On the TUNNEYSIDE of SPORTS June 27, 2016 #599 Up next…” Taking the High Road!”
After further review……WHEW! The NBA season is finally over! And thank goodness! For the Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers fans, it was a furious batt…, er, “war.” The suspension of Warriors player Draymond Green, in game five of the finals, drew more attention that the basketball game itself. The TunneySide congratulates the Cavs and MVP LeBron James! BTW, it was basketball those two teams were playing, wasn’t it? Some said it was more like UFC combat than the game Dr. Jim Naismith intended it to be! Hard to argue; since it was invented more than a century ago in 1891, players, coaches, style of play and games themselves sure have changed!
What shouldn’t change is the attitude of the players and coaches; that seems to have gone in a different direction. Here’s a statement by one of today’s well-known players: “It’s so hard to take the high road. I’ve been doing it for 13 years. It’s hard to continue to do it.” The TunneySide interprets this to mean: that player intends to do the right thing, e.g., “take the high road,” but can’t or doesn’t want to because “it’s so hard!” “So hard?”– Hmmm, never thought it was meant to be easy. What are that player’s options? Well, he could not take that high road in the future. Or maybe just quit the game! Let’s look at those options.
That player is still young enough and physically able enough to play, so his dilemma is one of attitude. “Gee, I try to do the right thing; but my opponents don’t, so why should I.” (Sob!) ‘Heard that from children; “Gee, dad, no one else is doing this, why should I?” That’s never been much of a valid argument in my home. But perhaps said player should drop his standards to the level of others, since doing the right thing and taking the high road, is a hard choice. What type of player does he want to be? What does he want to leave as his legacy?
There’s another option – he could simply quit! The player in question has ample financial resources, so is it the money that’s enticing him to keep playing? What is his core motivation to continue in the game he has worshipped since he was a kid? To leave the game better than he found it, or to outspend everybody else?
Will you let your attitude define you, destroy you or strength you?
To contact Jim go to www.jimtunney.com or email jim@jimtunney.com.
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