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Monday, February 11, 2002
 Most overrated sporting events
Page 2 staff

 We hate to draw attention to these things, but Page 2 presents our list of the 10 most overrated sporting events.

Mike Tyson
We're about as interested in him as Mike Tyson has been in his boxing lately.
Check out our list, then see how Page 2 readers ranked their choices for the most overrated sporting events. And be sure to vote in the poll to crown the most overrated event of them all.

Here's our list:

1. Any boxing match involving Mike Tyson
When Iron Mike was in his prime, he destroyed his opponents too quickly. Now that he's over-the-hill, every bout is a circus sideshow. If Tyson's fight with Lennox Lewis ever comes off, it will be pure freak show -- as in, what will that psycho do next? -- more pro wrestling than sporting event. The only difference is that wrestling psychos are at least acting.

2. Heisman Trophy
As with presidential elections, the campaigning begins as soon as the previous election is over. The amount of ink and airtime wasted on this award rivals the Oscars. And, after all that, the best man almost never wins -- let alone goes on to success at the next level.

3. French Open
Should this be considered a "major" tournament when all it does is give a chance to players who can't win on other surfaces?

Kurt Warner
Kurt Warner probably wasn't too psyched up about Saturday's Pro Bowl.
4. Pro Bowl
The arguments rage on and on and on. Who should make it? Who shouldn't have made it? Who didn't make it and should have? Then half the players who get picked don't go, citing injuries, real and imagined. And nobody watches. Why? Because they don't play by the same rules they use in a normal game. Plus, the season is already over, and people have moved on to other sports.

5. NIT
Expand it to 300 teams, for all we care. It's like a football bowl game between two 6-5 teams -- only it goes on for at least five rounds over several weeks.

6. Major conference postseason hoops tournaments
Doesn't matter who wins or loses, since all the top teams go to the NCAAs anyway. Plus, if two different teams win the tourney and the regular-season title, who gets recognized as the league champ? That's something we should know by the time the season is over, don't you think?

7. PGA Championship
The Australian Open of golf.

Jason Richardson
How many of you had Jason Richardson in your slam-dunk pool?
8. Army-Navy football game
Once upon a time ...

9. Heavyweight championship fight weigh-ins
Just another opportunity for one pugilist to bite the other. And it doesn't really matter what they weigh, anyway.

10. NBA slam dunk contest
Despite some resurgence a couple of years ago by Vince Carter, it's back to being a dull showcase of bench-warmers doing nothing new.

Also receiving votes
  • Major League Baseball draft
  • Any Skins Game not involving Tiger Woods
  • Preseason NIT
  • NBA lottery draft
  • NHL draft
  • Winter Olympics
  • Australian Open tennis tournament
  • Any college football game played before New Year's Day
  • Goodwill Games
  • Super Bowl