Sports, Inequality, and the Downfall of Society

Sports, Inequality, and the Downfall of Society

This woman makes $50,000 annually for educating America's youth

This chubby man makes $31 million per year for grabbing his crotch, chewing tobacco, & occasionally swinging a bat

In 1930, Babe Ruth made $80,000 ($1,124,699.40 in today’s dollars), 6.25% more than the President at the time, Herbert Hoover (who was making $75,000 annually, or $1,054,405.69 in today’s money).  This was a surprising turn of events; a reporter asked Ruth about making more than the President, and he responded with, “Why not? I had a better year than he did."    

Indeed, Ruth, then the most famous athlete alive (with the likely exception of Jack Dempsey, who was able to draw crowds of 85,000, 91,000, and 120,000 people to his fights in the years preceding Ruth’s quote), had a salary roughly 12 times that of the average American income at the time, $6,613.   Noteworthy as well is that the President’s salary was 11.34 times the average income.  For comparison’s sake, in 2012, the President’s income was $400,000, and the average American salary was $42,693, (thus the President’s salary was 9.36 times that of the average American salary).  Also for comparison’s sake is the contract extension Miguel Cabrera of the Detroit Tigers signed today, for eight years and 248 MILLION DOLLARS, which comes out to $31 million per year. 

Over the course of an average season, which features 607 at bats, Cabrera will be earning $51,070 per at bat (and for the record, I hate myself for reading even one word about baseball, the least exciting “sport” ever invented).  The average first-year teacher earns $36,141.  Each Cabrera at bat is worth considerably more than a year of someone struggling to teach our children how to read, do math, learn about science, history, art, and write.  Mr. Cabrera’s salary is 77.5 TIMES that of the President of the United States, and 726.11 times that of the average American salary (using the 2012 numbers). 

I bring up these staggering figures not as a critique of the Detroit Tigers or Cabrera, but for two separate but important reasons.  Firstly, these numbers serve as another measure of the gap between rich and everyone else in this country, and secondly, to highlight the perverse relationship America has with its athletes. 

Starting with the former, discussion of the increasing gap between the (shrinking) middle class and the uber-rich is nothing new.  By now, everyone who cares about such things is well aware of the dearth of manufacturing jobs, the increased power of the .1% of the country, the ways in which Citizens United promotes the circumvention of the intent of democracy, the massive income and wealth disparities that plague our country, and the lack of social mobility which threatens this country’s ethos and future. 

The second point is less discussed, but perhaps at some point soon, that tacit silence will change.  Sports, like religion, are an opiate for the masses.  Anyone who has had to suffer the fate of listening to sports talk radio knows how insufferably dumb and emotional maniacal sports fans become when discussing “their” teams.  There is a difference between enjoying sports and letting sports take over one’s life, much like religion can be (theoretically) good in small doses, but in large doses, proves to be destructive.

At the current juncture, there is a détente between sports lunatics (fans, if you will) and the athletes.  Due to fantasy sports, people are able to feel as though they have some skin in the game, even while not playing.  Between “owning” players and cheering for “your” team, sports provide a nice vacation from real life.  In return for providing this escapism, fans are willing to simply accept that professional athletes deserve to be paid absolutely outlandish sums of money, which come from even richer team owners. 

Sports are the lowest common denominator; the only topic about which the doorman and the doctor feel comfortable discussing is the football game from the previous weekend.  This role as an important spoke in the societal wheel leads to the aforementioned tacit silence as it pertains to criticizing player salaries.  In my view, this uncritical jock-sniffing has a negative impact on society.  The decision to put athletes on a pedestal, and the pervasive saturation of sports in our already shallow culture, create a ripple effect.  Young kids, particularly those at risk and without strong support systems, easily fall into the trap of believing that they are destined for athletic success, and that playing on a team is the ultimate goal, rather than getting one’s degree.  Our propensity towards athlete hero worship means that the teacher working to educate is thought of as a lesser being than the running back.  If our kids believe that the sports world is just as important as the real world (where sadly 99.9999% of us work and reside), then schoolwork does not in and of itself have any more value than sports.  In effect, we are creating a nation of kids growing up watching ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPN 360, FOX SPORTS 1, NBC SPORTS, etc etc., who believe that the breaking news bulletin on the bottom of the screen during Sportscenter is somehow something of import. 

