I wanted to make a comment about an interview with LeBron James yesterday. One thing we have learned during this trying time is that sports are not essential. I love sports, both playing and watching. I hate that March Madness is canceled this year, it is one of my favorite times of the year, yet it is not essential to my life. James came out against continuing the NBA season because it would be played without fans. Basically what he said was that it is not fun playing in empty stadiums, it is hard for him to get motivated without people. This is just one of the reasons I am not a fan of the so called King. If the game itself, not to mention the millions of dollars he makes, is not enough to motivate him, maybe he needs to realize the only reason he is important is because he plays a game.
Historically speaking, I wish he could understand his role. I have written on this before, but in the wake of America’s largest tragedy, 9/11, it was sports that helped support the American people. It was sports that helped make things normal again. It was sports that gave us something to focus on. James makes money because fans want to watch sports, even if that means we watch from our living rooms. Even if that means no one is supporting his ego. We are asking everyone to sacrifice. I hate on-line teaching, but yet here I am. Yet James who makes more money in a season than many Americans will ever make, is complaining that he may have to play a game with no one cheering. There has been a lot of talk lately about why the NBA is down. Maybe we don’t need to fix the game; we need to fix the players.
Historically Speaking 