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On Thursday, we talked about the forums and ways for Ghostcrawler to improve his image while maintaining and presence on the forums.  Today, I will address how Ghostcrawler has changed an entire community and how I am likely to remember him long after they shut down the World of Warcraft servers.

Back in July when Elder Gaming posted on the WoW B Team, I was one of the people who came to the B teams’ defense.  There is often a stigma with when you mention something like B movie or B team.  The very connotation of a B student is one who is alright, but not the best, those students get the A status.  We all know that sometimes the B status isn’t really all that bad though.

The NFL currently has 2 high profile quarterbacks who started out as backups or 2^nd teamers, B teamers if you will.  One is the 78 million dollar man who plays for the Dallas Cowboys known as Tony Romo, and the other is the 3 time Superbowl champion and 2 time Superbowl MVP for the New England Patriots, Tom Brady.  Surprisingly, their stories are very similar, they both were late round draft picks up, were backups for an overall number one draft pick, Drew Bledsoe, and both were given the reigns to their teams at a time when practically no one but their teammates even knew they existed, and then, well, they started down 2 very different paths.

Two Roads Diverged in a Yellow Wood

When both Tom Brady and Tony Romo were at the proverbial fork in the road after their success catapulted them Wintergrasp style into the American psyche, one decided to take the road less traveled by, and it has made all the difference.

Tom Brady, though married to the world’s highest paid supermodel and Forbe’s 16^th most wealthy woman in entertainment, lives a virtually secluded life.  His priorities appear to range from buying groceries for the home and throwing touchdown passes.  Even when he was dating actress Bridget Moynahan, his private life was exceptionally private for a star athlete who was in a relationship with a Hollywood actress.  Tom Brady is a business man first and a NFL star second.  The NFL is his job, but he doesn’t talk about his boat, his drinking habits, or the notches on his bedpost that most guys would undoubtedly be jealous.

Compare him to Tony Romo, who even today is being questioned about his heart and desire to win a single game that counts.  When Romo became popular, Bill Parcels, his coach at the time, cautioned an entire fan base to hold off on applying their anointing oil.  After Romo’s holding debacle, his coach decided it was time for him to retire.  When he did, rumors abound Parcels left Romo with a list of cautionary advice.  One of which was to resist the temptation to become the Hollywood quarterback.

A Hollywood quarterback is one who embraces his fame not only for endorsements but to live a life of extravagance.  This is all comparatively speaking of course because any guy who is paid $10+ million a year is likely to live with some extravagance.  Despite a play which drove his hall of fame coach into retirement, Tony Romo appeared to blow off his old coach’s advice as his team cruised to a 13-3 regular season record and won home field throughout the playoffs.  Every game was a jab at the old timer who had warned him against eating from the apple of discord because not only was Romo winning; he was setting new records for a storied franchise all the while dating one of entertainments most despicable and talentless divas, Jessica Simpson.

However, most of us know that Kharma is a heartless bitch of a mistress who always comes calling only when it’s convenient for her.  After Romo decided on a trip to Cabo the week before his first playoff game against a team whom he and his squad had beaten twice already, Kharma did the unthinkable.  She went Elin Woods on Romo complete with her very own 5 iron of justice and the Cowboys crumbled to the eventual Superbowl champions.  It should be noted Tom Brady and company also fell to those New York Football Giants and ruined their own chance at history with a 19-0 perfect season, but at least Brady has those 3 aforementioned rings and a supermodel to help console him.

Last year wasn’t any better and the Romo was on the cusp of a playoff berth as they flew to Philadelphia for the final game of the season.  Not only did they lose the berth and the game, they were blown out by an Eagles team who stole their slot in the NFL playoffs, and today may well prove to be the end of Romo’s current season.

After 2 December losses, one to those pesky giants who also ruined the Cowboys home opener in their brand new $1.16 billion, and the other to a team coached by a man many thought Jerry Jones should have hired 2 years ago when Bill Parcels retired, the Cowboys are poised to fall to the mighty undefeated Nawlins Saints.  They, too, have somewhat of a score to settle.  Their coach, Sean Payton, was the man who found Tony Romo, convinced Parcels to take a chance on him, and then was allowed to leave the organization for the position of head coach of a franchise in turmoil.  He has since turned the Saints around and will now host Romo with his own diametrically opposing quarterback, Drew Brees.

The Ghostcrawler Connection

If you have made it this far, I hope you have started to draw comparisons to Romo and Ghostcrawler.  For many gamers, he is as recognizable as an NFL quarterback, and his popularity has turned him into one of the rock stars of the gaming world.  He is now, after some early debacles, at the proverbial fork we talked about earlier.  When the WoW servers shut down, will we see him as a conquering hero who took a great foundation laid out before him, created a lasting legacy for himself, and made something as good as Warcraft better, or has he already succumb to the temptation of becoming a Hollywood quarterback?  With a win against the Saints today, this could be the day Romo begins his new lasting legacy, why shouldn’t it be the day for Ghostcrawler as well?