Greg Olsen Wins a Sports Emmy Just as He Joins the Long and Distinguished List of People Who Lost Their Job to Tom Brady

Congratulations are very much in order for Greg Olsen. He is truly one of those rare athletes who excels on the field, and in retirement seamlessly transitions into the broadcast booth like he'd been training for it his whole life. He's a terrific analyst, and this Emmy is very much deserved. 

And yet, there seems to be a pall over this year's sports Emmys. An understandably emotional Ernie Johnson won for Outstanding Studio Host just as TNT is losing its NBA coverage:

And Olsen accepted his well-earned award while standing in the shadow of his own demotion:

It's the very definition of bittersweet. Of a mixed blessing. Of a Pyrrhic Victory, named for King Pyrrhus of Epirus, who defeated the Romans at Heraclea in 280 BC. All the Roman ranks his army wiped out were replaced with fresh troops in short order. While the men he lost in battle could not be replaced. He was quoted by historian Plutarch as saying, "If we are victorious in one more battle with the Romans, we shall be utterly ruined." 

Olsen is, of course, not utterly ruined. Just demoted from the most exciting matchups in the primest of times to the drudgery of trying to make deathly dull 1:00 EST affairs like Carolina at Atlanta and Washington at New Orleans compelling. A few short months ago, Olsen's broadcasting career was a banquet prepared by a Michelin star chef. Now he's been sent to the alley out back to fight against Moose Johnson and Mark Sanchez for scraps. It's sad. And not at all deserved. 

But as Eastwood puts it in Unforgiven, "Deserves got nothing to do with it." Olsen is simply more collateral damage in Tom Brady's relentless assault on the world. The GOAT's rise to power has claimed a lot of victims, friend and foe alike. There's only room for one at the top, and it's not going to be anyone but Brady. 

If anything, being another trophy head on Brady's wall puts Olsen in good company. He vanquished Drew Bledsoe in 2001. Twenty years later, it was Jameis Winston. That's two No. 1 overall picks. And a year after that, he sent Bruce Arians packing after the man just coached his way to a Super Bowl ring because Brady wanted to be the defacto player coach. What he wants, he gets. And there's no allowances for mortal humans like Olsen on his quest for world dominance. 

So hang onto that trophy, fella. Starting next year no one's going to be winning them but the greatest winner in our lifetimes. It's not personal. Only destiny.