.
If you live in (or probably even near) the state of Ohio you have probably heard (unless you are on vacation or in a cave) that LeBron James is leaving Cleveland (Cavaliers) and going to Miami, Florida, to play basketball. Apparently James made this announcement on national television last night. I didn't see the announcement, but I heard. Within moments of James revealing this fact, it was being texted, tweeted, facebooked (is that a word?), in general, broadcast all over.
On the early evening news, a mere 30 minutes later, there was footage of people angry, burning his jersey in the streets. They were hurt and angry, not just in Cleveland, but all over Ohio and probably a lot of the neighboring states. People who don't even give a rat's behind about professional basketball were furious. How could he do this to us, to Cleveland?
After listening to the news for all of maybe 45 seconds, I came to the conclusion (it wasn't difficult) that professional sports is, in fact, a religion to a vast majority of people in this country. Not just a past time, but a religion, and these sports people, these LeBron James of the sports world, are their gods. I guess I already knew that in the vague way you know about something that does not really affect you, but it was so sadly vivid.
I have a message for those people, all those souls who are trying to find something meaningful in our country's coliseums and stadiums: LeBron James is not your savior. He is an employee of a sports franchise. And he just quit his job and got another one in another state. It's just like if he worked for McDonald's and he quit and got a job at Burger King. If he means any more to you than your local McDonald's employee, then you are emotionally involved in his career in an unhealthy way. You don't know this man. He is not your friend, your brother, your cousin, or your son. He does not owe you anything, just because you live in the same state or you attend basketball games at the place where he works.
To those folks who say he owes the city of Cleveland, I say "How?" If Cleveland is going to suffer financially because he is gone, then Cleveland wasn't running their city very efficiently. They should have squirreled away the LeBron James money while they had it -- saved it for a rainy day, like today.
I don't watch much television news any more, nor do I read the newspaper, nor do I follow many professional sports. It only takes a brief (very brief) glimpse of the world out there for me to remember why. So many people in this world have forgotten what this life is about. They are not necessarily bad people, but they are lost. They worship false gods.
If you know the true God, you could never mistake LeBron James for Him.
Note: I am not making any judgment about James -- I don't know him.
.
Well said! We are sports fanatics around here, but my husband and I were making many of the same points earlier. People take this stuff way too seriously sometimes. When I find myself getting too wrapped up in the trials and tribulations of my favorite teams I remind myself that at the end of the day, whether they win or lose it isn't really going to change my life that much. : )
ReplyDeleteThanks, groovy mom! It's hard when you live in a sports town (Buckeyes here) because so much of what is going on is that sport. I usually try to live in a cave during football season, but then my husband starts yelling like a fool! ;-)
ReplyDeleteLebron who?? Never hear of him...
ReplyDeleteGreat post, Barbara :)
No one who bounces a ball for a living is worth all the attention this guy has gotten.
ReplyDeleteFirst, I want to agree with Barbs's comment above. That one sentence sums up the whole situation. I'll just add that stories like this one are part of the reason I don't want my sons watching sports. Go outside and play them, yes. Watch adults act like spoiled children on TV, no.
ReplyDeleteyou write so eloquently, barb. you could write a "column". but i guess that is sort of what you do here. i am so thankful that my husband is not really "into" sports that much. he and the boys watch and play. but it has its' place as "sport". and i have always enforced the "fun" of playing vs. win or die. sort of like the spartan mentality-come home on your shield or don't come home. so sad.
ReplyDeleteanyhow. well. said.
and i love the color of your new paint. very sooooothing. although i like the cucumber-y green too. i, personally, think every room should be a different color!
but my whole house is latte colored. so i am allowed to dream!