This morning I was (against my better judgment) watching SportsCrapter, eh, Center, when I heard LeBron James explain his non-handshake after Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals thusly …
“It’s hard for me to congratulate somebody after you just lose to them. I’m a winner. It’s not being a poor sport or anything like that. If somebody beats you up, you’re not going to congratulate them. That doesn’t make sense to me.”
Look, I don’t believe in beating up a guy for one stupid quote. James was hurting, and he’s allowed to be human. Hey, we all have our moments. That said—this was really poor. I’m sick of professional athletes offering kids the worst possible lessons: Be cocky, talk shit, don’t be gracious. James is right—it is hard to offer congratulations after such a heartbreaking defeat. But oftentimes the hardest things to do are the most vital things to do. Nobody died, no one was hurt—it was a basketball game. There’ll be plenty more.
James should have held his breath and extended his hand. He even could have made the who-farted? face while doing so.
Oh, well.
