After Monday’s back and forth between Tiki Barber and Saquon Barkley, Evan has come to the realization that the modern athlete doesn’t seem to embrace or invest in rivalries anymore.
With Barkley headed to the Eagles, and taking exception to negative reaction after joining a hated foe, Evan says athletes don’t understand rivalries the way fans still do.
“Most athletes in this modern age don’t get it. They don’t understand,” Evan said. “Athletes today do not understand that rivalries exist. The Giants and the Eagles are rivals. The Yankees and the Red Sox are rivals…[Tiki] gets something that the modern athlete doesn’t get…there are things such as rivalries. Fans and former athletes, who are fans now, have a right to be upset when you go to a rival.”
Tiki notices himself that rivalries don’t carry the same hatred and intensity that they did when he was still playing, and the diminishing of those rivalries has diminished the product.
“I think over the last 10 years or so, maybe it’s the money, the exposure, social media, but there was a time when it felt like athletes hated each other,” Tiki said. “The rivalry between the Eagles and us, when I was with the Giants, it was real.
“When rivalries don’t matter, what the hell are we doing it for? Where’s the energy and emotion come from? Just to play the game, get a paycheck, get first downs or score touchdowns? What’s the point if there’s no rivalry?”