Then vs. Now: Throwback Sports Toys or High Tech Fanatic Gadgets of Today?

Past or present?

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Complex Original

Image via Complex Original

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In the '90s life was great. Baseball was steroid-aided. Football was willingly ignorant on concussions. And the NBA was pretty much pointless unless you lived in Chicago, Houston, or New York. Come to think of it that all sounds terrible but we view the decade with rose-tinted goggles because our parents comped our entire lifestyle. Now adulthood has set in and with it a forced acceptance of the misery of responsibility from the mundane (laundry) to the mundane (grocery shopping) to the mundane (pulling dead rats out of your gutter). After spending your day off in the lobby of a predatory mechanic, pop quizzes don't seem like such a big deal.

We pine for our easier days of playing youth sports both organized and pickup. Both competitive and relaxed. On TV screens as gamers. To vacant lots. To deserted playgrounds, backyards, you name it. Being the Michael Jordan of the neighborhood was preferable to the spirit-crushing reality of a work week (though so is putting your hand in a furnace). Still, getting that paper makes it barely worth it. And with your own money, pad, etc. you have the opportunity to upgrade your sporting setup.

The days of your youth are either waning, or have waned, but your love of sports has not. You've graduated from the juvenile to the sophisticated. From a Slip-N-Slide to a collector's edition poker table from an art gallery. Which do you prefer? The simplicity of youth? Or modern technology? Then vs. Now: Throwback Toys or Modern Technology?

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Then: Pop-a-Shot

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Now: The Treadwall

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Now: Air conditioned tennis racket.

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Then: Starting Lineup action figures.

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Now: Nerf N-Strike Elite Retaliator Sonic Ice Series Blaster

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Then: Scratch Velcro Throw & Catch Ball

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Now: Golf Cart Hovercraft

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Then: Little Tikes Basketball Hoop

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Now: Ultimate Electronic Dartboard Package

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Then: Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots

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Now: Wii Sports (Series)

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Then: Coleco Electronic Football

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Now: High Tech Foosball

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Then: Fisher Price 3-in-1: Pool Table, Ping Pong, Air Hockey

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Now: Functional Art Poker

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Then: Gator Golf

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Now: Golfing Simulator

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Then: The Vortex

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Now: Firevision Sports Football

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Then: Sock 'Em Boppers

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Now: MMA Trainer

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Then: Slip-N-Slide

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Now: Hydro Powered Jetovator

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Then: Tecmo Super Bowl

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Now: Madden Series

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Verdict: Then

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