There are over a hundred professional sports teams in the Americas. Each has its own personality and way of doing business. Some of them tend to be annoying in their own right, causing angst amongst their fanbases.
For example, I'm a 49er fan. The big dilemma is quarterback Jimmy Garappolo. After sitting for a year, the other quarterback, Trey Lance, is ready to step up at the position. John Lynch thought Jimmy was the second coming of Jesus (so does his teammates) and tried to get a second-rounder for him. The problem is that Jimmy G just had shoulder surgery and is known for late-game collapses.
Take last season's NFC Championship. In the last two drives, Garappolo fell apart against the Los Angeles Rams. Jimmy's also got a decorated injury history, leaving him on the sidelines when San Francisco needs him most. Now you see why Kyle Shanahan was so sick of his shit that he wanted Trey that badly.
There's the good side of him that also has its fans, though: Jimmy wins. He beat the Cowboys and Packers on the road last season and was a fourth quarter away from winning the 49ers their sixth Super Bowl. He also completes his passes without fail. He MUST be worth the second-round pick the Niners got from New England.
However, inconsistency and injuries drew the ire of many fans within our fanbase, calling for Jimmy to be traded. Unfortunately, teams like Indianapolis and New Orleans went with different options, leaving Garappolo in the Bay Area. As a result, Lynch looks like a fool for trying to get a second rounder for him.
The 49ers aren't the only team that does this charade, though. Jerry DiPoto and his wacky trades landed Marco Gonzales from the Cardinals for top prospect Tyler O'Neill a few years ago. O'Neill's actually done well in St. Louis, while Gonzales is basically the Jimmy G of baseball: a pitcher whose ceiling is just being good when healthy.
That's right: Jerry DiPoto traded a top prospect for a middle-of-the-rotation guy. Of course, the M's have done this in the past, acquiring players like Erik Bedard and Chone Figgins. It's no wonder the Seattle Mariners haven't made the postseason since 2001!
The Philadelphia 76ers are also examples of this practice. They tried to pair up MVP candidate Joel Embiid with Ben Simmons. The former LSU star can't shoot a three-pointer to save his life, yet Philly viewed him as a project. It wasn't until this year that they finally pawned off Simmons to the Brooklyn Nets, landing problem child James Harden in the process.
Even the Los Angeles Lakers did this with LeBron James, handing him the keys to the team. While they might've won an NBA title, they've also missed the playoffs twice in the past four seasons. Their other playoff appearance was an ass-kicking at the hands of the Phoenix Suns last season. All this was with the Lakers acquiring oft-injured Anthony Davis and the carcass of Russell Westbrook. Guess what? Now, the "GOAT" is sitting out elimination games. Kobe Bryant wouldn't have done that.
The moral of the story is to be careful in what players you see as being valuable. It's not easy to build a franchise around one cornerstone. While some teams make it look effortless (see the Golden State Warriors), others act foolish and give up way too much for their franchise player(s). For that, you teams that place too much faith in a player annoy the piss out of me.
