LeBron who?

The sports pages have been ablaze this week with speculation about NBA megastar LeBron James' decision to stay or leave Cleveland. Last night on ESPN he removed all doubt, declaring his intention to go to the Miami Heat to play with superstars Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh (himself only committed this week). So the three of them have thrown down the gauntlet for the rest of the league, evidently.

Cleveland, we might well imagine, is in mourning. Not only was LeBron a homegrown boy, the darling of the region, he was the face of the Cavalier franchise. The city of Cleveland, long the brunt of jokes, now recedes again into the shadows of NBA-dom. LeBron had been the difference-maker, elevating a hapless NBA franchise to play-off status over his eight years with the team. Now, he's gone.

As a sports fan, I'm increasingly wearied by the idol worship, pedestal-izing, and obscene contracts awarded these sports figures. It's little wonder that many of them come to think of themselves as above the law, to regard fans and franchise owners alike as subject to their beck and call. Our society has created a specialized caste of professional athletes. Kids (and parents) from ghetto and suburb will do almost anything to break into the club. Make no mistake. This isn't about sports. It's huge business. And the official commerce of ticket sales, arena vending, TV contracts and so on represents only the tip of the iceberg. Odds makers make a pretty good living at this, too.

At a time when so many are struggling financially, and when there's an environmental disaster along our shoreline, and our cities continue to deteriorate, and there are seemingly insurmountable obstacles to matters relating to healthcare (to mention just a few concerns), what does it mean that so much of our attention and spending is focused on professional sports? It's a diversion, surely, and that's fine with me. I enjoy sports. But aren't we a little crazy on this these days? And when I say "we," I guess I'm thinking specifically of those of us who claim to have a somewhat countercultural value system, ie, the gospel.