Dwayne Wade Should Know There Is No Place In Sports For 9/11

On Sunday before his charity All-Star event Miami Heat superstar Dwayne Wade made comments to the reporters gathered amongst him. Wade said:

“There’s going to be times when we might lose one, two games in a row, maybe two games, three games in a row, you never know. It’s going to seem like the world is crashed down. You all are going to make it seem like the World Trade has just went down again. But it’s not going to be nothing but a couple basketball games lost and we’ll have to get back on track.”

Now in defense of Dwayne he is trying to put it in perspective that the reporters are the ones who are going to “make it seem like the World Trade has just went down again”.  Wade apologized for the comment saying,

“In an interview yesterday, I attempted to explain how some people may view the Miami Heat losing a few basketball games in a row during the upcoming season. It appears that my reference to the World Trade Center has been either inaccurately reported or taken completely out of context. I was simply trying to say that losing a few basketball games should not be compared to a real catastrophe.

“While it was certainly not my intention, I sincerely apologize to anyone who found my reference to the World Trade Center to be insensitive or offensive.”

Now Wade should man up and say he used a horrible analogy. I don’t think it was “inaccurately reported or taken completely out of context”. He said what he said. He probably could have gotten away with the term that “You all are gonna make it seem like it’s the end of the world or something”. Which brings me to other people who have used 9/11 as analogy of a horrible situation.

I screen-captured this photo from the comments board of the New York Post.com, the night Lebron James decided to go to the Miami Heat instead of the New York Knicks. (Click to enlarge)

WE ARE NYC. We survived 9/11. Im sure we can survive this circus of a NBA FA.(Free Agency)

When you see something like that it has to make you wonder where people’s logic is. There is no comparison to a player, even of LeBron James talent, choosing to go to another city, to the deaths of 3,000 people in a horrific manner.  Yeah maybe it brings you down. But it’s not even close. Or in the same galaxy.

In November of 2007, Alabama Football coach Nick Saban  used the ill-advised comparison of losing a football game, to compare the feeling to 9/11. Saban said:

“Changes in history usually occur after some kind of catastrophic event,” Saban said during the opening remarks of his weekly news conference. “It may be 9-11, which sort of changed the spirit of America relative to catastrophic events. Pearl Harbor kind of got us ready for World War II, or whatever, and that was a catastrophic event.”

A football spokesman later backtracked on the comments by saying:

“The message was that true spirit and unity become evident in the most difficult of times. Those were two tremendous examples that everyone can identify with.”

Having the Alabama football program lose to Louisiana-Monroe is hardly a thing  that is a “difficult time”. Let alone having people “identify” with 9/11 or Pearl Harbor. Imagine being able to ask the victims of 9/11 how they would compare what happened to them with losing a football game to an un-ranked team. Or asking their survivors.

Chad Ochocinco wide receiver in the NFL tweeted after the death of Michael Jackson:

“Okay, first Mrs. Fawcett now Mr.Jackson, please tell me that this is a mistaken rumor, if not this is just as sad as 9/11“

Chad later backtracked on the comment by tweeting:

“ok not as bad as 9/11, it’s sad period,both situations my goodness people, they just said he is okay in the hospital,“

Chad recognized how crazy he sounded and later tweeted:

“The 9/11 was a bit over the top, i am just in an emotional state right now, bare with me while I regroup people, be back in 10 minutes”

9/11 for some, seems to be a way for people to put into words some deep emotional feeling. But people need to be rational. There is no comparing losing games in sports. Or even the single death of an entertainer that you are un-related to. I’m sure for Mr. Jackson’s kids that was their 9/11. And rightly so. When you lose someone you love it changes you life forever. But when you lose a game or two. There is always tomorrow or next season. Something the victims and their families of 9/11 didn’t have.

56Rebels

 

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