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The Many Faces of LeBron James

rabbifink — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 16:54:12 +0000

A lot can be learned from one’s facial expressions. True empathy can be seen on one’s face. Pain, sadness, suffering, happiness, love and confidence are emotions that are worn on one’s face.

If you think about it, it’s kind of a strange thing. Our emotions are in our brain. There are chemical reactions that determine the way our brains tell us we feel. Somehow those feelings translate into a universal language of facial expressions. Even if I cannot communicate via words with another, we can read each other’s facial expressions and at least have a general idea of how we are feeling.

There is a beautiful insight into this phenomena demonstrated by analyzing the hebrew word for face. The word used for face in the Torah is פנים (pronounced pah-neem). This word shares a root with the word בפנים (pronounced beef-neem). This word means “inside”. It is not a coincidence that these words share the same letters. The face gives clues as to what the person is feeling and thinking “inside”.

This is something that the video game L.A. Noire tried to bring to its game. The game featured real facial expressions that reflect the thoughts and feelings of the actor. It was revolutionary and I might say, fairly succesful. The characters in the game seem more human and more emotive than any character in any other video game ever created. (See a demonstration here: Kotaku.)

The Atlantic has a fascinating slide show depicting LeBron James’s facial expressions during the NBA Finals. It is interesting because the criticism of LeBron’s performance in the Finals is about his heart, his determination, his confidence. These things can be measured on a person’s face.

Have a look for yourself: The Atlantic

Scottie Pippen Pulls An Obama

rabbifink — Fri, 27 May 2011 17:40:42 +0000

Last week the outrage over President Obama’s mideast speech was built around a partial quote of his words.

Critics quoted Obama’s statement that the future borders of Israel should be based on the 1967 borders. They neglected to quote the end of the statement which qualified that statement with the important caveat “with mutually agreed upon land swaps”. For some reason, the outrage that ensued only mentioned the 1967 borders. No one that was outraged included the context of the statement which made the 1967 borders statement much weaker.

(Now, even after Obama clarified his remarks some people were still outraged over other issues. I am not talking about those people.)

Today, one of the greatets NBA players of all time, Scottie Pippen, was asked about whether LeBron could be better than Michael Jordan, the greatest NBA player of all time. Pippen said, “…he may be…”.

There is outrage. See Jordan is more than a bit of a deity in NBA circles. He is the best ever. And I don’t think anyone will ever be as dominant as Jordan was in his time. LeBron is great, but he is no Jordan. Not in numbers or in accomplishments and certainly not in dedication to winning. So if Pippen had said that LeBron was better than Jordan the outrage would be warranted.

But Pippen did not say that. His words are being taken out of context. He said, “he may be”, which means that one day, perhaps LeBron will surpass Jordan.

How can anyone outrage over that? Heck, any player MAY surpass Jordan.

But of course, when it comes to politics, sports [and religion], people are irrational. Irrationality causes people to miss context and explode before they can analyze the issues.

Last week it was Obama, this week it was Pippen. Who will be next week’s victim?

Link: ESPN

LeBron James Knows Very Little About Karma and God

rabbifink — Thu, 13 Jan 2011 03:04:12 +0000

Last night, the Lakers pounded the Cleveland Cavaliers in historic fashion. The final score was 112-57. If the Lakers had one more basket they would have doubled up the Cavs. That’s just crazy.

One ex-Cavalier was enjoying the carnage. That would be one LeBron James. See, LeBron is supposedly very happy in his new Miami Heat jersey playing for a championship caliber team in South Beach. After all, it was his “decision” to go to Miami. But happy people don’t gratuitously “hate” on others.

Maybe LeBron isn’t so happy after all…

After the game, on his self titled, slightly narcissistic Twitter page called KingJames, LeBron tweeted this:

Crazy. Karma is a b****.. Gets you every time. Its not good to wish bad on anybody. God sees everything!

January 11, 2011 9:29 pm via ÜberSocialOrig ReplyRetweetFavorite

@KingJames

LeBron James

Now that’s a real mean spirited thing to say. Isn’t it?

Happy people don’t usually speak that way. Role models certainly do not…

But I’m not here to tell you LeBron is a bad role model. I am here to say that, to use a metaphor, LeBron has mixed his metaphors.

Karma is a concept found in Eastern Religions. Most versions of Karma, of which I am aware, subscribe a natural order to the world. When that order is disrupted there is an automatic reaction to that disruption. So, if A harms B, a disruption is formed. Then, A may end of being harmed, but it was his own fault because his harm was a result of the disruption he caused when he harmed B.

God plays no role in Karma. It is a natural reaction.

LeBron is confusing Karma with Divine Retribution. Oops!

