There can really be no doubt about Terrell Owens’ dominance, because while other players may put up bigger numbers, no other receiver is tougher to defend. Get the ball anywhere near Owens and he will make a play.

I doubt anyone can honestly question Owens’ value on the field after he has racked up over 1,000 yards a year six times and over 100 career touchdowns. Rather, it’s his off-field antics that have garnered him a reputation as being more trouble then he’s worth.

There were stirrings in San Francisco after the Dallas incident, after he spoke to the media about his quarterback Jeff Garcia and especially after he backed out of a deal with Baltimore. But T.O. didn’t really become the world’s favourite whipping boy until he landed in Philadelphia. There, he took the Eagles to within a touchdown of a Lombardi Trophy. When they lost and he questioned quarterback Donovan McNabb’s toughness, things turned sour and led to Owens’ exit.

But I still don’t see him as selfish or money hungry. A more accurate criticism would be to say he’s a ruthless competitor. Like others who have held that title before him, Owens wants the ball. He wants to catch the pass that wins the Superbowl and damned if McNabb wasn’t able to deliver.

Had McNabb completed that pass to Owens, and the Eagles won that Superbowl, I have no doubt his reputation would be different. Is T.O. selfish? Sure, but all great competitors are. Ask yourself this: what would Michael Jordan have said if Tony Kukoc had taken and missed the winning shot in game six of the 1998 Finals? Oh and in case you don’t remember that play, MJ took the ball up court and never even looked to make a pass.-Charlie Blore

Terrell Owens is toxic. While he is unquestionably a fantastic athlete, the guy is poison. And in football, character counts. To be a successful squad, all fifty-three men have to respect and trust the next player in the huddle. In recent years, Super Bowl winners have been the likes of the New England Patriots and the Pittsburgh Steelers. While these teams lacked NFL royalty, they were built on the bedrock of team-play and self-sacrifice. Call me naive, but I have always seen pro sports as, ultimately, the pursuit of championships.

However, business considerations have infected the sporting world, and signing a player like Terrell Owens is potentially a sound fiscal move. Sure, the Dallas Cowboys will be a freak show but at least casual fans will watch every game and ESPN will lead Sportscenter with America’s Team. Everyone watches Owens because he is a celebrity.

But mark my words: T.O. will never win a Super Bowl, and really, isn’t that what an NFL franchise should fundamentally be about? Owens is certainly not the worst person produced by pro sports; he is the microcosm for one of the most significant problems in major athletics: teams don’t focus on character anymore, and they suffer for it. They give talented players chance after chance and time and time again character problems arise and infect. Franchises must cease bypassing disposition and personality and search for team players instead of prima donnas.-Aaron Sigal