Jump the Shark

While water skiing, Fonzie of Happy Days literally jumped over a shark, and thus, the term Jump the Shark was coined to describe a show that had better days in the past. You could once go to www.jumptheshark.com to see when different people believe a particular show scooped to low levels of desperation in attempt to keep it alive, when, in all reality, sunk the ship. However, the site is now apart of the TV Guide Channel's website. 

I was reminded of the term when reading Bill Simmons' last column about Big Papi and it got me thinking; what if we applied this aspect to the world of sports? It could deal with teams, athletes, coaches, anyone and everyone. 

You could argue Michael Jordan jumped the shark by playing for the Wizards. Will Tom Brady return to what he once was, and if not, is that an example of jumping the shark? Michael Vick certainly won't be what he was before but I don't think he ever jumped the shark, I think there was another animal involved. 

Did Donavan McNabb jump the shark in the Super Bowl with his terrible clock management or did it come later when he admitted to not knowing an NFL game can end in a tie? Brett Favre's shark has been long jumped as have the sharks of a good majority of MLB players. Ron Artest?Alright, that's an easy one. 

Ok, to be fair, I'll ask the question of some of my favorite athletes. Did Emmitt Smith ever jump the shark, and if so, when? Yes, he did but I'm not sure yet if it was when he signed with the Cardinals or went on Dancing with the Stars. 

Speaking of Cardinals, if he hadn't already, Denny Green jumped the shark in his "they are who we thought there were" press conference. Joe Namath also jumped the shark in an interview. Yes, when he tried to kiss Suzie Kolber. 

Come to think of it, the term Jump the Shark works for TV shows but not necessarily sports. I like the concept so maybe we just need a new term for it. Any ideas? I've got nothing.