#39: We're Living in The Golden Age of Sports
The idea for this week’s piece was in part inspired by what has to be the finest 48 hours in Serbian sports history.
For those of you that missed it, Novak Djokovic won the French Open on Sunday, becoming the all-time men’s grand slam leader with his 23rd title. Then on Monday, Nikola Jokic cemented his legacy among the NBA all-time greats with an NBA finals title and a Finals MVP, adding to his already impressive trophy collection of two regular-season MVPs.
The similarities go beyond their Serbian heritage. They are both nicknamed “The Joker”. They are machines on the court; their games have nearly no flaws. They are both unstoppable when they are in form.
Djokovic and Jokic are considered, at the moment, the best players in their respective sports, and neither has shown any signs of slowing down in the near future.
Djokovic’s title in particular got me thinking about how special of an era of sports we are currently living in. Most professional sports have existed for nearly a century, if not more. It’s remarkable, then, that in each of the three of the sports that I follow consistently—tennis, basketball, and football—the greatest players of all time are playing or have played in this current era (post-2000).
Take Djokovic for example. He has the most men’s grand slam titles, he’s the only men’s player to have won all four grand slam events at least three times, and he has the most Masters 1000 titles, having won all of them at least twice. He also has a winning record against his two biggest rivals, Nadal and Federer.
LeBron James is universally recognized as a top two all-time NBA player, and statistically, he is the most accomplished player of all time. LeBron holds the all-time scoring record, numerous playoff records, and is on the top ten list of almost any and every meaningful all-time record.
Tom Brady is largely recognized as the greatest football player of all time. Brady’s seven Super Bowl wins are more than all other NFL franchises. It’s unfathomable. He holds a number of passing records, and while players like Patrick Mahomes could threaten some of those records, it’s hard to imagine another single player ever winning more than seven Super Bowls.
I consider Djokovic, James, and Brady as the GOATs for their respective sports. Three things stand out about these three players:
Consistency and Longevity: All of them have been reliably excellent for a sustained period of time, defying logic of how long a player can continue to perform at a high level. Brady played well into his 40s and is the oldest winner of a Super Bowl. LeBron is still a top 10 player at 38, an age that no player in NBA history has ever played this well at. Djokovic is 36 and looks like he’s in the best shape of his life—he’s the oldest player to win the French Open in history. It’s hard to determine each of their peaks because they’ve been great for so long. Is peak LeBron 2007? 2012? 2016? 2018? Is peak Djokovic 2011? 2015? 2021? Is peak Brady 2007? 2014? 2021? Brady’s famous TB12 method and Djokovic’s gluten-free diet have been key in each of their abilities to stay athletically fit and consistent over the years.
Mental Toughness: All three players are known for being determined, focused, and resilient. For LeBron, he had expectations bestowed upon him when he was just a high-schooler. It seemed impossible for him to live up to them, and yet somehow he handled all the pressure and exceeded those expectations. In Brady’s and Djokovic’s cases, they are not guys that blow you away with their physique or talent. Rather, they’ve found ways to maximize their potential through drive, persistence, and a “never give up” attitude. Brady has an NFL-record 55 4th quarter comebacks and an NFL-record 72 game-winning drives in his career, including regular season and playoffs. Djokovic has come back from match point down sixteen times in his career and has won eight events after winning a match from match point down. Insane.
Level of competition: All of these players played in the most competitive time in their sports histories. And they each had at least one clear rival that challenged them to raise their game to new heights. Brady had Peyton Manning. LeBron has Kevin Durant and Steph Curry. Djokovic had Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal. Djokovic consistently talks about how Nadal and Federer enabled him to elevate his game by setting the bar so high in front of him. LeBron never has the lone 3-1 comeback in the NBA finals without Curry. Brady never wins seven titles without having to battle Manning year after year.
And then there’s all this extraordinary talent beyond the GOATs. Take Jokic. He is the greatest passing big man in NBA history. Curry is the undisputed best shooter of all time, and he has changed the way basketball is played. Nadal is the greatest clay court tennis player of all time. Mahomes is the most talented quarterback the sport has ever seen.
The takeaway here is not that I think LeBron is better than Jordan. Rather, it’s that regardless of your opinions, we should all agree that we are witnesses to the finest era in sports history. From when I first started watching sports as a 10-year-old to now as a 32-year-old, it’s only gotten better. The leagues are more competitive. Physical fitness for players has improved. The best players are playing longer. There is more superstar talent than ever before.
It’s amazing what we have gotten to see over the last 20 years and are continuing to see in 2023. We are blessed.
I know I’ll be appreciating this greatness because I never know when it’s going to end.