I somehow just stumbled across a new (to me) sports related site (Grantland.com) that is somehow tied to The Sports Guy (my 3+ year ESPN embargo may have had something to do with my not hearing of it sooner).

In checking out some parts of the site, I saw a name that is somewhat familiar to me, Chuck Klosterman. Now, I readily admit that I don’t really know why I’ve heard the name–something makes me think it has something to do with the time I used to spend as a commentor at RandBall. But that really isn’t a part of the story.

In looking at Klosterman’s recent articles, I saw that he recently posted an article about the Hall of Fame induction–and I found the article to be a somewhat interesting read, and was wondering what our audience of regular Hall of Fame commenters would have to say about it.


The two major points that I found interesting:

  • The first line of the story:

    “Here’s the most important thing to realize about the Pro Football Hall of Fame: It does not exist.”

    I realize this is (presumably) more of a philosophical statement–but I’m not sure I agree at all. But I’m not sure I can explain why I don’t agree.

  • Later in the story:

    But it’s the selections of [Richard] Dent and [Shannon] Sharpe that are most interesting. They’re interesting because both of those players — while indisputably “great” — are bubble selections not altogether different than a bunch of newly eligible guys who didn’t make the cut (Cris Carter, Willie Roaf, Curtis Martin).

    Aside from the point that Cris Carter wasn’t newly eligible (nor were Dent or Sharpe), I thought it was interesting that he considered Shannon Sharpe a bubble selection. I would agree on Dent–but Sharpe, there was never a doubt in my mind that he would make it, especially since he helped redefine a position.

    I also think Carter, Roaf and Martin are eventual locks–Roaf and Martin as soon as 2012. So I have a feeling that Klosterman hasn’t spent as much time looking into the selection process, and some of the information that goes into it–which might make him more like the general public than your average Zoneblitz commenter.

So what do you all think of the article, and specifically the points above?