Football; a sport played across the United States with each of the teams in the best league, the NFL having a general manager (GM). GMs are an elite and rare group of people with there only being 32. Each one has risen through the ranks to reach their current position. Though each one has their own prominence the one who is widely considered to be the best is Howie Roseman. When entering the league he was the youngest in a crowd of middle-aged GMs. His youth and quick leap to fame caused his current position in the NFL as being hailed as the best GM.

Though Roseman might be the best general manager he might not be the best GM, in regards to chess. That honor of being the best GM goes to Magnus Carlsen. In this case, GM means grandmaster. This title is held by the best of the best in chess. Carlsen similarly Roseman gained prominence at a young age with him being the second youngest to win the world chess championship. He was the youngest player and his skills outmatched all of his opponents. His fame is known across the world with him beating almost all opponents with ease. Though these two are involved in two different fields they both were young in regards to their opponent and used their skill to reach the top. They both have amazing achievements and I will be covering that.

Howie Roseman first joined the Eagles as an unpaid salary cap intern in 2000. Slowly he would rise the ranks within the organization and in 2010 he would be hired as the general manager for the Eagles. Roseman became the most powerful person in the organization other than Jeff Lurie, so it wasn’t like he can get promoted again. Lurie the owner of the Eagles organization always saw the potential of Roseman. You have to remember Joe Banner was Lurie’s boyhood friend in Boston and the first person he hired after buying the Eagles from Norman Braman in 1994. And when Lurie essentially had to pick between the two in 2012, he chose Roseman. That trust and passion from Roseman allowed him to be the architect of the first Super Bowl championship in franchise history. In 2017, Roseman played a pivotal role in ensuring the success of the Eagles’ Super Bowl LII-winning team. Faced with season-ending injuries to key players, Roseman’s focused leadership and in-season roster management helped Philadelphia produce a 13-3 regular-season campaign while also securing the top seed in the NFC playoffs ahead of its championship run. Roseman, who served as the Eagles’ Executive Vice President of Football Operations from 2016-18 before adding the title of General Manager in 2019, is responsible for managing the organization’s personnel and scouting staff. He also oversees the executives who specialize in all areas of football operations, including but not limited to sports medicine and performance, analytics, football administration, football technology, and player development. Under Roseman’s guidance, and in concert with the vision created by Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Jeffrey Lurie, Philadelphia has become one of the NFL’s most admired and innovative operations. Roseman’s legacy is already a long, fascinating, and complicated one. And there’s a very real possibility he’s just getting started.

In comparison to the career and history of Roseman is Magnus Carlsen. To many, GM Magnus Carlsen is considered the best to ever play the game, although GMs Garry Kasparov and Bobby Fischer remain in the conversation. At any rate, the clear and remarkable point is that before turning 30 years old, Carlsen had already earned a spot at the top, and he continued to dominate into his 30s. The 13-year-old Norwegian prodigy drew Kasparov and defeated GM Anatoly Karpov at the same event in 2004, one month before he became the second-youngest GM in history (and still eighth-youngest as of 2021). In 2009, he became the youngest player to break the 2800-rating threshold. Then Carlsen transitioned from a young world-class player to an all-time great. He captured the world’s number-one ranking in 2011 and still hasn’t let go of it as of May 2023. He won the world title in 2013 and has successfully defended it four times (2014, 2016, 2018, and 2021). Additionally, he has won multiple world titles in rapid and blitz time controls, achieved the highest rating ever, and racked up several elite tournaments wins, including four Norway Chess victories and seven in Wijk aan Zee. The amazing part is it seems like there’s much more ahead for Carlsen. In October 2020 Carlsen’s 125-game undefeated streak came to an end (he scored 42 wins and 83 draws during this streak), setting yet another world record. If he continues performing the way he has, Carlsen could create something truly legendary. In an era of chess that’s more competitive than ever, he’s far ahead of the opposition. This despite voluntarily relinquishing the world championship in 2023, the first player to do so since Fischer.

With these two being seen with such fame and many accomplishments it causes us to wonder what is harder to achieve. Is it harder to be the best general manager or is it harder to become the grandmaster? Aiden Foor, an avid NFL fan and chess beginner would say, “It is harder to become the best chess player. There is way more skill and strategy.” He would continue by saying that though a general manager means “being able to pull off moves and create cap space and keeping a good roster at all times” it is a lot more complex to become a chess player. That opinion is highly agreed on we must remember these two men’s importance regardless of who is more skillful. Though the two of these who are considered to be the best at what they do are in two completely different fields it can be said that their understanding and overall comprehension are comparable. Both of these men took years and years to reach where they are today. Howie Roseman took 23 years to reach this popularity and Magnus Carlsen a couple of decades. Both of them started young with Roseman being one of the youngest General Managers (GM) ever and Magnus Carlsen also being one of the youngest Grandmasters (GM) ever. They both were young competitors in their field who were since as upin’ comers who were thought less of than they are now, but with their grit and determination, they reached bounds seen as amazing. They are now currently considered to be the best GM and the best GM. Both of these men have also yet to complete their journey so their fame and popularity can only increase so who is to say these men can’t be deemed the best ever to do it?

Sources:

https://www.chess.com/players/magnus-carlsen
https://www.nbcsports.com/philadelphia/eagles/understanding-complicated-legacy-eagles-gm-howie-roseman
https://www.philadelphiaeagles.com/team/front-office/howie-roseman