Worse still is the hubris in the assumption that whatever happens to the Cavs is because of their fans’ hatred of LeBron. They were scorned. Their hatred is not completely unwarranted. I am not sure why there would be any Divine Retribution for disliking LeBron.

One also has to wonder what LeBron thinks happened when his teams were summarliy eliminated from the playoffs the last few years. Was that Divine Retribution as well?

It seems to me that many athletes selectively blame and attribute God when it suits them. LeBron is thrilled that the Cavs lost last night so he thinks it was God. But when he loses I’m sure he doesn’t think that he lost due to some terrible things he did, of which there are plenty of documented episodes. It’s moronic to think that it is God deciding the games, but only when it suits you.

LeBron made three errors in that tweet. 1) It was nasty and mean spirited 2) He confused Karma and Divine Retribution and 3) He selectively attributed one event to Divine Retribution.

LeBron James: Still not a role model…

Sometimes Role Models Are Athletes

rabbifink — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 10:50:11 +0000

Grant Desme: Is he looking heavenward?

The two most popular posts on this blog are variants of one common theme.

Athletes as Role Models.

It makes sense. I enjoy sports, I am passionate about education and I love the moral tension created by appreciating both of those areas of life. It appears that people like reading about it as well.

Learn about what I think by reading these posts (in order of popularity):

Tim Tebow’s Pro-Life Superbowl Ad is Heartwarming and Reckless (Top post on this blog thanks to Deadspin)

Athletes as Role Models? (Second most popular post on this blog thanks to Steve Mason and Kaplan’s Korner)

The Eye Of The Tiger (Fans)

Ron Artest Is Going To The Lakers | What Do I Think?

To summarize: My opinion is that athletes are just athletes. They excel one general area of life, competitive athletic ability, and that is the only thing worth looking up to them for. One can admire work ethic, focus, quick thinking, pure athleticism of their favorite athletes, but to learn about sportsmanship, common courtesy or morality from athletes is asinine. That is not what they are known for, and usually it is for a reason. There are much more appropriate role models for those things and our job is to look to those people as role models and not athletes. When it comes to children, parents must teach their children who their role models should be as opposed to letting athletes teach their kids about morals and ethics.

There is one general exception. When an athlete clearly excels in another area of life and has experience in that area of life then even the athlete can become a role model. Or more precisely, the person is a role model who happens to be an athlete.

Take Tim Tebow for example. Tebow has spent signficant time and effort doing good work and rising above his athletic stardom and become a star of his religion. He clearly has a set of morals that guide his life and is more than just an athlete. He is a missionary and an athlete. Tebow is a worthy role model who happens to be an athlete and being a succesful athlete has given him a greater audience. Tebow’s greater audience gives him more oportunity to be that role model and that is a good thing. Tebow is using his star power to express his opinion on abortion. We can agree or disagree with the message but Tebow is a messenger whose words carry some weight. As a role model, Tebow’s fame as an athlete goes a long way to increasing his influence and impact.

Recently, another athlete who could have been just like Tebow in that respect bowed out of competitive sports. Oakland Athletics prospect Grant Desme left his baseball dreams behind to enter the priesthood. Projected as an above average Major League player, Desme bows out of the game he loves, for the God he loves more. Desme was going to be a good baseball player. But now he hopes to be a great priest. Instead of using his baseball related fame to teach and be that rare athlete worth treating like a role model, Desme leaves sports and is devoting his life to his religion.

Two athletes with higher moral standards and two different approaches.

Who will have a greater impact, Tebow or Desme?

Which is the better path? The athlete who uses his fame to be a super role model to millions of adoring fans? Or the former athlete who gave it all up to pursue a “higher calling”?

Tebows audience will be much bigger. But Desme’s potential is greater because he can devote more time to personal growth.

I find this question very interesting. What do you think?

Tim Tebow's Pro-Life Superbowl Ad is Heartwarming and Reckless

rabbifink — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 17:03:53 +0000

This post has been crossposted to DovBear.

UPDATE: RETRACTION AND APOLOGY HERE

The most well-known athlete in America might be Tim Tebow.

Tebow is possibly the most celebrated, successful college football player of all time. He was a 2 time national champion with the Florida Gators and a Heisman Trophy winner. His success, as well as his good looks and supernatural physique has made him a household name across the United States. Oh, there is one more thing, Tebow is the son of missionaries who is very religious and (at this point) celibate.

Tebow has used his star power to advocate for Christianity. He spent a couple of summers working with missionaries in the Far East and has always been vocal about his religiousness. Tim Tebow is an athlete who is using his star power to make a difference in the world. We may not agree with his message, but he is certainly a better role model than felon Gilbert Arenas or even LeBron James.

