We all have hopes. We all have dreams. It is likely that your aspirations differ from those of even your closest friends. Honestly, that is what makes life so interesting. Everybody has their own opinions and values that they hold close to their heart and nobody has the authority to tell them that they are wrong. The world of sports is no different. Athletes all have different motivations for playing the sport. Whether it be about money, fame, or the simple desire to win, who are we to say what the correct motive is?
As a society, we cannot help but criticize people that we view as lazy or selfish. From my experiences, this seems particularly prevalent when talking about athletes. There are certain things about certain athletes that make them unlikable. For instance, Vince Carter is perhaps one of the most disliked players by diehard NBA fans. If you ask someone why they don’t like Carter you’ll like get a response regarding his apparent apathy. He just doesn’t seem to care. This is entirely his decision and to be fair, it’s probably not even a conscious choice.
Alternatively, we idolize and love those who play the game “the right way”, whatever that may be. Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant come off as two prime examples of what we want in an athlete. They honor the competitive nature of the game and leave everything on the court. They work even harder during the off-season to perfect their craft and place winning ahead of everything else. We love them for this and hate players like Vince because they don’t possess the same mentality.As I said before, different things matter to different people. We dislike Vince because he doesn’t always try his hardest and winning doesn’t seem to be a priority. He was blessed with otherworldly talent and could be going down in history as one of the greatest to ever play if he simply had a better work ethic and attitude. But he doesn’t. That’s his life.
How can we criticize someone for not trying hard enough or having the right attitude when we are merely spectating from our living room? Take time to consider what your major goals in life are. You probably came up with something along the lines of. happiness, family, financial security, etc. Well hasn’t Vince Carter achieved that? He has plenty of money and presumedly enjoys playing the game of basketball. He gets paid to do something enjoyable every night and that might be enough for him. Is he wrong for not ranking winning as the one of the most important goals in life? Some people would say so, but that’s their opinion. In the waning hours of Carter’s career we see him trying even less. It’s a shame to see Vince care so little when a guy like Steve Nash cares so much. I’ve often considered how players react when their body starts to fail them. For someone who had relied so heavily on his natural abilities, it has to be particularly frustrating. Freakish athletes like Carter, Shaq, Iverson, etc. never really had the need to work especially hard. Now as they have all gotten older and lost the explosiveness that made them so special as players, we see them struggle. The desire to reshape their game isn’t there. Therefore, they are destined to fizzle out and have an unremarkable end to their careers. It’s disappointing, but it comes down to the mindset. Some people have it, others don’t.
For the average NBA enthusiast, the priority is winning. However, I am hesitant to condemn anyone who doesn’t share that opinion. During the current NBA playoffs I was reminded of one of the more interesting players in the league. JR Smith of the Denver Nuggets is perhaps one of the most talented players in the league, yet fails to effectively harness that potential. When JR is on, he has the ability to takeover a game. Unfortunately, he’s a total head-case. It’s easy to say that he’s wasting such incredible talent, but what we may see as a waste, may be perfectly satisfying for him. I suppose that we wish he had the same mindset as Kobe or Jordan, but it’s certainly possible that all he wants to do is make crazy highlights, shoot tons of threes, and occasionally dunk all over Gary Neal.
This is only my opinion and I certainly understand the disdain for chronic underachievers, yet I can’t help but try to put myself in their shoes. If I were incredibly, naturally gifted at a sport, how would I use that ability? I know that I am a very competitive person, but just living the life of an NBA player and getting paid to do something I love might be enough for me. I don’t know if I would possess that insatiable thirst for victory. In our minds, we want all players to appreciate their talents and have a great work ethic. You might claim that that is how you would act if you were so supremely athletic. You’d spend countless hours in the gym and have an unyielding commitment to the game. But that’s your dream. And what is your dream, might be someone else’s nightmare.
