A trend that has been sweeping America faster then Joey Chestnut's incredible jaw speed is binge-watching TV shows. With the emergence of Netflix, HBO GO, and free bootleg websites, watching and catching up on TV shows has become easier than ever. I was able to binge-watch all of Breaking Bad before the final eight episodes which made the transformation of Walter White from a high school chemistry teacher to a full blown badass occur over a few weeks rather than a few years if someone watched the show live.
The latest show that I binge-watched was True Detective, which just aired its season finale Sunday night, and I just finished watching (there may be spoiler alerts so read with caution). This show was able to captivate millions of viewers across the country and it garnered a 9.5/10 on IMDb just after eight episodes. The relationship between Rust Cohle (Matthew McConaughey) and Marty Hart (Woody Harrelson) as they try to catch a serial killer in Louisiana is incredible. These two men thrown together as partners who have such differing lives just makes their back and forth so much more enjoyable. As I finished up the first season, it got me thinking what professional athletes could compare to these two detectives. Many athletes jumped into my head but I believe I was able to nail down what two athletes these two physiologically unstable men can compare to.
Rust Cohle: Joakim Noah
Throughout True Detective, Rust Cohle is always at odds with the people around him. Whether it’s Marty, other detectives, or local hookers, Rust always gives off a weird vibe and isn't really liked by anyone. But Rust couldn’t care less what people think about him and that's why him and Joakim Noah are so comparable.
All Rust cares about is doing his job and catching the serial killer he's after and Noah is just the same. Noah isn't about highlight reel plays or saying the politically correct thing, he just wants to win. Noah and Rust both speak their minds and don't really care about who they offend. Noah was once quoted saying Cleveland sucks and that no one ever wants to go there on vacation. Similarly throughout the show Rust speaks his mind to his boss which usually gets him in trouble and isn't afraid to call out Marty for cheating on his wife. Also Rust and Noah are straight workhorses. While Marty is out drinking and neglecting his "free spirited" daughter, Rust is at the office putting in the man-hours on their case.
Just like Rust, Noah is always playing his hardest regardless of the opponent or the score. When Derrick Rose went down again this year and then the Bulls traded Luol Deng to the Cavaliers it looked like the Bulls were heading for the lottery. However, Noah refuses to lose and has carried the Bulls to the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference. Rust Cohle and Joakim Noah are so eerily similar it kind of freaks me out. Even they both have the same long luscious type of hair.
Marty Hart: Alex Rodriguez
When True Detective first starts, Marty is portrayed as the more glamorous one between him and Rust. He has a family, is respected and is looked at as a good detective. It's easy to see Marty's perfectly portrayed family life is pretty phony when he's constantly cheating on his wife and can't control his aforementioned "free spirited" daughter. Just like Marty, Alex Rodriguez is a cheater. Not in the same situation, well who knows, but Alex Rodriguez has become much better known for cheating the game of baseball than any of his prior accomplishments.
A-Rod is currently one of the most hated people in all of professional sports for his arrogance on and off the field. Marty and A-Rod are similar in the fact that they are all about the glamor. When Marty and Rust catch Reginald Ledoux who's supposedly "Yellow King" (sorry, I warned you), Marty takes most of the credit when it was really Rust who did most of the work. A-Rod is the same way, always making everything about him and how he's the victim of the MLB's supposed "witch hunt" to suspend him. It must be real tough making over $20 million annually over the past 12 seasons; I know I feel bad for him (I don't). A-Rod is always the center of controversy whether it was slapping the ball out of Bronson Arroyo's glove in the 2004 playoffs or asking for a babe’s number while on deck (so bro of him). A-Rod and Marty are both self-centered people and can always be seen macking it with the ladies.
Both of these detectives have messed up lives, which makes them easy to compare to these athletes. Rust and Joakim Noah are both badasses who couldn’t care less about what people think while Marty and A-Rod are all about the limelight. If this article hasn't spoiled too much for you then I would definitely recommend watching True Detective.
-Tyler Darwick