During the upcoming Super Bowl, Tebow will be featured in a $2.6 Million ad for a strong Pro-Life Organization called Focus on the Family. This has set off a firestorm of reactions from groups that oppose Focus in the Famliy, like the National Organization for Women (don’t you love these names?) who do not approve the message of the ad. Additionally, advocate groups like PETA are up in arms because they have been denied Superbowl air time for their causes.

Honestly, the reason CBS approved this ad are probably related to the economy. IF you’re willing to pay $2.6 Million for an ad in the economy – they’ll take your money.

What is interesting to me about all this are the circumstances of Tim Tebow’s birth. In the ad Tim is expected to tell the story of his mother’s pregnancy. Mrs. Tebow became very ill during a mission to the Philippines and was advised to terminate the pregnancy to save her life. She ignored the doctor, Tim was born and Mrs. Tebow survived.

First, Jewish Law does not share the same views as Christian Law on abortion. In a situation where the mother’s life is in danger, many traditional authorities hold that the mother MUST abort the pregnancy. There is an assumption that fundamentalist Christians and Orthodox Jews agree on abortion. That is just not true.

Second, even those that hold that abortion is immoral and should never be allowed, is this a wholesome message? To ignore a doctor’s strong recommendation? Isn’t reckless? Don’t we look at Scientology with disdain when a life is lost because of their refusal to see a doctor? What if Mrs. Tebow lost her life in the pregnancy and Tim dies before birth?

It seems that advocating for the sanctity of life is a fair cause to support, but advocating in a manner that breeds recklessness… That seems irresponsible.

Teamwork: Important in Sports, More Important in Life

rabbifink — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 21:05:21 +0000

Rosh Hashana at Pacific Jewish Center was wonderful. The services were inspiring, the attendance was excellent and the mood properly reflected the importance of the days.

I spoke from the pulpit several times over the holiday.

There was certainly an over-arching theme to my sermons. Each had its own individual message but overall they reflected an idea that I feel is central to Rosh Hashana, judgment, repentance, Judaism and Humanity.

It is too easy to get caught up in ourselves. We hope for a good verdict, we try to be the best people we can be as individuals.

For me, the greater challenge is fitting in the group. Every time I spoke over the Holiday, the underlying theme was Unity.Each person really has three identities.

One is our own personal accomplishments. Everything that one does in their life goes into this category and those things have value on their own. We look at the person in a vacuum and assess their achievements as an individual. Everyone has unique talents and abilities that make then who they are.

The second identity is the person’s group. Everyone is part of various groups. Whether by religion, race, political party, trade or family we all belong to groups. Those groups form a part of our identity. But each group member’s individual role is not relevant. The group has an identity and by association with that group, that identity becomes the identity of everyone in the group.

The third identity is the most important. It is the combination of number 1 and number 2. It is how we interact with the group using our individual talents and abilities. This identity is the meeting point of the indidual and the group. If the individual is selfish and uses their talents and abilities for their own personal gain and ignores the group, the person has failed in this identity. But if the person is able to part if the group and use their individualism to elevate the group, then in turn, they elevate themselves.

No where is this third identity clearer to the observer than in competitive team sports. The individual performer has his or her own talents and abilities. What separates the great ones from the rest, is their ability to use those skills and elevate the team.

It is no different in real life. We all have skills and we are all part of groups. We need to use those skills to elevate our groups, not just ourselves.

It was particularly appropriate to find a short post on the NBA Truehoop Blog about this issue today.

LeBron James has a new movie. It is supposed to be about teamwork, but as Truehoop so eloquently puts it, the preview completely fails in this regard.

The bummer about it, however, is that the movie is all about teamwork, but the undeniable message of the preview’s format (James, shooting alone in a gym) is that celebrity trumps all.

Watch the preview below and you will see just what they mean.

Good imagery for the wrong message. We need to be team players in sports and more importantly in life.

Obligatory Michael Jackson Post

rabbifink — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 16:50:57 +0000

For those folks who report on and follow Hollywood gossip and news it sure has been a busy week.

First, Ed McMahon died, then Farrah Fawcett and then Michael Jackson (oh, and Billy Mays too). Of course, the death of Michael Jackson garnered the most attention. Michael Jackson completely revolutionized the entire music industry (Jewish and not Jewish music) and made all kinds of news for his questionable extra-curricular activities.

A friend of mine in the music industry (Jewish and not Jewish music) wrote this on his Facebook page “Goodbye Michael! We will miss you! You taught me so much…” and that got the ball really rolling.

People responded to his status by referring to his notorious trouble with accusations of impropriety with young children. My friend fired back that yes he was flawed but that takes nothing away from his talent. And they went back and forth for a little while.

