PREPS ALCOVE

Talking sports with some of my friends: Multisport athletes, TJ Watt, lighting and singlets

JR Radcliffe
jr.radcliffe@jrn.com

In honor of my colleague, Chuck Delsman, I’m stealing his “talking sports with some of my friends” column and hitting on a number of topics this week. I won’t be as short and sweet as Chuck.

Multisport mastery

One of the biggest statistics circulated on the night of the NFL draft and over the weekend: 30 of 32. That’s the number of first-round draft selections who were multiple-sport athletes during their time in high school. It’s a celebration and vindication of the multisport mentality and proof that athletes can achieve their highest dreams even if they avoid “specializing.”

It’s a statistic that is almost meaningless.

I am also a proponent of the multisport approach to athletics, and many coaches — at least publicly — support the idea. It’s crucial for the enrichment of the athletics community in high schools and almost certainly a benefit to the athletes themselves. Jordy Nelson was profiled in a great piece at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel last week about the value of high school sports. But I’ve said this before: Football people can espouse the values of multisport athletes until they’re blue in the face, and it won’t change the problem, because football is not the problem.

Of course football coaches will preach about playing multiple sports. Without an advanced “club level” equivalent for the sport (almost impossible to devise given the sport’s physically demanding nature and need for high participation numbers), there’s no other path down which football coaches can push their kids. Sure, there are a handful of kids who just lift weights in the football offseason, but an athlete in a noncompetitive cocoon is almost universally frowned upon. There aren’t other opportunities to play football, so the next best option is to play other sports, and coaches know this.

Given that, I’m actually surprised it’s not 32 out of 32.

If you want to zero in on the issue of multisport athletes, look to basketball, soccer and volleyball. These are the sports with elaborate club systems, where an athlete could choose to specialize and play the sport close to year-round. I’m not necessarily frowning on the choice to choose club sports, but the annual drum-beating by football personnel against the cause seems a little like preaching to the choir. No sport benefits more from multisport approach than football. For there to be a change, other sports would need to lead the charge.

Taking TJ Watt

I knew this would happen. I knew the Green Bay Packers would be on the clock with the 29th pick of the first round, and TJ Watt would be on the board — and I knew the fan base would be clamoring heavily for the Packers to take him. He’s a pass rusher, seemingly fitting the Packers’ need, and a familiar face as a member of the Wisconsin Badgers, creating the perfect storm of fan fancy.

The Packers traded the pick to Cleveland and wound up taking Kevin King of Washington with the 33rd pick. By then, Watt was gone, taken with the 30th choice by the Pittsburgh Steelers.

I’m surprised Bob McGinn’s tidbit in his draft coverage — indicating that Watt wasn’t a strong consideration for the Packers — hasn’t gotten more attention. Regardless of what happens going forward, fans will fixate on Watt and either hope he doesn’t have that great of a career to nullify this Ted Thompson “misstep” or compare him to King. Obviously, I hope neither happens, but consider this: What are the odds Watt would have met lofty expectations here?

Obviously, if TJ Watt had become the next JJ Watt, he would have been celebrated in Green Bay for decades.

But what if it takes him a couple years to find his footing or he struggles to become the type of player who can win three consecutive NFL Defensive Players of the Year (I mean, that’s a tough hill to climb)? Would fans be restless? Now, throw in the fact that he was coveted by fans in the draft, and he’s from Wisconsin. The spotlight will be so intense — far more than it should be for the average 29th overall pick (though all first-rounders get that attention to some degree).

You saw what this fan base did for AJ Hawk, a strong, sound player and seemingly quality individual who will never be forgiven for going No. 5 overall. I would argue Watt, even at 29, would have been bombarded by similar expectations because of his name and roots. Pittsburgh, which also happens to have a great reputation developing players just like him, is a great home.

A light that doesn’t shine

Freddie Freeman of the Atlanta Braves referred to Miller Park as a “bad-lit Little League Field” over the weekend when the Braves squared off with the Brewers. Predictably, many in the Brewers fan base took offense.

These are the type of things people have to just let go. First of all, Freeman was probably responding to a specific question about hitting in the venue (a park that isn’t exactly considered a pitcher’s park), and his comment was limited to the lighting; he wasn’t calling the overall venue a “Little League Field.”

I adore Miller Park, with obvious bias, and consider it one of the finest ballparks in the nation even if it’s already middle-aged by modern ballpark standards. But if pressed about the lighting, I would admit, yeah, it’s maybe a smidge darker than other parks. The roof probably has a lot to do with that; I’m not sure.

There is a natural tendency to bristle when someone challenges your home team, and that extends to the park. But even as someone who takes pride in the park, getting riled up over a comment about lighting is a waste of (electric?) energy. Freeman hits fine there, so I think he’s adjusted nicely, and the Brewers have one of the best offenses in baseball. At worst, it's an accurate but immaterial complaint.

Singlet minded

An interesting thing happened when the National Federation of High Schools approved an alternate two-piece uniform for high school wrestling. In most sports, fashion choices wouldn’t really move the needle, but this is a big one as it relates to participation numbers. Many coaches will acknowledge the singlet — the one-piece, tight-fitting uniform — is a major reason why athletes elect not to try the sport. Few people at any age, let alone the teenage category, want to wear a tight fitting piece of fabric that accentuates every curve of the body while competing in front of a large audience.

It’s a small step toward improving participation in the sport. But with an alternate uniform enabling wrestlers to compete in more modest attire, there’s a chance this goes a long way toward helping a sport that could use the boost.