The Sacrifice of Limelight

One of the hallmarks of our humanness has to be the use, misuse or neglect of discretion. It seems like daily we find opportunities to do things or not do things in the best interest of family, our teams, company’s, etc. But the greatest nemesis of a selfless decision is the allure of limelight. It’s All-Star weekend and they’re expecting a record crowd in Dallas since the game is being held in the billion dollar flagship of football fortresses known as the new Cowboys stadium. Kobe Bryant and Allen Iverson will forgo playing on the largest stage in basketball history and it’s symbolic if nothing else of the constant internal struggle that rages within us all.

Kobe has multiple injuries which include a broken finger, an ailing lower back, knee pain and a sprained ankle. Allen Iverson has always been banged up but alongside nagging injury, he’s said to have relinquished his spot due to personal matters. Iverson is also, quite frankly, not All-Star material this year having gotten the season off to a tumultuous start playing for the Memphis Grizzlies before a reluctant trade occurred. All this to say that both Bryant and Iverson could have suited up but they chose not to either because of undue stress from external influences or internal ones that convinced them that this time…the limelight is not worth it.

I can remember selling my truck in 2004 and having two buyers compete for the sale. They arrived to the parking lot and one offered me $1,000 less than my asking price in cash while the other said he’d give me full asking price, half now and the other half when my pink slip arrived. It was a test of delayed gratification and it was one of the times in my life when I chose to delay. We all want to be Kobe and Allen if for no other reason than to be respected for an unusual skill set and acumen. Some of us just love having fun too much to sacrifice it in favor of the real work at hand. Whatever the limelight, the good of the “team” is always more important than the fame or pleasure of an individual. Just because this isn’t the rule practiced in our society doesn’t mean it’s not true. I’m sure the long-term benefit of Kobe skipping an All-Star game is worth a back-to-back championship. More importantly, if Iverson is tending to a family matter instead of participating in the Dallas spectacle for the ages, he is today the epitome of a man who lives for more than his 9-to-5.