Buster Olney is as respected a reporter that you’ll find in Major League Baseball, but he really went out on a limb with this lazy comparison.
Olney — while trying to describe the pariah that Alex Rodriguez has become — compared the Yankees slugger to Marshawn Lynch — saying A-Rod would be MLB’s version of ‘Beastmode.’
Buster Olney just said A-Rod would be baseball's version of Marshawn Lynch.
— mike freeman (@mikefreemanNFL) February 17, 2015
Olney is as accomplished as they come — that said — the comparison was a reach at best. Lynch and Rodriguez have nothing in common as men or athletes.
Lynch is not an admitted two or three time cheater, nor is he selfish or disliked by his teammates. Marshawn is all about team — regardless of his penchant for hating the media.
If you want to compare the two men — use the basis that they are both mercurial characters — who can easily rub people the worng way.
Rodriguez is an “alleged” jerk — who chased contracts and women, not rings. Lynch can be described as an “alleged” jerk as well — but once you break down the context of peoples displeasure with both men — Rodriguez is by far the more dislike guy.
I’m not sure there’s a guy in the NFL you can compare Rodriguez too, and that’s where Olney went wrong. If he was chasing a hottake, he pick the wrong guy in Lynch.