A sports fan growing up « Northwest Digest

A sports fan growing up

By Anton at July 8th, 2010.

Jonathan Stewart and DeAngelo Williams of the NFL’s Carolina Panthers visited the Champions Center in Tacoma Wednesday evening, along with a few other NFL players, including former Rogers High and Washington State standout, Brandon Gipson. The players signed autographs for the more than one-thousand (mostly) young people gathered and played a few simple games on the stage at the beginning against some of the local youth – a “Pros vs. Joes” thing.

I had a VIP pass, which meant my buddy and I could hang out with all the players before and after the event. I wanted to go; I was interested in talking to these guys. Something strange happened once we arrived, however. We ended up leaving as soon as the thing ended.

What happened was the realization that I’m no longer 15 years old. I LOVED meeting professional athletes when I was a kid. Hell, I loved meeting high school athletes when I was a kid. But things have changed a tad. Once everybody started screaming for these guys in their mid-twenties I felt this strangeness. Someone inside me was saying “Hey, you don’t belong here anymore.” It was tough. Super tough.

What was I going to say to DeAngelo Williams. “Hey, DeAngelo, cool dreads. How does Jimmy Clausen look?” and my guess is he would’ve replied with, “He looks good, man.” I probably would’ve asked Jonathan Stewart something like, “Have you ever met Tom Brady? What about Giselle? Is his kid as cute in person as he is in US Weekly?”

Whatever I asked about, I couldn’t have cared less. It’s an interesting realization considering my lifelong commitment to professional athletes and professional sports.

I’m relaying this story because I don’t care where Lebron James ends up playing next season, and the one after that, and the one after that. I just want to watch him play basketball. This “Lebron All The Time” stuff would’ve delighted me in middle school and now it doesn’t. I must be growing up. Or maybe I’m just jealous. I don’t know, either way I have other junk to deal with. Plus, how unnerving is it that free agent athletes now have dinner together to collude on where to sign? Did Jordan or Barkley or Magic ever collude with anyone? Say what you will about Kobe Bryant, but he isn’t having an off season dinner with anyone to make a sign-and-trade plan. Although, that’s probably true only because everyone hates Kobe, but still.

It’ll all be a moot point soon, anyway, when the players are locked out next season.

Tags: Branden Gibson, Champions Center, DeAngelo Williams, Jonathan Stewart, Lebron James