Bears QB Caleb Williams is said to be 'generational.' Then again, who isn't these days?

Ryan Sun/AP

Boy, am I ever excited about the Bears’ newest generational player.

I’m referring to fourth-round punter Tory Taylor, in case it wasn’t obvious.

In 2024 in sports, everybody who’s anybody is being called “generational” by somebody, and the overuse of the term is rampant and comical. In both fan and media circles, it seems to be younger folks, in particular, who rally around this term like flies to muck. In fairness to them, it is a five-syllable word, which must make it alluring. Then again, so is “unoriginal.”

Anyway, the use of “generational” isn’t merely a generational thing; far from it. Writers, broadcasters and analysts of all ages throw it out there to describe any hot prospect or rising star who possesses unusual speed, size, strength and skill, or a combination thereof. The term itself — “generational” — implies once in a generation, but don’t tell that to the NBA, for instance. During this year’s playoffs alone, I’ve heard Nikola Jokic, Luka Doncic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Joel Embiid, Jayson Tatum, Anthony Edwards, Donovan Mitchell, Anthony Davis and Kawhi Leonard each called “generational” during a game or a studio show. That’s no joke; I’ve been keeping a list.

They can’t all be generational, can they? Unless it doesn’t mean anything.

Sky part-owner Dwyane Wade recently referred to LSU’s Angel Reese as a “generational talent.” Then the Sky selected Reese with the seventh pick in the WNBA draft. With all due respect to Reese, a terrific player, if the seventh pick is generational, who isn’t? Just this month, the Washington Post called UConn point guard Paige Bueckers a “generational star.” But wasn’t there another point guard in the very same generation — the same recruiting class, even — who did some pretty decent things in college basketball this past season? Oh, yeah, Caitlin Clark.

Pick one or the other, people.

I used to think “GOAT” was the dumbest-sounding popular term in sports. Actually, I still do. Nothing says “I have a beard, three kids, a mortgage and the vocabulary of a 12-year-old” quite like bleating about who’s the GOAT and who’s not. “He’s the GOAT!” “He’s not the GOAT!” “I’m not sure how to spell GOAT!” “Baa!” If you are over 12 and say “GOAT,” you should consider going to night school and learning some new words. Or at least see a veterinarian.

But back to “generational” — and to the NFL draft. Because no event all year elicits more applications of the term, and perhaps no draft ever had so many players being called it as this one.

Google “Caleb Williams” and “generational,” and you’ll be scrolling for days. USA Today, Sports Illustrated, NFL.com, the New York Daily News, the Sun-Times — we’ve all called the Bears’ new quarterback that, and maybe we’re all right.

But ESPN and The Athletic, to name two respected outlets, have called North Carolina’s Drake Maye “generational,” too, and he was the third QB taken. Then there’s the writer — look, I won’t name him — who called all three of the top QBs, including LSU’s Jayden Daniels, “generational.”

The term has been applied to Ohio State wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. as much as it has been to Williams, and there’s no beef with that here. But why does every other story in which Harrison is called “generational” go on to say that Malik Nabers (the second receiver taken) and Rome Odunze (third, Bears) could be even better? Better than generational? Really?

Not to pick on SI, but the former pillar of sports journalism has called more rookies in the NFL’s 2024 class “generational” than you would believe. USA Today ran a story mentioning “six or seven generational prospects.” Are these football players or Founding Fathers we’re talking about?

And about Taylor the punter, who truly was a force at Iowa, whose offense was so bumbling and useless that field position was paramount: He’s generational, too, if you are to believe the opinions running amok out there. Just — please — don’t take my word for it.

Mark J. Terrill/AP Photos

THREE-DOT DASH

The Lakers and LeBron James likely will go bye-bye at Denver in Game 5 on Monday. Score one for Michael Jordan in the big “GOAT” debate (ugh), right?

Nah, get real. James is wrapping up a 21st NBA season in which he averaged 25.7 points, 7.3 rebounds and 8.3 assists on a playoff team. He’s only the sixth player to make it 21 seasons, and the previous five looked by the end like they were ready to join Don Ameche, Hume Cronyn and Wilford Brimley on the “Cocoon” spaceship.

Jordan truly was generational. James is no less so. Just give ’em co-billing and get over it already. …

LeBron’s season is basically toast. Same with Kevin Durant’s. Steph Curry didn’t even make the playoffs. There’s a whole new group playing king of the hill, and it’s refreshing. But if the NBA is truly going to enter a new era, it has to change its logo to a silhouette of a player gesturing at his coach to challenge a perfectly good call. …

White Sox play-by-play rookie John Schriffen had an exciting call of Andrew Benintendi’s walk-off home run Saturday.

“Say it with me, say it proud, for all the haters — South Side, stand up!” he shouted.

But let’s hope Schriffen wasn’t pinning the “haters” label on longtime fans who have every right and reason to be feeling negatively toward the Sox these days. Over-the-top homerism isn't going to help with anything. …

The only thing some baseball fans seem to find more charming and adorable than their team winning is when position players pitch as their team gets its brains beaten in. Cubs fans used to love it — a bit too much? — when Anthony Rizzo took the hill. But, hey, if Matt Mervis and Patrick Wisdom pitching in a 17-0 loss in Boston is your definition of a good time, have at it. …

A tip of the beer helmet to the great Candace Parker, who announced her retirement after 16 WNBA seasons. She wrote on social media that she’d hoped to leave the women’s game in a better place than she’d found it, and she certainly was successful in that endeavor.

Unfortunately, the same can’t be said for the facilities Parker left behind with the Sky, whom she led to a championship in 2021. It was amateur hour last week when the team introduced its first-round picks to the media on the team’s Deerfield practice floor in a strip-mall community rec center. Get real, Sky, or get lost.