As Abraham Lincoln (or was it Mark Twain?) once said, “Better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to open your mouth and remove all doubt.” Replace the term “fool” with “whiner,” and our nation’s most revered president (or author) provides apt advice for the best players in both the NHL and NBA, Sidney (“Sid the Kid”) Crosby, and LeBron (“King”) James.
Sometimes, how you play the game really is more important than whether you win or lose, especially when you play the right way (or at least, refrain from playing the wrong way), and are rewarded for your efforts by winning anyway. Such was the case this past Saturday night with the defeats of both Crosby’s Penguins, and LeBron’s Heat, as the best players in both their leagues were reminded, respectively, that no matter how much they complain about officiating, they are not greater than the games they play. (A hard truth, to be sure.)
Ours is a highlight reel sports culture, full of slap shots and slam dunks. But this past weekend gave us two “highlights,” from two separate games, from these two different sports, both of which feature their leagues’ best players (and respective team’s captain) whining about officiating, and how the game isn’t going how they want it to be, that mirror each other a bit too closely.
Read on at Free Sport …
