Like every living and breathing sports fan, I’ve been pondering Lebron, his first title, and how it makes me feel. Because Lebron plays basketball this inevitably involves Michael Jordan. While I was acting like I cared about what my co-workers were gossiping about, I had an epiphany. My love for MJ is similar to my childhood obsession with professional wrestling. After reading this, maybe you’ll feel the same way too.
As a kid, I loved pro wrestling. Obviously, I was drawn to the action, violence, the larger than life figures, and Miss Elizabeth. But I think there was a deeper connection. You see, in pro wrestling there are bad guys (heels) and good guys (babies). They will engage in long and often drawn out feuds, but the babies almost always win. Good triumphs over evil. The excitement of great feuds was the intrigue, the prolonged wait for victory, and the surprise at how high Macho Man jumped from the top rope… how Hulk Hogan could possibly body slam Andre the Giant… And how any man could get up from a Tombstone Pile Driver.
My childhood was a simpler time, and there was some comfort in knowing that the good guys would win. At the same time, I enjoyed the drama of how and why. It’s not all that different from a romantic comedy. We all know the princess will live happily ever after in love, but some pansies enjoy the exciting (and seldom surprising) how and why. That’s the same way I remember feeling about Michael Jordan. We all expected him to win. I even hoped for it. But the way he was able to do it – hanging in the air over the entire Lakers roster… stripping Karl Malone and draining a knock down J… shrugging at his own brilliance. That’s what made it spectacular. MJ was a baby face and babies always win. But the great ones always make the inevitable exciting.
Although I act like it, I’m not a child anymore. I like a more nuanced storyline. Ones that blur good and evil or that have an open ending. Maybe that’s why I enjoy The Dark Knight and Inception, but I find the WWE a little lacking these days. Maybe that’s why I find Lebron James a little lacking, too. We all knew deep down that he’d win a title, but we didn’t know how. Lebron shared some great moments this spring, some truly inspired basketball, and some surprising leadership. I knew I was watching greatness as it was happening, but I was distant and detached. My emotions didn’t hang on every jump shot. Maybe I just need a more nuanced story.
I always thought Lebron was great, but not quite great enough to capture my imagination. Maybe my imagination is just too great to be captured by Lebron.
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