The Tinderization of America

The Tinderization of America

In my online dating magnum opus, written approximately one year ago, I discussed common pitfalls associated with the activity/sport/hobby (or whatever else you want to call it) in question.  That was before I was aware of Tinder, also known as the most fun app ever invented.   

Tinder has gone from an app with a sleazy reputation (created to be something like a straight version of Grindr) to a ubiquitous feature on the phones of most singles.   I have seen the following people on Tinder: elementary school classmates, high school classmates, college classmates, law school classmates, friends I know to be in serious relationships, and pictures of my friends in other people’s photos. 

I have seen Tinder used in the following places: the metro (must be Verizon), the bus (hold on with one hand, swipe with the other), birthday parties (makes a great game for everyone to judge others together—always a bonding activity), the workplace (taxpayer dollars well spent), public libraries (clicking yes or no requires less concentration than reading Shakespeare), the gym (great for an added burst of motivation between sets), etc.  My point is that the shame factor has dissipated in large part.  What does that mean for us as a society moving forward?  Will Tinder, as my uncle predicted, mean that nobody will ever get married? 

To break down my uncle’s query, we need to recognize what Tinder changes and doesn’t change.  Starting with the former, the app makes available a much larger pool of potential mates, which is a double-edged sword.  One could literally look through a hundred faces in the span of a few minutes, if one were so inclined.  This access to such a deep dating pool means that real quotes like these are possible from your friends:

“I just found one of my good friends who is married on tinder, and that was upsetting, even though I wondered previously if the two of them were swingers”

“Have you ever tindered through, that is, exhausted, all your matches?  It happens a lot here; it’s very depressing. It might be a small-town kind of problem.”

“Going for three (dates) in one nite, wish me luck”

“Ugh failed date 1 (of three) from last night is texting me”

It also means that the fear of losing someone with potential is lessened; in that regard, it makes the whole dating process more precarious, because it is harder to get through the initial phases.  On Tinder, everyone is new and exciting; it is so easy to lust after the next person and disregard what you already have (or what you are likely sharing with another suitor, to be more accurate).  The availability of new and shiny, combined with our artificially-shortened attention spans and addiction to our phones, create a recipe that is not necessarily a harbinger of long-term success.  Potential mates lose their intrinsic value because they are so easily replaced.  Your first date was ok but not great?  No need to explore further, there are six other first dates waiting in the wings. 

An additional impediment to reaching monogamy through Tinder is that if you meet someone on the app, there is a rebuttable presumption that both parties are seeing other people.  It is an unspoken rule not to ask the other party about this topic, and asking too soon can spell disaster.  Most people do not enjoy lying, and similarly do not enjoy telling (somewhat) significant others that they are sleeping around.  Most people additionally do not like to know they are sharing someone; it is a lose-lose, so don’t ask.  The trick is figuring out a way to transition from mass-dating to dating only one person, without the conversation coming too early or too late.  

However, despite these hurdles, the situation is not actually worse than it was in ye olden days.  One of the bedrocks of our democracy is freedom of speech, and in that realm, a controlling concept is the marketplace of ideas.  Similarly, Tinder presents a marketplace; after the newness factor of seeing many people of the opposite sex wears off, we are left with our emotions and desires, and the person who best satisfies those needs rises to the top.  Whether you meet someone on Tinder or at a bar or at a party, human desires remain the same; we want love, affection, sex, companionship, support, humor, and a challenge. 

Further negating the idea that Tinder makes serious relationships impossible is the sheer magnitude of choices, which, as I mentioned earlier, is a positive and a negative.  It is a positive because after one has become a seasoned dater (meaning becoming sufficiently jaded and calloused), one develops an eye for what one wants.  Once the buzzing whirr of the dating merry-go-round causes nausea rather than happiness, seeking an exit strategy becomes the primary objective.  In that vein, having experienced so many different wrong choices, it is easier to become more aware of the right choice, and more willing to claw to keep it, when it presents itself.  With that in mind, keep the faith, and with a little luck and persistence you may find yourselves deleting your Tinder accounts for good (whether you create a separate Facebook account to log into Tinder under a different name is a story for another day). 

