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  • The question is, has how perception of age has changed in sports, and this is what I'll ask each of you guys.

  • If you guys were a rookie right now, Ryan, you would play more than 13 years.

  • Spears, you would play longer than you play.

  • And the reasons why is because so many things have changed in the game.

  • Football ain't as physical as it used to be.

  • A no chop blocking.

  • People can grow across the middle and live to see another day.

  • In basketball, There's something called low management.

  • The advantage, the advances, advancements in medicine.

  • It's easier to travel.

  • I can name 500 million reasons why athletes play longer.

  • Now.

  • You guys know that if I came in the league right now, greenie, I would play 20 years because I wouldn't be required to practice every day.

  • I would be required to play every night.

  • And when I got a happy with my team, you know what I would do?

  • I would leave you think I would have been in Chicago averaging 25 points.

  • I would have did it to Shawn Watson like yo trade me to the Lakers.

  • I want to go wrong with Shaq and Kobe.

  • But then it was like, Yo, you got to be a leader.

  • You got to be a pro.

  • And so you all know y'all would play longer with the rules the way they are now in the medicine and the travel the way it is now versus when you first got introduced.

  • There you go.

  • He's right.

  • I was right.

  • Someone yell at him the way I would.

  • Hold on, Hold on a second.

  • Yes, we'll hold markets.

  • Go Look, when I think about again guys like LeBron James that you know the way he's able to carry the team.

  • I don't think that, you know, because you play 20 years.

  • Yes, but could you carry the team the way that you know guys have done into your your your 17 year, 18 year 19?

  • That's the tough transition.

  • You say perception of age has changed with sports.

  • You can you can you get somebody who is 37 years old and say, Hey, the only player we have is you now take over.

  • But that's not the question.

  • The question in jail and just no green players are C are going to play longer for all the reasons he just described.

  • Yes, and that's okay.

  • We're not talking about players playing longer, right?

  • We're not saying you can be in the league for a longer period of time, Remember, Remember, Karl Malone was in the league for a long time.

  • Gary Payton was in the league for a long time and me being the Kobe fan that I was, I remember how much I hated it when the Lakers brought them all there and thought they were going to win the championship.

  • It doesn't matter that if you're in the league for two decades, when we look at LeBron, when we look at Tom Brady, these dudes are dominating.

  • These dudes are still winning championships, and they're the reasons these teams are winning championships.

  • We won't see that.

  • Yeah, Vince Carter played a hell of a long time.

  • Nobody was checking from Vince Carter, right?

  • Vince Carter, early on his career, could put his elbow in the room by the end of his career, and I know he's our colleague now.

  • He was just Duncan with his wrist in the room, right.

  • He had the straight arm dunk like Michael Jordan when he missed the dunk in the All Star Game.

  • That jump changes.

  • What we're seeing LeBron and Tom Brady do is different.

  • LeBron and Tom Brady still galvanized galvanized organizations.

  • People still rushed and run to play with them.

  • We won't see that from players all the time.

  • Now these dudes are special, so let's not put this on the rest of the world to be superhuman.

  • Some of us are born in regular hospitals and are raised by normal people.

  • These dudes ain't fair.

  • That's fine.

  • But you're conflating two things.

  • The question was about whether or not we need to reshape our perception of what is old.

  • So Marcus, no, Listen to me.

  • Terrel Owens, Randy Moss, Jerry Rice.

  • When they got to be 32 33 we thought of them as old receivers.

  • Julio Jones is about to turn 32.

  • Is he a year or two away from being done?

  • Marcus Spears?

  • Yes or no?

  • No.

  • Gee, you look, people can think what the hell they want to think.

  • I was out there with Tehran's when he was 32.

  • He wouldn't know by any standard of the body.

  • Every guy you mentioned is it Is it a coincidence Because you and Jalen go down this horse.

  • Is it a coincidence that guys you're talking about?

  • A damn Hall of Famers?

  • Hall of Famer?

  • All all of you, they all of the best players in the conversation to be the best players ever to play the game?

  • The game?

  • I ain't changing.

  • Okay, look, we're talking about rare breed.

  • Jalen is a rare breed.

  • He played 18 years in the NBA, asked me to look at this and how long they play.

  • Look at them.

  • So don't Come on here.

  • Look, I get it.

  • Advancements in medicine.

  • You got guys learning how to take care of their bodies.

  • Better all of that, when it comes to the game of football.

  • If you 36 you on the D line nine times out of 10, you're about to get your head beat in.

  • And that don't matter.

  • If you was a good thing when you were 31 age steam, I was up there.

  • And you know what I will say is, sometimes they say people are old when they not.

  • But all the guys y'all talking about them do is the best day ever.

  • Do it.

  • That ain't fair.

  • That ain't a fair question.

  • Thank you.

  • The final word.

  • We never even got basketball.

  • This isn't just reserved for all time greats.

  • This just this just isn't for LeBron and Tom Brady.

  • We know that both of those guys are still champions all time greats and elite at leading their teams right now.

  • But don't tell me that athletes today aren't playing longer because sports is now different.

  • That's an absolute fact.

  • Every player is going to get more checks and play longer based on how the game has progressed.

  • That's a jamon.

  • Jamon has put a great player.

  • Every player.

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The question is, has how perception of age has changed in sports, and this is what I'll ask each of you guys.

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