He is the Next...

That sentence can be completed in a myriad of ways. It seems every big time athlete who is coming up through the ranks of his (or her, I suppose) sport gets compared to a legend. Lebron is the next MJ. Adrian Peterson is the next Eric Dickerson. Hell, I was watching a spring training game just today and the ever-frustrating Steve Phillips compared Braves prospect Jason Heyward to Willie McCovey.

This happens all the time.

Of course, this phenomenon happens in almost all cultural areas. An up-and-coming young writer is the next Hemingway. Megan Fox is the next Angelina. Coldplay are the next Beatles - but only because they are also British.

I do wonder if this idea has permeated middle class society as well. For example, if a company hires an upstart young accountant to replace, let’s say, Bob the accountant (who was the best accountant the company had ever seen) do the other workers say "Have you met the new accountant kid? I tell you what he's a stud. He may very well be the next Bob." The more I think about it, the more I realize this probably actually does happen.

I understand why people make these comparisons, but it is also kind of frustrating. I realize people like to put things in perspective, and the easiest way to do that is compare up-and-comers to the past, but why can't we just accept that someone can be great at something without having to be exactly like someone else?

Let's use Lebron James as an example since the Lebron/Michael Jordan comparison seems to be the most common made these days.

Lebron is undoubtedly a great player, but he is obviously not the exact same as Jordan. (Quick digression: are we going to start calling Lebron "LJ" eventually? Is this a nickname progression? Starts with the full name "Lebron James," then we work our way to first name basis once we feel like we know him, then finally get to "LJ" once he gets older? Is that what happened with Jordan? I feel like he was called "Michael" at one point and now he is just "MJ." Someone should look into this.)

It seems at some point we need to stop comparing Lebron to MJ, and just start realizing that Lebron is a different, albeit great, player. There are similarities between the two: their intensity, charisma and likeability, and the way they seem to make their teammates better.

These are fair comparisons to make, they are/were both very good in those areas, but to say Lebron=MJ, which is what this boils down to, is unfair and ridiculous. Lebron should be able to stand out on his own as a great player, without having to worry about whether or not he “is Michael Jordan.”

Of course, the irony of this is in 20 or 30 years some young kid will be coming up through the basketball ranks and people will be saying “he is the next Lebron.”

It is a never ending, unfair, cycle.

For another example let's pretend for a second I had some sort of talent - which, of course, I do not- I would be flattered being compared to a legend of my craft, but I would still want to stand alone.

Here is a hypothetical question/answer situation:

Interviewer: People say you are the next (insert famous, talented person here), how do you feel about that?

Me: I am flattered that people would even consider me in the same breath as (insert famous, talented person here). I am a huge fan of him. However, I like to think of myself as a unique individual, and would like my work to stand on its own. I understand that people like to put labels on everyone, but I do not want to be the next anyone. I look at my work and hope that people won't feel the need to compare me to someone else because I would hope they enjoy what I have done, and are able to say he is great at what he does, but not because I am the same as someone else. I want to be great because I am me, not because I am someone else.

See, now if (if=when) I ever become famous, and somebody asks me that question, you know how I will answer it. It is on the record.

I guess, ultimately, it all just boils down to why isn’t a person being his or her self good enough? It really comes down to the idea that we are all unique. And, yes, I know that sounds corny.
Or maybe it is nothing more than a barometer deciding when someone has really become great at something. Maybe you are only great when you are allowed stand on your own in the public eye.

That, however, is pretty sad state of affairs.

-Juice