COMMENTARY:NBA Basketball: One-on-one spectacle over team sport

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Basketball is not the same as it used to be. I am pretty sure that anyone who genuinely watches the game as an avid fan can see this. Having played for a program in high school, I have learned to appreciate particular aspects of the game that I feel have been long gone and its quite depressing.

As anyone can see through the hike in individual endorsements and marketing ploys of the current stars of the NBA, there are no doubt that basketball is a highly mainstream sport that is beginning to invest in the components of the teams rather than the teams themselves. People seem to be forgetting that basketball is, in itself, a team sport that involves five players going head to head with another five.

 More and more people are discussing how particular players could dominate the league or who is better in one-on-one situations rather than engaging in heartfelt conversations of that concern the entire squadron.

This bothers me and is a huge reason why I have developed the idea of starting a blog like this; a blog where I could find some time to address aspects of the game that I feel may be lost including the idea of teamwork and selflessness in the sport. This blog is also dedicated to the hardworking players that may be overlooked or overshadowed by the greatness of those who have already established a particular lovable character along with their skills to bring to the fans.

Sure, gifted players are entitled to the recognition that they receive but there has been an influx and abnormal focus on these individuals that are not evident in other sports. When we think soccer, football, and baseball, there are sure to be names that come up almost instantaneously but we all generally acknowledge the fact that they are nothing with their teams. However, for basketball, particular names come up and people feel that the team cannot thrive without that player.

For instance, once LeBron James set off for Cleveland and left Miami in the dust, some fans already feel that the Heat may be out of contention for the championship title already! It is crazy how fast fan bases are willing to give up. The media is also another outlet to pay close attention to in this obsession for star status players.

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The San Antonio Spurs may be the only team that comes closest to sharing their success amongst its entire team. They occasionally have veterans Tim Duncan and Tony Parker to headline their portion of media coverage but they are ultimately your model for what a team should look like. Although Duncan and Parker are placed as the helm for the squad, the duo does not really detract or take from the attention that the rest of the guys on the team may receive. Despite winning the championship the best way a franchise could possibly have, it is funny how the Spurs have not received much media attention this summer.

Instead, we have seen the influx of coverage on James, despite the fact that he has already made his decision to return to Cleveland. By simply searching the web, one may find stories on James' weight loss, James returning to his originally "23" jersey, or James hanging out with Johnny Manziel.

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I cannot remember the last time that team work reigned higher in concern than individual talent but I would say that the most noticeable transition must have been during the Era of Michael Jordan. Although basketball greats such as Earvin "Magic" Johnson and Larry Bird made much headway during their prime, their names were not often singled out as much as Jordan and his brand of basketball. When Johnson's name was mentioned, it was often accompanied by the likes of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Michael Cooper, James Worthy, Byron Scott, and much more. When Larry Bird's name got the call, it was shared with Kevin Mchale, Robert Parish, and Danny Ainge.

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These were the days when headlines often read 'The Los Angeles Lakers and Johnson' or Boston Celtics and Bird' rather than 'Jordan's Bulls.' Okay, maybe this is a bit of an over exaggeration on my part but all I am trying to say is that the image of basketball has grown to be way to individualistic and it has hurt the image and prestige of the sport.

Children who are starting to play the sport at a younger age are starting to try to emulate their favorite players. They often prefer to run much more isolation plays than rotating the ball and playing as a team. I thought that the whole essence of team sports, well for children, was to contribute to the betterment of the team. I thought that the true lesson was to be able to learn to be willing to make an extra pass to ensure that the team gets the best look on the offense and to actually play some defense.

It is disheartening to play any sort of pickup games at the park nowadays given the fact that once the ball is in bounded to a particular player, that player is likely going to be the one to take the shot. Everyone just wants to take it all on their own and that is that.

When I speak to colleagues and friends who love soccer, baseball, hockey or football over basketball, I often ask them why they may not like basketball, they often scoff before telling me that the game is inflated with individual play, marketing ploys, and is simply way too mainstream.

People who loyally support other team sports have lost their respect in basketball and it really is hard to overlook the flaws of these particular qualities of the sport in its modern era. While professional soccer, baseball, hockey and football are highly entertaining, they are still respected as highly competitive sports that require everyone's cooperation and assignments whereas basketball leaves enough room for an individual player or recognizable face to show boat every night.

I love the game and although the highly competitive end of it is over for me, I still enjoy to play recreationally and watch the pros. However, it is difficult to swallow when other sports seem to bask in their organizations cohesiveness and unity while basketball chooses to highlight only glimpses of a particular group of talent and not the complete potential of their respective teams.