In the age of the internet and instant access to statistics, game logs, advanced stats, etc, BT says athletes are under a microscope more than ever before.
So, as players like Aaron Judge are grilled for their postseason performances while past legends like Willie Mays, Ted Williams, and Ty Cobb are revered despite their lapses in October, BT says it should be noted that the modern athlete is scrutinized to unfair levels.
“While the athletes make a lot more money and are softer in some regards, for sure, not playing every day and maintenance, etc., they are really held to a standard that is unfair, that many of their predecessors in previous generations did not have to face,” BT said.
“The constant banging on the tables of postseason failures, you have to be uniquely wired to tune that out, that’s for sure.”
Tiki says it is because of that instant access to history and data, as fans can now research exactly what a player has done in their postseason career, and examine all the nooks and crannies of a player’s performance.
“It is the analytics and the advanced metrics, and the little things that point out, which has always been in baseball,” Tiki said. “But was kind of ignored because you didn’t have the resources to look into it.”
For BT, that level of scrutiny has become tiring, and sometimes, we need to just enjoy the ride rather than seeking out the faults.
“They never talked about this with [Larry] Bird and Magic [Johnson] back in the day,” BT said. “We just enjoyed the rivalry and enjoyed the championships for what they were. It’s almost too much.”
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