Sports World

It doesn’t happen very often but for a two week period beginning in early July, sports became the most important focus of the world’s population.

From the time the World’s Cup (soccer) reached its top competitive stages earlier this month, the world’s most popular sport dominated, sold newspapers and made front page headlines around the world. Even in the USA where soccer is less than an afterthought, what they call ‘football’ in other countries received acceptable TV ratings as long as America’s representative remained alive. Once they were eliminated, few watched.

TV news reporters starving for summer stories hung out at restaurant/bars in neighborhoods rich with specific nationalities whose teams continued playing. Local fans were no different than American sports enthusiasts who root for the Mets, Knicks, Giants or Islanders. What most FIFA/soccer fans may not understand is players wearing USA across their jerseys are professionals who could care less who they play for as long as the check clears. There was no spine-chilling, red, white and blue mentality on the part of American players. Yes, they wanted to win as many games as they could including the championship but it wasn’t for America. Anything prolonging and benefiting careers is seen as something to professionally pursue.

LeBron James, made ‘The Decision,’ and became one of the most despised basketball players in America, especially in Cleveland and Akron, Ohio. Last week the Yankee family lost two of their pioneers when public address announcer Bob Shepherd and owner George Steinbrenner passed away.

Shepherd was a dignified, highly respected speech professional who, in addition to introducing Yankee players and New York Giant football players, was an adjunct speech professor at St. John’s University. A Baldwin resident, he was kind, accommodating and always ready to help aspiring students learn from a polished master.

Steinbrenner, known as a tireless worker, pushed hard, expected much from his employees and compensated them well. He went through managers like most go through paper towels. He was suspended from baseball twice and once, during an eight year period, spent in excess of $2.3 billion for baseball salaries and never won a title during that span. All he wanted was to win. Nothing else mattered.