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A follower.

We are quick to deprive young athletes of their own unique identities. The busts of the all-time greats have been cast, rendering the job of the sports fan a mere exercise in comparison. This fundamental practice of identifying the “next” runs counter to one of sports’ most cherished tropes—the never-before-seen—and suspends progress in a fixed reality. The fact is, there is plenty of room in our mental museums for more statues, entire wings waiting to be dedicated to the continual wonder of greatness. And if you must look ahead, recognize only that a player has all the materials to sculpt their own place in history.

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Dissatisfied with the present.

The trial period for a song is almost instantaneous, the first sound you hear acting like a trailer for what is to follow. What’s more, a song can sound strange, cacophonous, if you miss a glimpse of the melodic station from which it first departed. Like a musical prologue, the first chord both contextualizes and foreshadows, inspiring you to listen on or encouraging you to hit next.