When we play sports, we don’t mess up. There’s always the wind, or there was a foul, or the sun got in your eye. Even though we all are culprits of this “easy way out,” we know it’s a cheap way of admitting defeat. I guess we’re all sore losers. Now at the amateur level, it’s totally fine to practice this philosophy; we aren’t paid to score that goal or touchdown, so why sweat it? However, it is at the professional level where it is not okay to practice the “I got fouled” philosophy.
It is for this reason that I nominate LeBron James as the biggest crybaby in sports. Yes, almost any professional soccer player could be nominated, but everyone knows that they are faking it. The reason I chose Baby Bron Bron is because of the physical nature and mentality of the NBA. In the National Basketball League, getting fouled is expected, as it is just the nature of the league. It’s a bunch of six-foot-something (unless you’re the King in the Fourth) guys jumping and landing on you, so you have to be tough. It’s how players think, and it’s how the officials officiate.
Now, having said this, there are times when a foul prevents a player from making a shot. However, this doesn’t happen every time a player misses. If your name’s not Jack Powers, you might not think to watch a Cleveland Cavaliers game, but if you do, pay attention to The King. LeBron James pleads to the referee for a foul after most of his missed shots. He does this with such consistency that it is almost laughable. He is one of the greatest players of all time and could flatten anyone he plays, so he should expect to get hacked at by other players. Now, whether or not he does in fact get fouled is a different article, but that does not stop him from complaining nonetheless. In addition to complaining about himself getting fouled, he has even complained about teammates getting fouled. It’s like the equivalent of someone taking Algebra 2 complaining about their friend’s Calc BC test grade—it makes little sense and it will not change the result of the play.
All things said, LeBron is still the best player in the league. He is already in the history books, and I anticipate him winning the title of greatest ever, so I have nothing against him as a player or a person. However, being so great and being so physically dominant means that he should act as such and not complain when not everything goes his way.