Author
Carl Albert
Cocky, smug, douchebag. Probably words you've heard to describe Bryce Harper by your friends, or by the old school baseball men who don't quite get it. Every sport needs a villain, there needs to be someone who everybody bands together against to hate. Football has Tom Brady and baseball had A-Rod, well, now its Bryce's turn. Unlike A-Rod before him though, Bryce gets it. To understand what that means you have to take the time to look at the life of Bryce Harper.
Sports Illustrated, June 8th, 2009. The title reads "Baseball's Chosen One: The Most Exciting Prodigy Since LeBron." Harper knew he was destined for greatness well before that cover was put out, and Bryce knew exactly what he was getting into with that cover. Well, if Bryce didn't, those close to him definitely did. So when that article comes out, and Bryce decides to leave high school to get his GED after his SOPHOMORE YEAR, some people might have taken it the wrong way. If Bryce knew he wasn't going to college, and he was going to be drafted then it makes perfect sense. Why stay in high school facing pitching that is below you, when you could face college level pitching at a younger age and advance yourself beyond anyone at your current level. What looks like the move of a cocky young kid, suddenly looks like the move of a guy planning his playing career in a way that leaves no safety net, no other way then to succeed. What Bryce did requires a shit load of confidence and a lot respect. This guy went to college, while it may be junior college, at 16 years old to pursue a professional baseball career.
Two years in Junior College go by and Bryce is now the number 1 overall pick by the Washington Nationals. The minute after the draft was over all the talk shifted to "when will he debut", well it didn't take long as Bryce made his debut at the ripe old age of 18. Not only did he debut in his age 18 season, he managed to win the National League Rookie of the Year. While the legend of Harper was beginning it seemed as if the guy had always had this legendary status about him, as Vin Scully told a story regarding an 11 year old Bryce playing in a tournament with older kids, and coming back home to tell his mom he played okay. What Bryce actually did was go 11-12 with 10 home runs. He truly was the chosen one.
The same season Bryce made his stamp on the National League, another star named Mike Trout was making his own mark in the American League. There is a reason why these two guys come up at the center of every baseball conversation, just as A-Rod and Jeter did years back. They're the youngest most marketable superstars. Mike Trout is perceived as the All American boy from New Jersey grinding every day to be the best player in the game, while Bryce is perceived as the guy who was given a gift from the heavens and simply shows up and acts like he owns the place. Why exactly is he perceived like this, is it because of the hair flips? Is it the fact that he has the talent and the looks that go along with being a star? It's all up to each individuals opinion, and I usually respect peoples opinion, except for this one. If you understand how entertainment works, you know there are heroes and villains, or to put it in the terms of professional wrestling, a face and a heel. Bryce turned heel the minute he covered Sports Illustrated, just like LeBron did when he covered SI in February of 2002. The difference is that Bryce learned how to embrace the hate and embrace this persona. If people loved Bryce Harper like they loved Derek Jeter, you think he'd be doing hair flips, do you think he'd intentionally troll Mets fans, or does it not occur to you that this "Make Baseball Fun Again" campaign (which is awesome and overdue for the game) is designed to get under the skin of the old guard, all the Goose Gossage's out there. If it was Mike Trout who covered SI in 2009 or it was Manny Machado then we might be thinking differently of Bryce Harper, but Bryce doesn't want to just be the best player in the game, he wants to be its next big star. People complain all the time about the MLB not doing a good enough job of marketing its top stars, they say that these guys need to be on bigger platforms, well let me ask you something, shouldn't those same people love Bryce Harper for what he's currently doing. By being the games most intriguing talent, Bryce wants people to watch the game not only so that they can watch him dominate, but so that they can develop a bond with their teams and players so they can actively root against him. Thats what's wrong with sports nowadays, too many people have veered away from being the fan of one team, and now people just root for whoever is on their fantasy team. Bryce becoming the villain, helps to bring fans back to their respective teams, and increase the revenue they make, because if there is anything the late 90's Yankees showed sports fans, all it takes to bring people together is a common enemy.
