The Heat

Question: Why do the Heat get so heavily criticized? On my Facebook news feed people are constantly trashing them, calling them "cocky, overconfident, punks, egocentric." The list goes on. Why the hate? Geez. Lebron gets booed wherever he goes like if he has insulted the honor, families, dogs, and ancestors of these people. He did nothing wrong to anybody. I understand why Cleveland fans would be disappointed but everybody else needs to calm down and be quiet. And now the booing has expanded to Wade. Why? No clue. Why can't we all just acknowledge the great athleticism of these people as a team and as individuals? They're entertaining to watch! If you're a Heat fan or not, you can't deny it. So stop. I am sure that if any of us were 1/100th as good as Lebron, Wade or Bosh, we'd be the most cocky, overconfident athletes out there. There's nothing wrong with being confident and knowing that you're good when you are among the best. The adjectives that are being used to describe these people also attack them as a person. We don't know who they are or what they're going through. We all have imperfections - celebrities and athletes included. Sports is one thing but getting personal is another and absolutely ridiculous. 

And even more recently, people have been criticizing and creating stereotypes of Heat fans. I'm a Heat fan so when I hear people calling Heat fans "classless", it hurts. Yes, there are some "classless" Heat fans - the same way that there's classless fans of all sorts in all sports and teams! And yes, there are also those fans who jumped on the bandwagon this past year. But then there are those fans, who, like myself, have been Heat fans since the beginning. Basketball has always been my favorite sport. I'd play for hours on end with my little brother growing up. I had an Alonzo Mourning Heat jersey before Wade was even in the NBA and before the Heat ever won a championship. I went to Heat games with my family when we sucked. So all I'm saying is that generalization and stereotypes are just that - nothing more. 

And I also believe that there's nothing wrong with getting excited about your home team winning. I know a lot of people who weren't huge Heat fans before but now are. Who dictates when it is the appropriate time to become a Heat fan (or a fan of whatever team period)? Whether the Heat win the championships this year or not, I know that in the midst of it all, life-long Heat fans were created in the process. And I think that's pretty cool. It creates a sense of camaraderie and unity among friends, family, and a whole city! I find that to be a rather impressive and beautiful thing. My grandma was excited to see the Heat doing good back in '06. She passed away before they made it to the finals but she enjoyed cheering with us and watching the games. Was she a huge basketball fan? No. Was it fun? Yes.

And there are FEW people in this world that can really be called fans of anything. If we were all the loyal fans that we should be, why aren't the arenas sold out every game - regular season or post season, if we're doing horrible or amazing, whatever the situation may be? I feel that the whole sports industry is becoming less and less classy because of all the hating that goes on. Sportsmanship is diminishing."Fans" are taking it to a whole other level by feeling hatred and being vengeful instead of treating it for what it is - a game. 

Last year, the Heat obviously didn't make it to the finals. The Boston Celtics did instead. We watched all the games, just like if the Heat were playing, and cheered on the Celtics because they're fun to watch (and cause they're from the East Coast :]). We even made Celtics cupcakes. It was just a fun experience. Did I hate on the Celtics for being a better team than the Heat that year? No. Did I watch the finals just to see another team fail and experience joy from it? No. I don't love the Lakers and my brother is a Kobe fan. Do I hate him? No. If you truly do love basketball (and any sport for that matter), you can root for any team or individual and have fun doing it, whether it's your home/preferred team or not. 

I married into a family that loves to "smack talk." But it's a friendly, gentle type of "smack talk." In the Dawson family, there is a huge Eagles-Redskins rivalry and it's all in good fun! I love it! So all I'm saying is that these horrible feelings that people are having against the Miami Heat is pretty ridiculous and immature. 

Anyway, we had a tough game last night but I can't wait till Sunday! Hopefully we can pull through how we have in the past. Hope you all have a good weekend! 

GO HEAT!