STOP BEING A GROUPIE

By Justin Cheng

Well, isn't this a sight to see? Danny Green of the Western Conference champion San Antonio Spurs congratulating the MVP Lebron James after Game 7 of the NBA Finals. These two were battling for championship glory over the past two weeks with Lebron and the Miami Heat emerging as the victors. But what does this picture symbolize and why does it bother me so much?

Despite being teammates for a season in Cleveland, this type of friendship and camaraderie does not appear to be an anomaly with athletes in this era. Social media, most notably Twitter, has served as a platform for professional athletes to communicate in a fashion that had not previously existed. Pros can effectively promote themselves with their followers and connect with other athletes outside of conventional media.

But is this new connectivity between athletes a hindrance between competitors?

Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, The Detroit Pistons Bad Boys. What do these three have in common? They were all maniacally competitive, a trait that may not be the most endearing in most real life situations, but nevertheless serves as a huge mental edge, particularly in the realm of professional sports. Michael Jordan, even at age 50 and 45 pounds over his playing weight, handled Gerald Henderson and beat  Michael Kidd-Gilchrist in one-on-one games. By not conceding anything (even in losing efforts), they gained a distaste for their opponents and willed themselves and their teams to multiple championships and meaningless one-on-one games with their employees. 

I am not going to sit here on some Skip Bayless-like rant and say that Green should have locked himself in a darkened dungeon of despair, but as a competitor and person who more than likely would have been the Finals MVP, Green did himself and the Spurs a disfavor by appearing submissive. Ten years ago you would not have seen guys from different teams working out with each other or planning to build superstar-loaded teams. Just like now, you don't show that kind of weakness if your ultimate goal is to win a championship, especially when the powerhouse, that is the Miami Heat, is the biggest hindrance of that. 

Perhaps I am looking into this picture too much. After all, sportsmanship is something that is taught as a kid. However, as a fan, I wouldn't want to see my superstar players fraternizing with the enemy after a life-changing loss. Rather, I would want at least some Derrick Rose- like resiliency for him not to go to a club with your biggest career road block. It's 2013 after all, and you can be cordial and send a congratulatory text message.

The Bayless Babbles is a sports blog is co-authored by UC Merced/ USC alumnus Justin Cheng and UC San Diego alumnus Brent Lee.

For more about the author and the blog (Click Here)

Email: baylessbabbles@gmail.com

Follow The Bayless Babbles on Twitter (@BaylessBabbles)

Like & Share the articles on Facebook.

Do one of these! Thanks!