Over the past two weeks, I’ve had several conversations with friends about booing. These conversations culminated in a discussion about the Cleveland fans’ decision to boo LeBron James and the lousy Cavaliers on Tuesday night. Simply put, I’m all for booing if the situation is right. Let me explain why with some examples from the 2010 NBA and NHL Playoffs.
Obviously (as noted in my Alexander the Goat article a few weeks ago), I believed that the Washington capitals deserved to be serenaded with booing. He would have even tolerated trash on the ice. Yes, littering the ice is childish, illegal, and dangerous, but all three adjectives describe how most professional athletes in society behave, so go for it. (Just kidding…about tolerating things being thrown on the ice, not how athletes behave.) The Capitals deserved the displeasure of their fans. Instead, they received a round of applause. Shame on you Capital fans.
Yes, it is lost; it is a part of sports. However, losing isn’t what calls for booing, it’s the frequency and severity of losses that make booing necessary. The Capitals have withered and died in the playoffs for three straight years. When that happens, you boo…loudly and don’t stop until you’ve gotten them off the ice. I even booed the Capitals and Alexander Ovechkin from my couch… and I’m a Flyers fan. The same formula should apply to the New Jersey Devils. Another example of a regular season bully going MIA come playoff time.
In the NBA playoffs, the Atlanta Hawks come to mind. No one expected the Hawks to defeat the Orlando Magic in the second round. However, Atlanta fans (and all basketball fans) were aghast at the lack of effort and intensity displayed by the Hawks. After being outscored by more than 40 points in the series opener, Atlanta responded by being beaten in their next three outings and swept from the playoffs. Sweeps happen. Getting beaten by a better team happens. Even being crushed by a superior opponent is understandable, but exerting no effort and zero intensity is unacceptable, especially in the playoffs. The Hawks don’t really have a fan base, but the few fans they do have should still be booing.
As for the Cavaliers being booed by their own fans in what could have been LeBron’s last home game? I loved. LeBron has held those fans hostage for the past two years. They are scared to death of whether he will leave or stay. On Tuesday night, LeBron and the Cavaliers were so rotten that Cleveland fans finally stood up and said ENOUGH! Even great players have to be told that they suck from time to time. By booing LeBron, Cleveland may have put him away forever. If that’s the case, good for them. Any player who can’t take a few boos, especially after a lousy game like that, doesn’t deserve the blind devotion Cleveland has given LeBron. Given is the key word. LeBron is a fantastic player, but he hasn’t won anything yet. He has one NBA Finals appearance, no wins and no championships. At this point, he owes Cleveland more than they owe him. Booing the effort of him indifferent to him on Tuesday night was the right call.obviously we want you to stay, but this is unacceptable. Cleveland’s season isn’t over, but sometimes a single game deserves a chorus of boos. Cleveland fans hit all the right notes on Tuesday night.
Let’s break it down in real world terms. If I have a great year at work, everyone loves me, and then I go through two weeks where I’m as useless as Sammy Sosa without steroids, you better believe someone is going to say something. Why are fans supposed to ignore a sloppy two-week stretch (at the biggest time of the year, though)? Because the team gave us a nice regular season? No, thanks. The best thing about “sports” is its simplicity. Only one thing matters; championships The fans aren’t rooting for a rosy regular season. We want titles. Obviously, the season(s) that build up to that title are cherished and celebrated, but once a team gets bogged down in that pursuit (Capitals, Atlanta Hawks), fans tire.
The Philadelphia Eagles epitomize stagnation. Philadelphia fans loved the 2000s when Donovan McNabb and the Birds came to prominence. We don’t boo when the Giants beat us in the Divisional Round or when St. Louis clinched a Conference Championship win. Losing is an integral part of winning. However, once the Eagles lost three straight NFC Championships (two against lesser opponents), the natives grew restless. Half a decade later, we are still restless. The Eagles have been running since the Patriots won Super Bowl XXXIX.
To further demonstrate that losing isn’t always worth booing, let’s take a look at the Philadelphia Flyers and Oklahoma City Thunder. The Flyers trailed 0-3 in a seven-game series against the Boston Bruins. Since then, they have battled to tie the series at three. Suppose the Flyers were swept by the Bruins in four games, the final loss at the Wachovia Center. I’m almost sure the Philadelphia crowd would have cheered for the Flyers. They were outmatched, understaffed and with injuries that plagued them all year. A sweep would have been daunting, but no one could question the Flyers’ effort.
The same is true for Thunder. In their first playoff appearance, the young Thunder went head-to-head with the mighty Lakers and extended the series to six games. The Thunder played hard and attacked the favorites of the Lakers, but still lost. Losing in the 2010 playoffs was a first step in building a successful team that should challenge for the NBA title for years to come. Did the players want to lose? Of course, no. Kevin Durant shrugged off talk of moral victories immediately after he finished the series. When asked how he felt, he replied: “Like I just lost a playoff series.” I’m sure Durant understands that gaining postseason experience (even losing) is part of the process, but no player with aspirations for greatness would accept that as an excuse for defeat. The Thunder faithful clearly understood the situation. After Game 6, the Thunder received a well-deserved rousing ovation from their home crowd. The fans appreciated the team’s development over the past year and thanked them for their efforts and success. Now, if OKC is still getting hammered in the first round two years from now, you better believe those fans are going to start booing, and so they should.
Too concluded, I have no problem with the fans not booing. To boo or not to boo is a choice every fan can make. However, if a billionaire athlete isn’t giving his all in the playoffs; You better believe that I’m going to let him find out. After all, I get scolded at work if I misread a ZIP code.