Athletes' Responsibility to the Public

I like to keep things Baseball (I like to try and remember to always capitalize the name of my religion) up in this blog, but occasionally it may have to linger in a different area for a while before I reel it back in.

Recently when the Cavs lost in the playoffs, LeBron James didn't stick around at all after the game to talk to the media, and he was grilled for it. He was called unprofessional and stuff like that. I wondered for a while if this is true. Athletes are expected to be very patient with the media and maybe it's a little unfair to make everyone stay and talk about everything on the columnists' mind. I know they get paid plenty of money and the fans pay their salaries, but they are paid to really take their sport seriously. To spend hours and hours a day practicing the little boring things of their respective sport. And after all that, all the time and effort, all the hopes and dreams, you lose. Now, it happens to every team but one. Its a feeling very few athletes ever don't have, and everyone has experienced it. It's a pretty gray area- I guess I do understand where he's coming from.

I'm definitely not a fan of it, but I think some people should be sticking up for him. I'm sure he doesn't take this whole thing very lightly, thats for sure. There are times (as anybody with any experience in any sport has played) where you just want to be alone after games. This past year, I started the season 0-15. I couldn't buy a hit, and I wasn't even hitting the ball hard- there were barely any positives to look at. And after the games, I skipped the hot tub tradition and dinner with the guys because I just wanted to be alone. And I play DIII baseball. I can't imagine what it is to play professionally at any level.

I'll say this, I don't support prima donnas and I recently saw a clip of Alex Rios aboslutely ignoring this kid asking for an autograph. There was no big crowd just a kid walking with him to his car. This is where I don't understand it. It takes me 3/4 of a second to sign my name. With his athletic ability, he should have it down to .5 or less. There really is no excuse for this. I don't care how bad things are going for you, someone who is looking beyond that and appreciates you anyway wants you to sign something.

The only thing I can say about these athletes and the media is that their whole day is very organized and set. Day in and day out you come to the park and after the game you have the press conference. Its all part of the same routine. Almost as routine as this blog is getting.