Aerosmith singer Steven Tyler put it best when he belted out lyrics to the smash-hit “Dream On.”
“Dream on, dream until your dream come true.”
Many sports fans have the dream that one day there will be “parity” in sports.
No, not parody that “Weird Al” Yankovic made a killing off of. Rather parity, meaning a level-playing field.
Well sorry to turn a dream into a nightmare, but parity will never exist.
Many fans and analysts babble that equal opportunity is coming to sports after a mediocre team has a better-than-expected season or orchestrates a major upset. Snap back to reality because equality is a delusion.
Long Beach State basketball was a 25-loss program two years ago, but had a bounce back 2008-09 season thanks to a freshmen-heavy lineup featuring Larry Anderson, T.J. Robinson and Casper Ware.
The team posted a 15-15 record that season, and barely missed out on the NCAA Tournament — this year, the squad is favored to win the Big West Conference and many expect it to make the tournament.
Plus, the 2010 recruiting class at LBSU likely will welcome shooting guard Jacob Thomas, who is ranked No. 89 on ESPN’s Top-100 high school recruits.
Could parity be coming to The Beach? Head coach Dan Monson turned a Gonzaga program that was a mid-major into an upper-echelon college basketball program.
Gonzaga’s current men’s basketball budget rests at a little more than $2.5 million per year, according to the most recent information on the Department of Education Web site.
But that’s only one school. Even if he does the same at LBSU, he can’t lead every mid-major program to those heights.
Problem is, mid-major teams are fighting against tradition. These teams lose recruits because they can’t put together the same offer as a team that players and fans see as having rich history.
The North Carolina Tar Heels won their fifth national championship last season, and remain one of five universities with more than three national basketball titles. Former National Player of the Year Tyler Hansbrough, Ty Lawson and other teammates left the university for the NBA.
UNC doesn’t need to fret, however, as it has five recruits on its 2009-10 roster ranked in the Top-100, including the sixth highest-ranked player. (To put the national championships and recruits into perspective, there are 347 Division I teams.)
The last 10 college football BCS championship games have featured 13 different Football Bowl Subdivision teams out of 120. Florida, USC, Oklahoma, Ohio State, LSU and Miami (Fla.) have made multiple appearances. Plus each of these schools usually gets several top recruits.
Similarly, professional sports have the same dilemma as collegiate athletics.
Only eight different teams in the past 30 years have won an NBA championship. The two most dominant franchises in NBA history — the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics — have won the last two.
The NFL has been dominated this decade by the New England Patriots (three Super Bowls) and Pittsburgh Steelers (two Super Bowls). Plus, teams like the New York Giants and Indianapolis Colts have won titles, and remain perennial contenders.
The Yankees and Boston Red Sox appear to always be World Series contenders. Since 1999 the Red Sox are 2-of-2 in World Series attempts and the Yankees are 2-of-4. Both clubs are in the playoffs again this season, and arguably have the best rosters — and highest payrolls — in MLB.
Step back and take it all in. That’s not parity.
Some teams have defied the odds recently like the 2008 Tampa Bay Rays reaching the World Series or the Davidson Wildcats basketball team.
Last year, the Tampa Bay Rays made it to the World Series and finished with a winning record for the first time in team history. The ballclub finally made a splash and people were picking them as playoff contenders this season.
But the Rays took a step back this year and finished 11 games out of the American League Wild Card picture, leaving many to wonder if 2008 was a fluke. Granted the Rays had injury troubles, but so did the Los Angeles Angels and they captured their division while winning 97 games.
Plus Tampa Bay had to trade away one of their best young pitchers (Scott Kazmir) to make salary cap room for Carl Crawford, as appear aimed at resigning the All-Star outfielder.
The Wildcats, similar to the Rays, had a standout season when stud Stephen Curry carried his team to the Elite Eight in ‘08. The next season, however, Davidson failed to qualify for the Big Dance, and since Curry left for the NBA the program is looking to stay relevant.
If there was parity, the Rays shouldn’t have had to trade away Kazmir; Davidson would have another star player waiting for his chance to break out since Curry is gone; and the Steelers, Tar Heels, Lakers, and Gators would not be champions right now.
Maybe LBSU can take the leap and become a basketball school like Gonzaga. Maybe the Rays will return to 2008 form next season. Hopefully all teams — except the Lakers — will be more competitive and equal.
All we can do is hope the nightmare ends.