Sweat To Swagg

If you love hoop like I do than you can’t wait to stand up and defend the athletes and their behavior. While watching a recent N.B.A. playoff game at a local bar, I was sitting next to a gentleman who was quite disturbed by the way professional athletes showboat and make gestures that bring attention to themselves. “Why does he have to slap his chest and stare like a freak at the crowd? Who does he think he is?  Just play the game!” After a thunderous reverse dunk the amazing athlete on the big screen was in full out celebration. Waving his hand in the air and gesturing to the crowd to get up, "The Rim Destroyer", is now on his way to the bench as a timeout had just been called by the opposing teams coach. As I slowly sip my foamy beer the gentlemen begins in again about the way today’s athletes are so full of themselves and how they should “act like they have been there before when they do something great or helpful for their squad”.

I am by nature a person that loves to debate and argue. O.k., that’s a lie. I’m a stubborn S.O.B who pounds his point of view down someone’s throat until they walk away or take a swing at me! Knowing myself very well and not wanting to cause a scene I think to myself. “It’s just SWAGG!!!!”

The gym in south beach is like any other gym in the world that has a regulation size hoop. At the moment the 6’7 220 pound professional bends his knee at the correct angle, catches the ball with his hands in the familiar acceptance position and whizzes off another shot. This is number 425 and he won’t stop until he has made 500 shots! Not till he shoots 500 shots, until he makes 500 shots! He will put up anywhere between 1,000 and 1,500 shots before the nights over depending on his accuracy. SWEAT!

 With the moonlight casting upon his socked body he struggles to catch his breath. The hill he has been conquering up and down for the last hour and a half is starting to show signs of fatigue as   the professional catches his breath and begins his next trip up. Muscles aching and crying out for mercy are ignored as the mad man races against himself to reach the top. It’s now 3: 30 in the morning eastern time. The birds that normally begin to land on the park benches aren't even up yet as he powers thru his routine. SWEAT!

My point is the celebration isn’t always about the moment. What it’s really about is the effort! On our screens we witness the likes of Kobe Bryant taunting and show boating after fantastic plays. Lebron James yelling as he demoralizes a lesser player on a nasty dunk. But when the camera goes off we don’t see the millions of hours of practice on top of practice that it took to put that athlete into a position to show boat. I mean doesn’t Seth Curry have the right to grab a camera and look into it and say “My gosh I’m hot right now?” He was the one in the gym shooting thousands of jumpers after practice. What’s wrong with De’andre Jordan letting out a primal scream as he races back down the court after posterizing an opponent? He was the one running hills at 3 am to keep his legs strong and developed.

Listen, sometimes players can take it too far. For instance, by not getting back on defense or getting a technical for taunting at a crucial point in the game. When your swagg hurts the overall chemistry of your team I could see how that would be looked down upon. But overall it must be noted that swag is not the enemy! Turning sweat into swagg is the reason the League is what it is today!