CULTURE SHOQ

Hmm | Top 5 Most Unappreciated Athletes

Posted by Greg Weinstein | Filed under Sports

Everyone knows about the Michael Jordan’s and Peyton Manning’s of the world,  but they couldn’t achieve the success they reached  alone.  Every star needs that second or even third fiddle. Sure they are appreciated, but not hardly enough to the point that they should be. This is a list of the Top 5 athletes in recent memory that need more appreciation for what they do. These are stars in their own right, but the attention of the team’s success is always focused elsewhere.

Check out the list on the next page…

#5 – Jorge Posada

Believe it or not, Posada is ranked high among the best offensive catchers of all-time. He is right up there with Yogi Berra, Johny Bench and Gary Carter.  He has played with the Hall of Fame talent of the Yankees in Jeter, A-Rod, Mariano Rivera and Roger Clemens, but his quiet demeanor has under shadowed him and his importance to the team’s success. Though he is overlooked by the star power, the New York Yankees will always enjoy its success with Posada behind the plate.

#4 – Marvin Harrison

Even though throughout the years, Harrison has made himself into one of the best that every played the wide receiver position. But hes not in the same public eye as let’s say Chad Johnson, Randy Moss and of course Terrell Owens.  The quiet , yet efficient WR makes himself the old school professional while the others take the spotlight. Without him, Peyton Manning would not be the Peyton Manning that we know. Marvin is the #!1 target, or was. His release this off season was monumental in the Colts organization, and has yet to latch himself on to another team. What he did for the Colts and Peyton will not be soon forgotten and we hope to see him back on the field this season.

#3 – Marcus Camby

Again, the quite soldier stays in the shadows of the star power but is just as necessary to enjoy success. Marcus Camby, wherever he has played , has been a defensive force and a monster on the boards. From Toronto to New York to Denver and now with the Clippers,  Marcus has always made his present felt and when healthy, contributed more than you would expect. He was Defensive Player of the Year for a reason. You would think a decorated player with the skill set that Camby has would be in demand more than he actually is. Though injuries have been plaguing Marcus throughout his career, he has still found a way to contribute to every team he has been a part of.  This year is a big one for Marcus Camby, to come back healthy and take this sad Clipper team to the next level with Blake Griffin, Eric Gordon, and Baron Davis joining him in the fight.

#2- Scottie Pippen

Put Scottie Pippen on any other team and he is the star. Michael Jordan’s partner in crime has been his rock since they joined forces.  Pippen is that special player who can play point, shoot the ball, make the pass or body up and rebound the ball. His versatility only helps his cause to be the guy that Jordan needed him to be in all their championship runs. With the Jordan shadow looming , we will never realize how good Pippen was or even could have been. While the defense focused most of their energy on MJ, it was Pippen who hurt teams more than they knew at the end.  His defense was the one factor that made Pippen the important and underrated player he became. “Defense wins championships” the saying goes, and we think they were talking about Scottie Pippen.

#1- Martin Brodeur

Martin Brodeur is the best goalie to ever play in the NHL. Yea , we’re sure you heard of him but do you really how special he really is. Usually, we would say “arguably” the best goalie. But no, its not questionable. The all time leader in wins and shutouts has made his place in goalie and hockey history. His team first attitude makes his name less known that it should. But that is the kind of person he is. He was asked about the attention that the young players are getting now , such as Sydney Crosby and Alexi Ovechkin. Marty says that he doesn’t need the added attention to get him off his game.  Brodeur is the best hockey player you don’t know nearly enough about. If you happen to catch a devil’s game on TV, watch it. Observe a legend.

Tags: Hmm | Top 5 Most Unappreciated Athletes   |    August 14th, 2009   |