A hearty mabrook to the Arab League for finalizing their purchase of the UN

The United Nations, never one to shy away from the open anti-Semitism of many of its member states, yesterday reached a level of cowardice and malevolence rarely before reached.   The UN cowed in front of the least democratic political body in world history, whose members are open sponsors of terrorism, whose citizens can't vote, countries in which no dissent is tolerated, notorious exporters of radical Islamic theology, sectarian and religious hatred, and importers of slaves.  Yes, the Arab League, led by such luminaries as Saudi Arabia and Iraq, now is the controlling voice on matters of culture and heritage.  Here is the relevant news press release-esque information courtesy of Newsmax.  My analysis after the quote:  

"UNESCO, the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization, has canceled a Jewish exhibit in Paris that it has been working on for two years after a recent protest from the Arab League. 
"People, Book, Land — The 3,500 Year Relationship of the Jewish People and the Land of Israel," was scheduled to open Jan. 20 at UNESCO's Paris headquarters. It was a corroborative effort of the the UN organization and the Simon Wiesenthal Center, based in Los Angeles, The Algemeiner reported. 
The Jewish organization was informed that the exhibit was canceled on Jan. 14 in a letter citing the Arab League, which claimed that the exhibit "could create potential obstacles related to the peace process in the Middle East."
Abdulla al Neaimi, President of the Arab group in UNESCO, sent a letter to Irina Bokova, president of UNESCO, saying that there was "deep worry and great disapproval" about the exhibit because it showed that Israel and the Jewish people have an ancient connection.
"The subject of the exhibition is highly political though the appearance of the title seems to be trivial," the Arab League wrote. "Most serious is the defense of the theme which is one of the reasons used by the opponents of peace within Israel." 

So the head of the Arab League (of tyrants) deems a cultural exhibition about the undisputed links between Jews and Israel as a potential obstacle for peace.  That doesn't make sense, unless you think of the real goal of the Arab League vis-a-vis Israel, which is its eradication, a term that certainly encompasses denial of the history of the Jewish people.  Just as Holocaust denier Mahmoud Abbas double-talks about peace in English, while giving much more fiery remarks in Arabic, the Arab League promises that Arab states will welcome Israel as long as the latter accepts the Saudi peace plan (3 words that should never be used together), which means accepting all the Palestinian refugees from the 1948 and their descendants, which would render Israel an Arab-majority country and reduce Jews to their place from time immemorial in the Arab world, that of dhimmis.  

New Year's Resolutions from DC

Jews 4 Ginobili's DC bureau obtained exclusive interviews with Barack Obama and John Boehner to ascertain their aspirations for the coming year:

Barack Obama

1.  I will never again take a selfie at a funeral.

"While I acknowledge that this wasn't my best decision, I just want to say for the record that I don't really see what was SO bad about this.  Sure, it was probably not the best time/place for a selfie, but come on, what are the odds of me being with two world leaders in a place where we thought that the cameras would be elsewhere?  If anyone should apologize, it should be Michelle for being so damn grumpy.  I asked her to take the picture, but she was about as willing to help as she was later that evening in the hotel."  

 2.  I will never again flirt with another woman while my wife is present.

"Did Michelle have a right to be angry about this?  I guess.  Honestly, I thought she was too busy watching the fake sign language guy to even notice Helle and I joking and whispering sweet nothings to each other.  There are certain things that Michelle will never understand that Helle just gets, like what it is like to be a community organizer, or spending every other paycheck on blow, or being the head of a country."

3.  I will never again lie to the American people.

"Of all my mistakes over the past year, I regret this one the most.  Usually when I lie for political gain (like when I pretended for years to be religious and against same-sex marriage to get the moderates to vote for me (LOL)), it works.  This time, I really shit the bed.  I just hope that in the end, if Obamacare.gov ever starts functioning normally, people will forget about this.  Also, to be fair to myself, I really thought that people would be able to keep their plans.  Does that sound sincere?"

John Boehner 

1.  I will no longer be a lazy, petulant, crying, drunken bigot. 

"Before I begin, I would like to take a moment to say thank you to all the DC bartenders who have ever called me a cab, or alerted me via our secret hand gestures  that the prostitute with whom I was flirting had an STD (double tap on the right ear), or was a transvestite (counter-clockwise belly rub).  You guys have literally saved my life.  I would like to say that I will never forget what you have done for me, but let's just say my memory isn't the best these days (I had to call my chief of staff at 3:30 in the morning last night to tell the taxi driver where I live).  That being said, I realize I need to make some changes.  My normal routine of 2 glasses of scotch and an hour of the Glenn Beck show every morning just isn't cutting it anymore.  I feel empty and lonely and barely even buzzed.  So, in 2014 and beyond, I am DONE with alcohol.  I want to feel happy.  Thus, I am now committing myself to a life of MDMA and Miley Cyrus-esque raves, sponsored by whichever industry wants me in its pocket.  I promise you, dear citizens, that my dalliance with the bottle is over.    Also, to the staffer I referred to as a fag, I just want to say that I meant it in the best possible way.  You guys are always in shape, fashionable, and know a good bottle of wine when you see one."

