Would modern day LeBron James still be the best NBA player if he was to play in the 1960's? Of course he would! Now, would LeBron James still be the best NBA player if he was to have actually grown up and lived during that time? This cannot be known! LeBron James, like blood (the culprit, are playing in a much more developed game with much more intelligence for the game and far more advanced "technology" as compared to the primal times of Bill Russell or in this case Champ Bailey [$].
As someone who has played since 2007, I have always backed the old school players. You cannot simply compare the modern day player to the old school player. You must first look at the level of impact that the player had during his respective era. You must then compare and contrast that player's resume against those within the same era. By doing this for two different players of two different eras, only then will you have some sort of rational for a discussion.
Now, since I have been playing since the beginning of time, which includes your era and given my status in the community, I have the uttermost credibility when I say this: your evaluation of the modern day players is dead wrong.
I will even argue that our community and the members of each team/clan are much more closer to one another than those of the early era. We have spent more years with each other and have been through a lot more to the point that everyone here knows everyone and then some. While the shit talk is more extreme than that of the early years, is it not true that my feud with WhooKid helped create an competitive rivalry, which in turn made the money players bond into an "elite, die-hard, tight-knit, hilarious" team. I'm sure that while you sat in that hot tub, which FaTaL peed in, starring at your personalized lockers, you all rejoiced about your dislike of GB, especially that Manning guy.
Take a look at all of the old posts. The shit talk between me and WhooKid and even yourself. It's a beautiful thing and it is no different than today - once we're off that strangely cozy fm_stadiumtwo grass, we discuss and debate ideas to improve the game. Look at me and WhooKid's relationship. We never got along as players and my competitive spirit drove him to dislike me, but once he saw my passion for the game and my desire to improve upon it, he befriended and mentored me, which I am grateful for.
What I was to WhooKid, Funtastik and blood are to me - to some degree. These guys will talk shit (mostly blood, but nobody over the years has drove me to lead and work on new ideas as these two have done. I don't like playing with them, but I enjoy playing against them because of their competitive nature - I mean blood has deleted me off Steam Friends at least 12 times.
I'm sure that several years from now when we happen to come across one another we will rejoice about our nights: chasing blaze in the pug server, playing monkey in the middle in the pug server, making the Harlem Shake video, me and Yeti's cold war, spending hours in the server debating CSFL player ratings, talking in ventrilo and team speak while I'm checking out a customer at work, Tj's weed mill, anderson's nose, clarity's delusions, Willy's Drederick Tatum voice, Ribbs' pro-Jesus and pro-discrimination, Tom's choking, Chrispy's monitor, the buzz lightyear, leggie's sick links, Funtastik's bald head, blood's incestry, dops hops, Shadow Slayer, hyoujin's laugh, boo's gender (unknown, and so much more.
I will say this though. The thing that we all need to work on, including myself, is including and mentoring new players so that the future of AFM is secure and that more memories are created.
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