So yeah, maybe this 23 year old superstar is a bit cocky, maybe the guy is a little bit brash, but he understands the game, and understands how to not only further the brand of Major League Baseball, but further the brand of Bryce Harper. So is Bryce Harper a cocky, smug, douche? Think about what he's trying to do for the game of baseball, and tell me what you think.
Sports Illustrated, June 8th, 2009. The title reads "Baseball's Chosen One: The Most Exciting Prodigy Since LeBron." Harper knew he was destined for greatness well before that cover was put out, and Bryce knew exactly what he was getting into with that cover. Well, if Bryce didn't, those close to him definitely did. So when that article comes out, and Bryce decides to leave high school to get his GED after his SOPHOMORE YEAR, some people might have taken it the wrong way. If Bryce knew he wasn't going to college, and he was going to be drafted then it makes perfect sense. Why stay in high school facing pitching that is below you, when you could face college level pitching at a younger age and advance yourself beyond anyone at your current level. What looks like the move of a cocky young kid, suddenly looks like the move of a guy planning his playing career in a way that leaves no safety net, no other way then to succeed. What Bryce did requires a shit load of confidence and a lot respect. This guy went to college, while it may be junior college, at 16 years old to pursue a professional baseball career.
Two years in Junior College go by and Bryce is now the number 1 overall pick by the Washington Nationals. The minute after the draft was over all the talk shifted to "when will he debut", well it didn't take long as Bryce made his debut at the ripe old age of 18. Not only did he debut in his age 18 season, he managed to win the National League Rookie of the Year. While the legend of Harper was beginning it seemed as if the guy had always had this legendary status about him, as Vin Scully told a story regarding an 11 year old Bryce playing in a tournament with older kids, and coming back home to tell his mom he played okay. What Bryce actually did was go 11-12 with 10 home runs. He truly was the chosen one.
The same season Bryce made his stamp on the National League, another star named Mike Trout was making his own mark in the American League. There is a reason why these two guys come up at the center of every baseball conversation, just as A-Rod and Jeter did years back. They're the youngest most marketable superstars. Mike Trout is perceived as the All American boy from New Jersey grinding every day to be the best player in the game, while Bryce is perceived as the guy who was given a gift from the heavens and simply shows up and acts like he owns the place. Why exactly is he perceived like this, is it because of the hair flips? Is it the fact that he has the talent and the looks that go along with being a star? It's all up to each individuals opinion, and I usually respect peoples opinion, except for this one. If you understand how entertainment works, you know there are heroes and villains, or to put it in the terms of professional wrestling, a face and a heel. Bryce turned heel the minute he covered Sports Illustrated, just like LeBron did when he covered SI in February of 2002. The difference is that Bryce learned how to embrace the hate and embrace this persona. If people loved Bryce Harper like they loved Derek Jeter, you think he'd be doing hair flips, do you think he'd intentionally troll Mets fans, or does it not occur to you that this "Make Baseball Fun Again" campaign (which is awesome and overdue for the game) is designed to get under the skin of the old guard, all the Goose Gossage's out there. If it was Mike Trout who covered SI in 2009 or it was Manny Machado then we might be thinking differently of Bryce Harper, but Bryce doesn't want to just be the best player in the game, he wants to be its next big star. People complain all the time about the MLB not doing a good enough job of marketing its top stars, they say that these guys need to be on bigger platforms, well let me ask you something, shouldn't those same people love Bryce Harper for what he's currently doing. By being the games most intriguing talent, Bryce wants people to watch the game not only so that they can watch him dominate, but so that they can develop a bond with their teams and players so they can actively root against him. Thats what's wrong with sports nowadays, too many people have veered away from being the fan of one team, and now people just root for whoever is on their fantasy team. Bryce becoming the villain, helps to bring fans back to their respective teams, and increase the revenue they make, because if there is anything the late 90's Yankees showed sports fans, all it takes to bring people together is a common enemy.
So yeah, maybe this 23 year old superstar is a bit cocky, maybe the guy is a little bit brash, but he understands the game, and understands how to not only further the brand of Major League Baseball, but further the brand of Bryce Harper. So is Bryce Harper a cocky, smug, douche? Think about what he's trying to do for the game of baseball, and tell me what you think.