2.  Never again will I shut down the government for spite.

"Listen, I admit the shutdown was a mistake.  When I told (Ed: go to 1:30 mark of video) David Gregory that I had no idea if the sequester would help or hurt the economy, that was just for the lolz.  I mean come on, how dumb do you think I am?  I was trolling.  I wanted to tell David Gregory to go fuck himself, like I told Harry Reid."

This Fortnight in Jews

This Fortnight in Jews

This column will be a new semi-regular feature here, with assistance from our Middle East and Washington bureaus.

Story Number One:  The American Studies Association (what is that?) loses its goddamn mind.

There have already been dozens of quality articles written on the absurdity of the ASA's boycott of Israeli academic institutions.  I don't feel the need to rehash the absolute insanity of how an open, democratic, multiethnic country comes to be boycotted academically (one of the most ironic elements of this boycott, of course, is how liberal Israeli institutions are and how Israeli universities are mixing bowls of Jews, Christians, Muslims, Druze, Bedouins, and cover the complete spectrum of ideologies), while Israel is literally surrounded by genocidal dictatorships and military juntas.  The leader of the ASA, a leftist idealogue named Curtis Marez, said to the New York Times of the boycott:

"He did not dispute that many nations, including many of Israel’s neighbors, are generally judged to have human rights records that are worse than Israel’s, or comparable, but he said, “one has to start somewhere.”

He argued that the United States has “a particular responsibility to answer the call for boycott because it is the largest supplier of military aid to the state of Israel.”"

So let's parse this out.  Captain Hamas says that Israel receives massive amounts of military aid, so thus should be boycotted for its actions.  Interesting note about US military aid: it goes to lots of terrible regimes.  In October, the Pentagon notified Congress of 10.8 billion dollars in arms sales to Saudi Arabia (the most oppressive, backward, misogynist, racist, evil, fundamentalist regime on Earth, and the main sponsor of 9-11) and the United Arab Emirates, a veritable fiefdom of Islamic fundamentalism, oppression, forced prostitution, and human slavery.   In 2011, America (through Boeing) sold 30 billion dollars worth of F-15 warplanes to Saudi Arabia, part of 66 billion in overall foreign arms sales that our country carried out that year.  American companies sold more than 28 billion in the following year.  We also sell our weapons to Turkey (the country which arrests more journalists than any other), give them to al-Qaida fighters crossing into Syria, sell them en masse to the military junta coup-plotters currently murdering citizens by the hundreds in Egypt, and to the royal family of Bahrain, currently torturing and imprisoning its freedom-hungry citizens in that Gulf state.

So basically, of all the countries to whom we supply arms, the one most worthy of boycott is the most democratic one, with the most advanced economy, freest press, and warmest relations with the American people.  "Starting somewhere" can either be interpreted as anti-Semitism or classical Orientalism, meaning that Marez and his brigade of leftist, self-loathing, hypocritical scumballs have lower standards for Oriental people because he believes they are somehow less intelligent and less capable than Europeans.  Either way, it is an embarrassment and a blight on not only the ASA, but on America as a whole.  

This is not to say that Israel should not be criticized, and sharply.  The policy of settlements in the West Bank is both morally heinous and counterproductive to the survival of Israel.  The Netanyahu government is caught between a rock and a hard place given the makeup of Bibi's coalition.  Netanyahu tries to placate Holocaust denier Mahmoud Abbas by releasing murderers, and then to placate the pro-settlement  ministers in his coalition, announces new settlements in the West Bank.

Jews have a responsibility to open their eyes to the acts being perpetrated in their name (though not necessarily with their complicity).  The subjugation of a people abandoned by the world is principally (although certainly not solely--Palestinians have been mistreated in Kuwait, Libya, Jordan, and worst of all in Lebanon) due to the existence of Israel.  It is not a comfortable sentence to say, but we must acknowledge the truth of the matter if we are ever to resolve the conflict.   Having said that, the existence of Israel as the Jewish state is not a debatable issue.  There has been a de facto population transfer between the Arab world and Israel, with roughly 1,000,000 Arab Jews fleeing their ancestral homelands, never to return, leaving behind all they own so as to not be murdered.  A similar number of Palestinians fled the 1948 war.

