Post by TheShadow on Aug 6, 2007 4:04:28 GMT -5
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By Michael Ash
Few topics around professional football spark as much debate as the Hall of Fame. And with the annual ceremony in Canton, Ohio, having wrapped up for the year, many fans have already turned their attention to the next round of inductions that are upcoming in 2008.
Which players should be elected to the Hall? Which ones shouldn't? It can be a difficult topic to discuss. The Hall of Fame, after all, is designed to represent the absolute best in the sport. Narrowing down those few specific players is no easy task.
Unfortunately, while a player's performance should be the overwhelming factor in such a discussion, it's not always the criteria the Hall of Fame voters base their decision on. The entire election process is flawed in any number of ways, from the secretive nature of the process, to the extremely limited sampling size of opinions, to the very people casting the votes. While fans can argue with each other about a certain player's on-field criteria, there are often other factors going into the decision that the public is never aware of.
To provide just one example of the underlying problems in the voting process, sportswriters on the election committee have been known to take on the cause of borderline Hall candidates. Perhaps the specific player was on the writer's favorite team as a child, or was polite when the writer interviewed him for a story. And until that player is elected to the Hall, the writer ignores other candidates who played the same position -- basically stating "this guy doesn't get in until my guy does." With so few voters making the final decision, these kinds of practices ultimately lead to better and more deserving players failing to get the necessary amount of support for enshrinement.
The broken, corrupt system has led to a glut of Hall-worthy names being left out of Canton. Receiver Art Monk is widely considered the biggest snub, with Buffalo Bills owner Ralph Wilson and former Raiders punter Ray Guy in the mix, to name just a few.
But among the deserving Raiders who aren't yet in the Hall, and there are several, the biggest snub of all may be Ken Stabler. The quarterback from Alabama not only led Oakland to its first Super Bowl in 1977, but was a two-time AFC Player of the Year, a member of the 1970s All-Decade team, and appeared in numerous Pro Bowls during his illustrious career.
But beyond all the awards, Stabler was simply a winner. No quarterback during his era was as clutch as "The Snake," who's famous "Ghost to the Post" pass in a double-overtime 1977 playoff win over the Colts is legendary in NFL lore.
Most importantly, Stabler's stats and accolades compare favorably, even better in most cases, to fellow Crimson Tide QB Joe Namath, who was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1985. Stabler threw for more yards, more touchdowns, had a higher completion rate, and won the same number of championships as Namath. But 22 years after Broadway Joe was enshrined, Stabler can't find his way in.
Unfortunately, unless the much-needed upheaval of the election process finally happens, it seems unlikely that Stabler will make it into the Hall in the near future. Despite his career numbers exceeding actual Hall of Famers, the small collection of voters have had numerous opportunities to put him in. Each time, they've failed to do so.
Oddly, though, in some weird way it might actually be a good thing. The exclusion of players who are so clearly deserving of the honor only helps to illustrate how badly the Hall of Fame is being handled. And hopefully, while fans look back fondly at the careers of the men who stand at the podium in Canton each year, they'll also remember the likes of Stabler, Monk, Guy, and the many other players who have been unfairly turned away.