Constant Comparisons

"I don't want to be the next Michael Jordan, I only want to be Kobe Bryant." — Kobe Bryant.

I don't know what it is about us, but we really like to compare one thing to what came before it. We do it with restaurants, movies, TV shows, athletes, and even our co-workers. I couldn't help but think about that this week when a friend got some reviews that really had nothing to do with him. They had to do with someone else, and people grieving the change.

I think that happens a lot in our society. We do it with athletes all the time. The best example is Michael Jordan, who was a once-in-a-lifetime talent that was incredible. He won titles, he dominated the league, and he was the best player in the league. Since he retired — and really even before he retired — people have tried to find the next Michael Jordan.

One of the ones always in Jordan's shadow has been Kobe Bryant. It makes sense, to some degree. Both are talented shooting guards. Both have won titles and have been incredible perimeter players. But they are different players. Once, Kobe said he didn't want to be Michael Jordan, he wanted to be the best Kobe Bryant he could be. And that's what he should say.

There is only one Michael Jordan. There is only one Kobe Bryant. There is only one LeBron James. They are all different. They have different gifts and skills. They play in a different period, with a different team and cast of players. It is not a one-for-one trade. As always, life is more complex than that.

I always pity quarterbacks who follow Hall of Fame players. I loved John Elway. He was my favorite player, and if I'm honest he probably always will be. But I liked Brian Griese, too. He was a different player with different gifts, but he was still the quarterback of the Broncos. But the weight of comparison and expectation probably negatively impacted his career.

Sports, of course, isn't the only place this happens. We look for the next Jack Nicholson, the next Tom Hanks, the next Julia Roberts, the next Steven Spielberg, etc. Whenever anyone establishes themselves, they're compared to someone else — often unfairly.

We are a people that need to rank things; that need a pecking order. But we aren't alone. Even the disciples, who spent day after day with our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, spent time trying to figure out who was the greatest. They even asked Jesus about it, as if that mattered in the grand scheme of things.

People want to stand on their own merits, but we can't seem to resist ranking and comparing. The strongest of us, like Kobe Bryant and my friend, rise above those petty, ridiculous comparisons. But how many people do we ruin in a quest to have lightening strike the same place twice?