I have Arab friends who advocate for a binational state, which is a complete and utter joke.  The idea that millions of Israeli Jews could be integrated into what would be an Arab-majority state, is ridiculous and borders on encouraging war.  After the last 80+ years of hatred (following thousands of years of relative co-existence--with Jews as dhimmis, however), the two peoples must be separated.  That entails painful territorial concessions by Israel, and an acceptance by Palestinians that they will never "liberate" the land of Israel.  As long as Palestinians double-speak, saying in English they support the two-state solution while saying in Arabic that they will liberate all of the land, the Palestinian people and their descendants, often living in squalor in refugee camps throughout the region, will continue to cling to false hope.  The unelected dictators/monarchs (same thing) of the region (which is almost every Arab leader except escaped ex-con Muhamed Morsi) will continue to champion the Palestinian cause out loud but deny Palestinians basic rights, such as job opportunities, citizenship, and ability to own land.  Similarly, as long as Israel preaches its support for a two-state solution while taking more land in the West Bank, preventing Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank from moving freely, and crushing the Palestinian economy, there will never be peace.

Academia is an arena in which there should be a free-flowing exchange of ideas; to boycott the academics of a country does not foster compliance in that country; it fosters mistrust, hatred, and paranoia.  Those opposed to Israel's expansionism in the West Bank should speak with their voices and pocketbooks, not shamefully eliminate Israeli ideas from public view.

Story Number 2: Death of a Titan.

For secular diaspora Jews, the death of Ovadia Yosef this year and the subsequent outpouring of emotion (800,000 Israelis attended his funeral) was not necessarily an overly important moment.  For those of us who grew up with Judaism not as a religious system but as a culture and history, the most important Jewish loss this year was that of Edgar Bronfman, Sr.  Mr. Bronfman was a tireless advocate of Jewish causes, from chasing down and unmasking Nazis, to pushing the Soviet Union to allow the emigration of Jews to Israel and America.  His unyielding pursuit of Swiss bankers to bring about the restitution of the stolen life savings of Holocaust victims was the stuff of legend.   Mr. Bronfman's support of the Birthright Israel program brought thousands of diaspora Jews to Israel, where they finally saw Hebrew not just as a language forced upon them in Hebrew school, but as a living, breathing expression of Jewish identity.  RIP to a true Jewish champion.   

Who's Number Two?

Who's Number Two?

In basketball circles, there is a broad consensus that LeBron James is the best player alive (Steve Blake aside, obviously).  The identity of the next best player is not as cut and dry.  Many would posit that Kevin Durant, who is basically a 6'10 2 guard with a good handle and unlimited shooting range, is the clear choice.  I used to count myself among those who support Durant as #2, but I am no longer sure of that.  It isn't because the Thunder aren't playing well; they are in fact killing folks, having won 9 in a row, 22-4 overall, on pace for a 69 win season.  Durant is leading the NBA in scoring, shooting 49% from the field, 43% from 3, gathering over 8 rebounds and almost 5 assists a game with more than a steal and a half and a block per game.  Absurd numbers.  He is also 5th in the league in points per shot, trailing only the otherworldly efficient LeBron and a trio of behemoths in Dwight Howard, Brook Lopez, and DeAndre Jordan, none of whom ever takes shots more than 2 feet from the basket.  Durant is rounding into his prime and may be the league MVP.

Given all of that, how can I suggest that someone besides LeBron can be better than Durant?  The answer is simple: defense.  Paul George, aptly referred to by Jalen Rose as a cross between Tracy McGrady and Scottie Pippen, may be the best perimeter defender in basketball.  Friday night against the Rockets, I watched Paul George do to James Harden what only LeBron in the Finals was able to do: shut Harden down and make him look average at best.  Harden wasn't able to get by George often, due to the latter's combination of length, height, intensity, wits (although Chandler Parsons did at one point fake him out of his shoes), and quickness of foot.  George is 6'9 with a massive wingspan, and has figured out exactly how to use that wingspan to both stay in front of a ball handler and to be in the right place to contest shots and go for errant dribbles (he is averaging more than 2 steals a game, to go with his 6 rebounds, 24 points, and almost 4 assists).  George does a good job of not gambling too much, recognizing that making someone take a contested jumper is a defensive win in most situations.  Last year in the playoffs, PG had his defensive coming out party, as he D'd up both Carmelo and LeBron with great aplomb.  Against Carmelo, arguably the toughest perimeter scorer in the league to guard due to his weight, first step, handle, post play, and midrange game, George was giving up a lot of weight, but used his length and quicks to make Melo work.  Anthony scored 28.5 points per game in the series, but on 25 shots per game, a 1.14 points per shot ratio which this year is tied for 104th in the league.  That puts Carmelo's performance squarely into the land of volume shooters, where me-first team-killers like Rudy Gay are king.  

