I’m sitting in Chipotle (Fresh Mexican Restaurant) talking to a young guy about his stay in the United States. He’s from somewhere else. He’d rather be home in the somewhere else. But he’s here because people in the somewhere else think it beneficial that he stay here just now. He’s unhappy.

I saw a movie recently in which two men traveled across country for $40,000. I’ll spare you the details of the flick but needless to say they went through things I wouldn’t endure for $40K. On to real life, I’ve run into a fair amount of wealthy men in the last five years who have that “I feel like a slave” look on their faces. And I’m fully aware that us non-rich tend to apply these piñata like metaphors carelessly assuming that rich folk are without substance and character. I wouldn’t dare assume that. But the universal theme of being bought rears its head in professional sports if you’re ever close enough to look a veteran pro in the eyes.

I saw a man recently who makes good money playing basketball and he had the countenance of a man who had shaken hands with Tom Walker’s devil. He looked as though he felt compromised as a man, as a human and as one created for unfettered devotion to only one God. I talked to this man and marveled at how someone with my dream job dwelt in the tension of ultimate financial security and self-respect. As you recalibrate today, consider your price.

When the mighty Heat fell to Dallas in six games, the pundits lay in wait to seize upon the controversial Lebron “King” James. People love a tragedy and particularly the demise of someone touted as indisputable. So it was the perfect fodder mixture for a tantalizing afterglow of this year’s NBA Finals because “HaterAde” is a real drink. I listened to one critique of Lebron in which an ESPN analyst said Lebron would regret the words he said about NBA fans who have rooted for his failure all year. But as I listened and rewound I didn’t hear what he said that was regrettable. To paraphrase Lebron’s response to the question, “How do you feel about fans who root for you to fail?” he said something to the effect that those people still have to wake up tomorrow with the same problems they have today. My success or failure won’t affect that.

These words were spun and the dudes doing the spinning weren’t believers in what they were propagating. They were just doing what they get paid to do. After all, was Lebron wrong? Quite the contrary. He was dead on and while he’s done and said questionable things publicly that reek of arrogance, he could have said much worse things about his naysayers. How’s he supposed to feel when your villain factor rises by the second. You could see the defensiveness in his body language. But if you’ve ever been a journalist you know, there are questions you want to ask and questions you have to ask. Nobody makes a dollar out of 15 cents like reporters and that’s a skill that cuts both ways. Writing is a potentially colorful and rich experience that invites people to participate in worlds otherwise unknown to them. It’s also a great tool for gaining insight. But as the NBA is clearly a business so is the press room. Lebron and his cohorts will likely be still playing in June of 2012 but right now they are the ones donning the black hats in this western. So be it. Sometimes the people who liked you decide they don’t. All the more reason to develop your post game Lebron. Basketball and its fame make for a fun and gratifying profession but on the other hand, they make terrible gods.