2 Sport Stars

You've probably seen the new LeBron James commercial in which James dons a Cleveland Browns jersey and starts playing football (if not, here it is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R-5deds-ByU).

And another NBA superstar proclaimed, albeit jokingly, that he was ready to try another sport. Kobe Bryant on joining the Los Angeles Dodgers, "Put me in left field and I'd run it all down. I'm faster than Manny (Ramirez)." And he wants to bat third in the lineup. "I want the clutch situations. Put me in that pressure spot." Considering the Dodgers outfield situation, they might want to consider it.

This recent trend of sports stars looking for double duty got me thinking about recent two sport athletes. The best one in recent years was Bo Jackson, an absolute freak of nature. His best season with the Kansas City Royals (1989) Jackson hit 32 homeruns and drove in 105 RBI's. He was an All Star game MVP. He also played running back for the Los Angeles Raiders. After baseball season was complete, he would join the Raiders, who were halfway through their season. In 4 half seasons of football Jackson averaged 5.4 rushing yards per attempt. His career was ended too early by a hip injury. Had Jackson played football full-time, there is no doubt in my mind that he would have broken the rushing record and it would still be standing to this day.

So is LeBron or Kobe the next Bo Jackson? No way. There will never be another two sport athlete like Bo Jackson. These guys are too valuable. For example, do you think the Steinbrenners would let their $180 million dollar investment, Mark Texeira, play basketball for the Knicks or football for the Giants after the Yankees season was over?

Plus, it's REALLY hard to be good at two different sports. Think about the different skill sets needed to play football and baseball. Now think about how difficult it is to refine the skills to play football and baseball at the professionl level. Now think about honing these skills to the point of being an All Star at both games. Damn near impossible.

So don't expect to see another two sport star. Don't expect to see another Bo Jackson.