Memo to Sportmanship Do-Gooders & Hypocrites: Leave LeBron Alone!

First of all, allow me to advise and clarify that I am a Lakers fan. Hence, I am neither a LeBron James nor a Cleveland Cavaliers homer or apologist.

Society is permeated with traditions, morals, judgements, paradigms, and expectations that are rooted in good intentions. But they are chock full of hypocrisy, born and nurtured via arbitrary and capricious means, and are preached and applied selectively, conveniently, and prejudicially. To wit…

Society states that it believes the post-game acknowledgement of an opponent by the loser both builds and demonstrates sportsmanship and character. Yet since such acknowledgement is seldom evidenced outside of sports by either athletes, former athletes, or fans and media who preach this “religion”, it’s obvious that the “builds” claim is utter baloney.

No one at P&G runs over to Lever Brothers to congratulate them on selling more laundry detergent. No one at Coca-Cola shake hands with anyone at Pepsi for taking market share points away from them. Few workers on any job go looking for the co-worker, who just beat them out of a big promotion, to tell them how happy they are for the winner.

Kids shake hands with opponents only because the coaches force them to. Then, when they grow up and/or get away from sports, they, for the most part, don’t congratulate ANYONE for kicking their butts in non-sports endeavors.

Judging someone’s character as flawed based on them not engaging in what is, for most losers of contests, a dishonest, disingenuous, and phony gesture is ironically and backwardly tantamount to declaring that a person has a flawed character when they refuse to cheat on their taxes because “everyone does it!”

A lie is a lie regardless of its intent. Ditto for a dishonest gesture.

Society and the sports world doesn’t even apply the judgement across all sports, or even all parts of some sports. If a loser acknowledging the winner with a post-game handshake is good, then why does no one care, and losing athletes get criticized if they shake an opponents hand after individual games in series—in the NBA, NHL, MLB, NCAA, high school—you name it?

If this act is so good, then why does no one even notice that MLB players virtually never even get anywhere near each other after games or even series?

If this act is so evidential of sportsmanship and character, then why is it that in the NFL, only the coaches get bad-mouthed if they don’t do it, but no one even notices that most of the losing players simply wander off the field and back into the locker room (except a few star players with each other and the small bunch that does the post-game prayer circle—which I think is great, by the way)?

Why is LeBron deemed to possess a flaw in his character for eschewing this phony act, yet there’s an entire league of baseball players who are not similarly judged simply because it’s not that league’s tradition and MLB players en-masse don’t want to do it—and don't do it?

Is character and sportsmanship a function of what sport or league in which one plays. Even more significantly, is character a function of playing sports, but not of being a working stiff like you and me?

In Asian-based martial arts, it is the WINNER who seeks out the loser—in order to demonstrate honor and humility despite having just demonstrated superior skills. It is the “Sempai” (master/teacher) who seeks out the “Kohai” (student). It is the conqueror who reaches down to lift up the vanquished. In my opinion, they have it right and Western culture has it backwards.

As for the media—fans have allowed the media to believe that it’s really important and has power over athletes. I laugh at the talking heads yesterday saying,” LeBron must talk to the media,” and, ”LeBron must shake hands after losses.”

Well, he didn't, so therefore he must not have had to! And if he decides to not do it again, nothing will happen to him but more yeapping about it!

Floyd Mayweather Jr told an ESPN talking head last week (paraphrased) ”Shut up and let me talk. You asked to interview me. You need me. I don’t need you!” LeBron doesn’t need the media either.

They can’t cost him a game or a dime of salary, and the public will still pay to see him play and buy his stuff—making him millions as long as he keeps playing “Grown Man Basketball” at a high level, regardless of what the media (or most fans) says (truthfully or not) about him.

Don’t believe it? Look at Kobe. Does he look like he’s broke or not winning?

I rest my case.

Reg DeVone is a Sports Jabber author.

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