I am certain that this was not the only such discussion following MJ’s death. We all grapple with the paradox of a deeply flawed and incredibly talented person.

To me, it is really a micro and macrocosm of all of our personal struggles. It is a microcosm because he was just one person and “we” are everyone else, but it is also a macrocosm because while his talent was greater than any of ours, his flaws were deeper as well.

The next level of contemplation regarding MJ is whether his flaws nullify his contributions. Or more precisely, can we still appreciate his talent all the while knowing he was so challenged in other areas? Is he a role model? No. Is he immensely talented? Yes.

Does this sound familiar?

This reminds me of my take on LeBron James and his poor sportsmanship. We need to be sensible enough to differentiate athletic talent, musical talent, or any other talent for that matter and the talented one’s behavior in other arena of life.

I don’t expect or care if an athlete or celebrity “acts out”. They are not famous for their ability to act morally. They are famous for their talents. That is all I care about when I think about that person. MJ’s liabilities in one area do not influence my opinion of his other accomplishments and my appreciation of those accomplishments.

If you are nervous about this because he is a “role model” my response is that you have categorically poor taste in role models. If you are nervous that children look up to him as a role model, my response it that it is the job of the parents to train their children to choose good role models. MJ was not a good role model but then again he should never be looked to as a role model.

And if your child looks to MJ or LeBron or any other famous person who is not famous for their superior ability at making good moral choices you need to parent them and educate them real role models.

A real role model is a person that we can look towards for inspiration and guidance in our daily challenges. Find those people and cherish them. Even if they can’t do the moonwalk…

Athletes as Role Models?

rabbifink — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 23:55:35 +0000

A few months back I hinted at a future post about athletes and their role in our society as role models.

This past weekend I was reminded about my feelings on the subject. What I feel is what I believe to be the Torah approach but is of consequence and significance to anyone and everyone.

Over the weekend the NBA Conference Finals were settled. Something that happened after one team was eliminated has caused a media frenzy.

First, the Los Angeles Lakers advanced to the NBA finals for the 30th time in 61 years. (yay!) That is serious excellence right there. For the non-fans this means that during the games you will be able to drive the speed limit on the 405 because everyone else will be inside watching the game.

Then on Saturday night the impossible happened. LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers were eliminated by the Orlando Magic. Why is this the impossible? LeBron is a “godlike” figure and was expected to “redeem” his team and city by bringing them to the “promised land”. I am not kidding. Sportscenter on ESPN had a segment where a Minister from Cleveland said that Clevelanders were beginning to worship “The King”. LeBron is the most celebrated human being on the planet and is idolized around the world.

Anyway, the poor guy loses in 6 games to the Magic.

Ironically, this gives ABC Broadcasting which is owned by Disney a Walt Disney World (Orlando) vs. Disneyland (LA) Championship. Talk about jackpot!

The custom in all sports is for the losing team to shake the hands of the winning team and congratulate them upon winning. In fact according to Websters, this is the very definition of “Sportsmanship”:

conduct (as fairness, respect for one’s opponent, and graciousness in winning or losing) becoming to one participating in a sport.

The word has been around since 1745 and is preached universally to all athletes and competitors.

LeBron was so upset about losing to the Magic that he left the court in a hurry and did not congratulate the winning team. This is a big no-no.

In fact, he was so upset by the loss he also skipped out on the mandatory press conference.

That is bad sportsmanship. No question about it.

Do I care?

Absolutely not.

I don’t expect better from an athlete. His excellence in Basketball has no bearing on his excellence in social skills, personal growth, intelligence, happiness or even sportsmanship. The only thing that he does that commands respect is his ball playing prowess. That is the only thing I look up to in this person.

Is he sending a bad message?

Yes.

But I don’t turn to LeBron for messages on Sportsmanship. Nor do I turn to any athlete or celebrity for anything other than waht makes them unique or special.

As a parent it is my job to provide good role models for my children. I may need to be that role model at times. At other times it will teachers, Rabbis, family members or other people who command respect for their area of specialty. Athletes are not role models. Allowing an athlete to be the role model for your child is a failure in your parenting.

Athletes may by chance turn out to be wonderful people whom we may respect for their abilities beyond sports, and that is great but it is not the norm. I myself have commented on some athletes ability to prepare for their games and we can learn about preparation from them. However, expecting athletes to be role models is a terrible idea.

I think parents get lazy and expect their children to learn good values without taking the time or effort to teach those values. When the child gets nothing from his parents, athletes may fill that void. Ultimately they will all disappoint us.

Be a role model and don’t rely on superhuman athletes to do it for you.