I tired of the drama-filled direction the NFL is headed.

Here’s to hoping the NBA never gets to that point.

/end rant