The Draft

Recently, someone told me that when you are single in your late 20’s, all that is left are the 2nd round draft picks. Since this individual’s bold declaration almost two weeks ago, the idea has bothered me and I have found myself mulling over it.

Dating, like sports, is competitive in nature. There is the “don’t hate the player, hate the game” sentiment; the baseball analogy as a measure of your ability to score. We recite stats when talking of potential suitors: height, hair color eye color, age, job, etc. We analyze these stats and decide if we want to continue dating either because of them or in spite of them.

If this is the case, why do I find the whole draft theory so disconcerting?

I think my biggest issue with it is the negative connotation. By definition, 2nd round draft picks are inferior to those who go 1st. When comparing stat sheets, you got outranked by someone else. They are better.

I do not find this to be necessarily true. Someone else may be a better fit for the team if the team is lacking in a certain area. This does not reflect on me or comment that I am inept in some way. I may just be skilled in a different area which would not be a good fit.

If you pick up a sport later in life, you just haven’t had as much practice as someone who has been doing it since childhood. You just need more time to develop. People peak at different times. To gain the experience necessary to succeed, sometimes you need to put in a little more effort.

Things don’t naturally come easy to everyone. Maybe you have to play in the minors for a little bit to work up to the pros. Maybe you were sidelined with an injury and have to give yourself time to heal. Whatever the reason, you will value that success when it does happen because you had to work, logging in additional practice hours, in order to be ready. You will recognize opportunity and quality when you see it and you will appreciate it that much more.

In an article I read recently, the author talks about this very thing in conjunction with the NBA draft… “The ‘diamond in the rough’ theory of the NBA draft means several general managers will make a bevy of mistakes in evaluations during the draft, thus allowing the diligent GM who did his homework to find quality players — perhaps even a future All-Star — in the second round.”

Some noteworthy 2nd round draft picks: Cliff Robinson, Brett Favre, Boomer Esiason, and Tiki Barber, to name a few. These are often solid, dependable players. They may not be the flashiest or the most high profile on the team. They are content to sit back and let the others flaunt their showmanship. Their stats speak from themselves.