He also has the so called "alpha male" gene: George does not flinch when the going gets tough, as we saw in the playoffs against both the Knicks and more notably Miami last year, when he played LeBron to a standstill.  George showed the handle, hops (go to the 1:39 mark to see PG make LeBron pump the brakes), tenacity, shooting, and quicks to both guard LeBron, and to make him work on defense.  I don't think anybody will forget when he blew by LeBron and dunked on Birdman's head like it was nothing, or when he gave a similar facial to Chris Bosh.   I got the sense in that series that not only did George relish playing against James, but that he felt he was better than him, too.  He has a smooth stroke from 3 (shooting almost 41% this season), and his midrange, off the dribble game is one of the best in the league.  I am looking forward to seeing the Pacers vs Thunder in the Finals this year.

Other NBA Notes:

1)  All hail Les Boulez! The Wizards are really good.  Call me a homer, sure, but I can't recall the last time Wiz games mattered this late in a season.  Usually they are already eliminated from playoff contention come January, but this year they are almost at .500 (which, ridiculously, gives them the 4th best record in the Leastern Conference), and unless John Wall gets hurt (always a possibility), they are playoff-bound.  Actually, come to think of it, I do remember the last time the Wizards/Bullets were good (hint: it involves Gilbert Arenas raping Kobe's soul).

2) W.O.A.T.  The Leastern Conference is the worst in the history of basketball.  If the playoffs started today, 5 of the playoff teams would have sub .500 records.  Amazing.  Philly is 12 games below .500 and only 4 games out of first place in the Atlantic division.

3) Josh McRoberts, passing savant.  If you check the assists/48 minutes category on espn.com (and you should), you will notice the usual suspects leading the pack.  CP3, MVP candidate Steve Blake, Curry, Parker/Ginobili, etc.  One thing that might shock you is that around #30 among league leaders, sits none other than high-flying white boy Josh McRoberts, made famous when Kobe said of a McRoberts alley oop jam off a feed from Ron Artest, “I’ve never seen a black guy throw an alley-oop to a white guy before.”  McRoberts is the only PF among the top 40, a cohort made up almost entirely of point guards (and best passer alive Manu Ginobili and LeBron).  

4)  Michael Carter-Williams, making history.  MCW, a string bean of a rookie point guard from Syracuse, is currently leading the NBA in steals.  I checked the intrawebs, and no rookie in league history has ever done that.  Ever.  Ruminate on that.  

Why Hendricks is fool's gold

FOOL'S GOLD

Trusting one's chin too much, as Hendricks is wont to do, will not serve him well against GSP.

MMA websites have been abuzz lately with talk of Johny Hendricks dethroning Georges St. Pierre.  On paper, Hendricks looks like the perfect mix of attributes to beat the Canadian all-time great.  Hendricks has much better wrestling credentials (4x all-American, 2x national champion), is clearly a bigger puncher, is reputed to have a sturdier chin, moves quite well for someone who allegedly cuts 45 pounds per fight, and is a naturally bigger, stronger man than the champion.  Of course, as usual, fights aren't actually held on paper, but rather in a cage, where all of Hendricks' alleged advantages will come tumbling down as GSP uses his massive speed and technique edge to beat the number 1 contender like he has beaten everyone else he has ever faced.

Hendricks holds his hands at his chest and walks forward mostly flat-footed

Johny Hendricks is, aside from Robbie Lawler, my pick for biggest puncher in the division.  Unfortunately for Johny, landing massive bombs is hard against an opponent longer, taller, much faster, and better technically, who knows how to use his jab, footwork, and low kicks to control distance (to say nothing of someone who will put Hendricks on his ass after every swing).  Further, because Johny is a 1-handed puncher who telegraphs his bombs, even if they land, it is not as if there is an automatic pot of gold coming at the end of every shot; it is the punch you don't see coming that does the damage, not the big shot you brace for.  

