For Your Health; Business Model

I have been recently struggling with one thing in my life. No that’s not true at all…but one major thing about sports. Attachment. Ok so, I am not a little kid anymore, at least I don’t look like one… yet, why do I find myself struggling so much to say goodbye to players when they’ve been traded? Why do I find myself so attached to players from my favorite sports teams even if they are bad people, and quite frankly substandard, poor-quality, second-rate players? Why do I find myself so upset when Nate Robinson is hauled out of New York like a cheap date on prom night? I mean come on; does a three-time dunk champion not mean anything to you people these days? Why am I so obsessed with human interest stories, why can’t I just root for my team to win?

Well, that is just the thing. I cannot just root for my team to win. I cannot just look at the final score. I cannot just sit back idle when a player on my team dons the colors I bleed, and I don’t even know him. I care about the players. I care who’s friends with who, I care who had to overcome adversity to get to this point, I care who made it back from microfracture knee surgery, and who’s career needs a resurgence to gain the respect of the sports nation once again. I care about potential, about the people, about the emotion.

I little earlier, I was talking to my little sister about the NBA trades that were just made. I explained how Tracy McGrady a two time scoring champion and future hall of famer will be playing for the Knicks for the last 29 games of the season. She asked me, “but, isn’t he upset that he had to leave his team in the middle of the season”? I tried to act as any other sport fan would these days,
“It’s a business,” I said. “The organization has to do what’s best for them.” It was at this exact point in my life that I realized I hated the word “business.” It is the antithesis of human interest; it is the antithesis of everything I root for.

You see, I’ll put it this way, what my favorite team has just subsequently asked me to do, is say goodbye to players I have loved for (some of them) up to five years, say hello to a completely new group of players, learn their ages, colleges, backgrounds, and personalities; and then act as if each jump shot these new players take is the mere difference between life and death for me. Don’t misunderstand me, this is all going to happen, but I don’t like it. For example, the human-interest story of Tracy McGrady is enough for me to still root for alone, but let’s be honest with what’s going to happen here; McGrady is going to play 29 games for the Knicks and in all likelihood be shipped off to a team I hate at the end of the season. I’ll watch him on his new team dejectedly, and repeat in my mind, “man I wish that guy had won a championship here.” It’s usually my go-to line. And, all of this will happen because sports is a “business.” Do you think the Knicks cared about the name on the back of the jersey of the guy whose 22.3 million dollar contract expires at the end of the season? Me neither.

So am I against all trades? Heck no! Trade, trade, trade away if it helps your team, and well of course, the player you’re trading isn’t a fan favorite. Camby can go play for the blazers, and Garnet can play for the Celts, and Jamison for the Cavs, especially if the situation hadn’t been working out before, i.e. Jamison. But seriously, what is Eddie house going to do that Nate Robinson can’t? Can Eddie House even dunk?

In conclusion, the problem here is that I root for the players instead of the team. I always want each player to be the right fit for my team, no matter what his age is, college was, background may have been, or the flaws he may possess. Well, unless of course, they just aren’t good players, i.e. Jonathan Bender. The point here is, it’s time I stop routing for the players; for my health. Players will come, players will go. I need to stop the individuals from sparking my excitement, and stop the individuals from sparking my temper, i.e. Jonathan Bender. Because, when it’s all said and done, there is only one thing left, “the business.”

Then again, the Knicks are on soon…I hope McGrady scores 30.