And don't get me wrong, Im in no way a fan of LeBron or the heat, but this hate-fest is getting old. Too bad there was a lot more about the heat than the Mavs.
"I asked LeBron for a dollar, and he gave me 75 cents. He doesn't have the last quarter"
"LeBron is 26, looks 36, and acts 16"
etc etc.
He's the most hated athlete, made the heat the most hated team, but the more you talk about him, the less you talk about how great was Dirk. The more you talk about the heat, the less you talk about the mavs. Maybe we should say instead how awesome were those mavs! and sadly I hardly hear that.
Speaking of that here is a column that is a version of a recent radio show Albom did..
BY MITCH ALBOM
DETROIT FREE PRESS COLUMNIST
A Dallas basketball team won the NBA title last week, but to hear most people tell the story, LeBron James lost it.
They say it with glee.
"LeBron thought he was so great. Ha-ha. Look at how he messed up at the end!"
All across the country, people rejoiced in the comeuppance of LeBron and his Miami Heat teammates, who had banded together through free agency to try to build a super team. It's not exactly a crime. But the hubris they showed, people said, turned public opinion against them.
So much so that far more people were rooting for Miami to crumble than were actually passionate about Dallas winning.
At the same time, U.S. Rep. Anthony Weiner was embroiled in his sexting scandal. He tried to save his job. Apologized. Went to rehab. But as more naughty photos and racy messages emerged, you could hear the screams rising. "Quit! Quit! Quit!"
Finally, under the weight of that chorus, he did. And today, just a few days later, nobody cares what he does with his camera or his crotch. It's as if a thirst has been quenched.
There's a thread that runs through these two issues. Some call it "Hating On." I call it "Rooting Against." It seems this is becoming at least as popular as "Rooting For."
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Full Column