For example against Josh Koscheck (a fight that Hendricks won in a split decision that clearly should have gone Koscheck's favor), Hendricks landed numerous thudding blows, but never had Josh in any kind of trouble.    Koscheck, who has been stopped with strikes several times, was able to weather Hendricks' repeated storms, land his own flurries, out-wrestle Hendricks, and neutralize Johny's propensity for knocking people out using his head movement, straighter punches, and hand speed advantage.  

Note in this GIF that not once does Hendricks have his hands up

 Koscheck is the closest thing to GSP in the division in terms of a combination of athleticism and wrestling; he fought GSP twice for a total of 8 rounds; he won 1 of those rounds.  Against Hendricks, Koscheck won 2 of 3 rounds.  The big difference between Koscheck and GSP is the latter's ability to close distance with blazing speed, the variety of GSP's offensive attack, ability to seamlessly switch between strikes and takedowns, and his far sharper mind; Koscheck fights like a loose cannon, whereas Georges fights like a calculated chess master.  

Hendricks, for all the fanfare surrounding him, has accumulated the following results in his last 9 fights: 2 split decision wins (I personally thought he lost both--Mike Pierce outwrestled him, kept Hendricks moving backwards on the feet, and was not hurt by Henricks' vaunted power), a majority decision win, a loss to Rick Story, 4 KO wins, and a razor-close unanimous decision against Carlos Condit, in one of the best fights of the year.  Instead of 8-1 over that stretch, he could easily have a mark of 4-5.  The lesson is clear: if Hendricks doesn't overwhelm his opponent with strikes early, his odds of finishing decrease drastically with each passing minute (5 of his 15 wins have come in the first round, 2 in the second, and only 1 in the third, with the other 7 by decision).  The fight against GSP will be Hendricks' first 5 round affair.  If Hendricks' power fades in a 3 round fight, imagine what will happen when the terrible toll on his body really starts to kick in during the championship rounds.  By contrast, GSP has gone 25 minutes 7 times, and his cardio has always held up.

Although I do not actively use Twitter, while researching this article, I saw a tweet by Hendricks shouting out an undefeated (actually 8-1, apparently unbeknownst to Hendricks) boxer with whom Johny trained.  By contrast, GSP spars with Lucian Bute, former 168 pound world champion.  For his muay Thai skills, GSP brought in John Wayne Parr, one of the best non-Thai muay Thai fighters of all time to replicate Hendricks' forward pressure.  GSP always pushes and humbles himself against guys who are better than he is at individual disciplines; that and his other-worldly athleticism, are what separate him from everyone else.  The mental fortitude required to get your ass kicked over and over again by champions in other sports, as an mma world champion, and put your ego aside for the sake of improvement, is not something that many guys in GSP's position are willing to do.    

On the subject of GSP's athleticism, what can you say?  He is perhaps the most gifted athlete in mma history, possessing great speed, strength, stamina, timing, explosion, balance, and flexibility.  ESPN Sports Science did a segment on GSP showing that, among other things, his takedowns had more force than those of Rashad Evans, a former world champion at 205 pounds.   GSP's athleticism manifests itself most often in his jab, his double leg, his low kick, and his Superman punch, which, according to the Sports Science segment, allows him to cover 15 feet of distance in under a second.  While many think GSP has a bad chin because he got dropped by Matt Serra on a punch that landed on his temple/the back of his head (and not his chin) in 2007, GSP has since fought a string of dangerous strikers (Condit, Thiago Silva, Koscheck, Diaz, BJ Penn, Dan Hardy), beating them all on the feet, save for a sick high kick by Condit (set up masterfully by a great fake) that almost KO'd the champion.  Between his foot speed, his jab (GSP isn't known as a big puncher, but he broke Koscheck's orbital bone almost immediately in their rematch, and then proceeded to beat the shit out of him for 25 minutes) and his uncanny takedown ability, GSP controls where the fight takes place.  

Prediction:  St. Pierre will be ready for Hendricks' big left hand, and will jab, move, and shoot takedowns to keep Hendricks off balance.  Johny's mediocre defense will leave him susceptible to GSP's jabs, and we will see a more gun-shy Hendricks; a few jabs and a few takedowns will leave Hendricks confused and mentally defeated, as all St. Pierre opponents wind up.  GSP by unanimous decision.