(Disclaimer for those with severe BlogADHD: This 1,000-or-so-word post eventually revolves around sports)

As Pearl Jam was ripping it in front of at least 500,000 fans the other night, I had an epiphany. After flirting with a notion for years, I finally realized this idea as a truth — we crowned the wrong band the definitive band of The Grunge Era, and we did it for all the wrong reasons.

Nirvana vs. Pearl Jam/B.I.G. & Pac

I love Kurt Cobain and Nirvana just as much as the next Generation Xer, but to claim Nirvana as the pride of the 90s music scene is just downright criminal. Pearl Jam is the best band to emerge from the 90s, and the band that best represents that movement. Eddie Vedder and Co. not only gave a generation a voice (something they continue to do), but also shattered the myth perpetuated by Baby Boomers and their folks that Generation X is comprised of a bunch of angry, spoiled, fucked-up little whiners. Vedder has refused to play the victim all along, standing up to everyone from BP-Amoco to George Bush to Ticketmaster, and fighting for causes like Crohn’s disease and Katrina. When other bands were either indulging in the lifestyle or feeling sorry for themselves, Pearl Jam shunned rock superstardom in favor of the idealism of the early days of rock. They didn’t fight for every last nickel, but instead for their fans and what they believed in.

I’m not making light of Kurt Cobain’s suicide — or other Grungers that died of overdoses, like Layne Staley — and I absolutely do recognize both Cobain’s brilliance and the greatness of Nirvana. At the same time, it’s kind of silly to celebrate him and Nirvana over Pearl Jam. Vedder and his band shouldn’t be punished because they didn’t skip a beat over the years and Cobain killed himself during his band’s prime. Vedder stayed strong and has been the driving force behind the best band on the planet — with all apologies to The Red Hot Chili Peppers — over the past 15 years.

What’s more impressive: sustained greatness over 15 years (when Ten started selling like hotcakes to today), or five years of brilliance (from the release of Bleach to the time of Cobain’s death)?

I’ll take the fifteen years. The year after Cobain died, Vitalogy sold 877,000 copies in its first week. In 1996, Pearl Jam’s No Code debuted No. 1 on the Billboard charts. 12 years after Cobain’s death, Pearl Jam debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard charts with Pearl Jam. 15 years after Cobain’s death, Pearl Jam headlined Lollapalooza, the biggest rock festival in the U.S. In 1998 the band had a single, “Last Kiss”, that soared to Michael Jackson heights. They were also named “the greatest American rock band of all time” in a 2005 USA Today reader’s poll. Most importantly, for 15 years Pearl Jam has sold out concert after concert, and played every show like it was the band’s last. The fans recognize, even if the media (ehem, Rolling Stone) continues to sleep on P.J.

Pearl Jam not only outlasted all of their contemporaries, they’ve outlasted knockoffs like Creed, Silverchair and Staind. When Generation X starts getting long in the tooth, we’ll be able to brag about P.J. just as our parents did about The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, The Stones and The Who. That’s how damn good they are, but, apparently, more people would have noticed if Eddie died back in ‘96.

(Hmmm… Maybe my writing and blog will actually receive adulation if I off myself. Finally, that timestamp feature comes in handy!)

The same thing applies with B.I.G. and 2pac. Man, I loved those two. Their highs were as high as any highs the rap game has ever known. But do their untimely deaths mean that Jay-Z, Nas and Rakim should be punished or shunned for being as good, or at least close, for a much longer period of time? Especially considering that Biggie and Pac, like Cobain, ultimately played a huge role in their own deaths. Why do we spend more time making martyrs out of them than celebrating the greats who are still alive? That makes no sense to me.

Here’s why:

• A.) America is obsessed with tragedy — even if we don’t admit it, it’s misery loves company (see reality television). And we love to make ourselves fell better by getting involved or witnessing a movement. (c’mon, like Kurt was Kennedy and Biggie was MLK or something)
• B.) America is obsessed with hypothetical thinking. We focus on anything to avoid thinking about ourselves (again, see reality television), and often distort/ignore the truth to feel better about our country and our lives.
• C.) America is obsessed with flat out fucking addicted to celebrities.

ESPN = Evil Sports Personality Nation

Now, here’s where this connects to sports…

Why in God’s name do we — and both the fans and the media are guilty here, and I’m definitely including myself — devote way more time to the Bondses and Pacmans of the world than the Griffeys and Mannings? Why for ten years did every Black basketball player with a shaved head, scoring ability and hops get dubbed “the next Jordan”? Why do we almost spend more time raving about what Barry Sanders could have done than what Emmitt Smith did? Why do we always hear about how tragic Len Bias’ drug overdose was, or even about Michael Ray Richardson, but not a peep about when Danny Manning’s knee exploded? Why do we read over and over about Maurice Clarett picking thug life over football, and not about a guy like Marion Dukes who took the road less traveled and picked furthering his education over pro sports? Why is Bo Jackson ranked higher on all-time athlete lists than Deion Sanders, when the latter accomplished way more than the former? Why does Shawn Kemp’s illegitimate fathering now get more recognition than Sean Elliott’s triumphant comeback after a kidney transplant?

I could go all day, people. Forgive me if that came off as insensitive, but someone had to say that shit.

It’s time we started recognizing and celebrating heroes for the right reasons, not for the wrong reasons or for what they could have been. I’m sorry, but this country needs a wake-up call. I love poking fun at celebs and talking sports controversies as much as anyone, but sometimes we have to get serious and give credit to those who deserve it for all the right reasons. The next time you want to joke about Lohan or Ookie, instead rave about Kate Winslet or Brett Favre. Or at least try it for a day or two.