Arrogance: Part 1

I attended a high school all-star game on Saturday between the San Gabriel Valley Tribune and Pasadena Star News teams. If you're not familiar with this prep all-star game, I won't bore you with the names of the high schools involved. What I will say is that it is amazing what talent can buy certain people in this world. I watched an athlete who wore the #3 for one particular high school team from Pasadena. His athletic skills were unparallelled as he slashed the lane, snatched rebounds from above the rim and fluidly coursed through the competition as if they were stationary cones from an obstacle course. He won the slam dunk competition and posted MVP honors for his team at game's end. But don't mistake my honesty for impression. I WAS FAR FROM IMPRESSED. I was appalled. When you are as gifted as this young man, the world takes notice and immediately begins offering you approval. You can ignore your teammates, yell derogatory statements at opposing competition and neglect playing defense but all people see is that you can straddle three people on your way to an electrifying dunk. When you're arrogant and talented, people say, "He's got to be that way....it gives him his edge." These are fitting words because an edge is what knives have and they can be used to complement lives or destroy them. This young man I observed was consumed with himself and he made fans of his own team angry. I sat in the stands watching sponsors and coaches coddle this player. "Which Division I are y'all going to," the player heckled to opposing teammates. If I were the coach of his all-star team, I would have subbed him out immediately for the duration of the game. When will the sports world send messages to young athletes that giftedness does not equal superiority. Everyone needs limits. Arrogance may as well be cancer because one day we'll all be average and not the talk of the town.