Basketball

Recently, I had the "pleasure" of staying with some NBA allstars at Orlando's JWMarriot/Ritz-Carlton. No, I wasn't a part of any of their entourages, but I was living in such close quarters with the all-stars and their associates that my suspicions about the degradation of the sport were birthed.

Let's just sumamarize it this way: I stay at places like the Ritz to get away from the "uncivilized" experience of the "outside" world. If I wanted to spend four days around hookers, domestic fights, knife fights, and wildly increased police presence, I'd have camped out in my car in the seedier parts of town.
Is it any wonder that now, whenever I tune in to watch even the college games, all I see are "gang" leaders "in training"--NBA style.

So, for me now, watching basketball today is like watching cleaned-up gangs all dressed in the same clothes-the team uniform. I can't help but ask myself things like "How many is he gonna have in his entourage?, and "How many fights or other salacious or violent activities will he or his associates be involved in?"

These males are simply not so important that we, as a society, need to condone their bubbled-off world of illegal activity. Perhaps, salaries need to be dropped...a lot, the associates "registered" or made to get--and maintain, a business-license in any state in which they appear, or prosecutions and convictions made. Is the IRS making any of these guys pay gift tax or income tax on any of the benefits these associates are receiving? I hope so.