With DeflateGate dominating the headlines again this week for seemingly the eight billionth time, we wondered – has it crossed the threshold for being the most annoying, overhyped, oversaturated, please-for-the-love-of-all-that-is-holy-go-away-now story in the history of sports?
We’ve all had to endure eight months of football talking heads trying to break down the ideal gas law and debates about Roger Goodell’s competence and integrity like it’s breaking news or something. But does it beat steroids in baseball? Or Tiger Woods’ escapades? Or Tebow?
Here now are the five most annoying sports stories of all-time, as decided by you, AA readers…
5) LeBron James’ Clutch Gene
It’s appropriate that we start off the Top 5 with a topic that seemed entirely generated from the plauge upon the masses that is ESPN’s First Take.
For years Skip Bayless has been riding LeBron James. He mocked him, he dissed him, he said he could never win the big one, he said he was afraid of taking the big shot, he claimed he didn’t have the “clutch gene.”
Despite the fact that there’s no medical evidence of a “clutch gene” existing, James made Bayless eat his own words by winning two championships in Miami. Predictably, even that hasn’t been good enough for Bayless as he continues to troll his way to seven figure contracts from ESPN.
Bayless continued to jam the narrative of LeBron’s clutch gene down the throats of America at a time when it was a bald-faced lie in doing something First Take has never done, using facts. And in spite of the facts proving him wrong, in spite of James’ success on the court (including one of the most incredible performances in NBA history during this year’s Finals), Bayless still marches to the beat of his sad, lonely drum.
LeBron James: all-time great passer, defender, basket-attacker … below-average shooter. No clutch gene.
— Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) March 1, 2015
If only Donald Trump had the clutch gene at the GOP debate Thursday night…