The Cavs unlikely journey to the NBA Finals – WFNY Podcast – 2015-06-01
June 2, 2015
Tickets to Cavaliers watch parties will be $5 for NBA Finals
June 2, 2015
Hi, everybody! You’ve tried the best, now try the rest as I take a fill-in day for Andrew “The Rock” Schnitkey, and please try to remember that inflammable means flammable (what a country!). I always have a bunch of random thoughts that sometimes meld into a consistent thread, so we shall see where my mind wanders this Tuesday morning.
War against the culture of negativity
One of my greatest personal battles is the daily fight against the elements of cynicism within myself. With a clear mind, I can routinely see the positive elements in the world and even notice the light that peeks through otherwise opaque circumstances. However, the characteristic has a reverse function as well, as I am equally capable of seeing the smallest speck on an otherwise transparent lens. One could browse the comment threads following the 2014 Cleveland Browns-Indianapolis Colts game to demonstrate the depths that my cynicism is apt to travel. Therefore, I also sometimes spend an inordinate amount of time attempting to evaluate why my mind is enthusiastic to travel in a negative direction when my life is so much more enjoyable when the focus is on the optimistic components.
The movie Tomorrowland has a basic premise that demonstrates the self-fulfilling prophecy of allowing oneself to focus on the most pessimistic outcomes in society1 . The overall focus of the movie is that culture has divested itself of the positive future outlook that it once had (A world of flying skateboards, self-drying jackets, and double ties). Instead of looking forward to the future with abject admiration and anticipation, the future is now seen as bleak.
The depiction of that desolate future can be found in the constant political rhetoric and entertainment options that push forward apocalyptic visions of our future. Whether they be economic collapse, environmental disasters, or supernatural beings/events, our society has developed a seemingly insatiable appetite for our own destruction. However, Tomorrowland offers the possibility that such a focus on the negative creates a pessimistic perspective in the world that lends itself towards these events. And, that not every unexpected flower in our gardens has to be depicted as a weed.
The same clash of thoughts was presented in a more literal battle in the most recent Marvel Avengers movie2 . The dichotomy was presented in the form of two opposing characters who were presented with the same information about human society, but came to diametrically opposing viewpoints. The character Ultron believed that the overall flaws of mankind left it deserving of annihilation, while the character Vision was of the belief that there was an inherent beauty in those same flaws. Interestingly, the Ultimate Marvel comics that inspired the current set of Marvel movies has been cancelled largely due to spiraling downwards through harsh and pessimistic storylines. The Ultimate comics captivated audiences by humanizing the previously developed heroes with personal defects to fight alongside their previous foes. However, the writers focused on those defects to the point that more recent versions of the Ultimate comics were laden with rape, incest, and grotesque forms of murder, which lost those audiences that had been previously won3 .
Of course, for most of us, the actual battleground is on the pixelated surfaces of our electronic screens that push forward whichever thoughts and perspectives that we wish to share on whichever topic we wish to discuss. Oftentimes, these ideas pushed forward are visceral reactions instead of the actual views that would be held upon reflection. Our emotional thoughts rather than our logical ones. Thus, a culture of negativity forms due to people reacting immediately and emotionally in more permanent ways than they would ever convey audibly. A fan who screams obscenities at a game about a mistake that a player made is lost in the white noise groan of the moment. Just a handful of those fans expressing the same sentiment, while tagging the player’s handle, can leave a powerful impression.
The negative impact is rarely actually seen by those that push those narratives online as the athletes are generally heckled further for acknowledging them. However, there are occasional outbursts that lead to some insight on their effects. Jason Kipnis had such an outburst in September of 2014 as the Cleveland Indians were falling short of their playoff goals, and it led to him explaining how he interacts with social media and how it can adversely affect him. Similarly, WFNY recently presented some of the dichotomy of social media as there were dueling posts: The best vines of Matthew Dellavedova’s season and Deconstructing #DellySucks.
Sadly, many do not believe that it is necessary to abide by the Golden Rule of treating others how they would want to be treated. Each of the criticisms could be written constructively and respectfully rather than with vitriol4 . And, oftentimes, the topics do not even hold much true meaning. While I do believe frivolity allows us to relax and move forward at times, it is also necessary poke our head out of those sand dunes and examine the things in life that actually matter to reset our focus. As in all things, there is a balance to strive to achieve.
In the end, despite all of the negativity, I staunchly believe that most people desire true optimism in their lives to nurture hope. Now, true optimism cannot be gained through false pretenses, which is why I always have felt pity for the bandwagon fans. Any fan who only follows the Cleveland Cavaliers because LeBron James signed back with them and traded for Kevin Love will not fully appreciate and enjoy the title that may be arriving this month. There may be some joy, which can be nice, but to truly appreciate the culmination of a championship, the sorrows must be enveloped with the moments of success. So, take this as a call of action to bring forth a more peaceful and positive world5 .
Or maybe we should just attempt to stop dumping on others.
FIFA Scandal
While we are discussing negative things in the world, we might as well bring up FIFA. The organization that their president, Sepp Blatter, once called more powerful than any religion or nation in the world allegedly engages in some rather dirty politics including potential bribery of hundreds of millions of dollars6 . There were many, many rumors of corruption when FIFA selected Qatar to be the site for the 2022 World Cup despite being considered a poor overall candidate and the FBI was able to convince Switzerland to make 14 arrests for extradition of FIFA officials and head executives after a lengthy investigation. Sepp Blatter has since responded that he merely “Can’t ask everyone to behave ethically,” while FIFA just elected him to his fifth term on Friday.
The process the FBI utilized and the overall arrogance of FIFA reminds me of the mobster trials in the 1950s that led to some of the greatest works of cinematic art known to mankind. There is even a great villainous name involved. Sepp Blatter sounds like it could be slang for except bladder7 . And, just like those trials, the FBI used the same techniques as the mobsters of network intimidation to build their case. As such, all of the 14 indicted were connected to either CONCACAF or CONMEBOL (the North and South American soccer federations, respectively). In addition, at this point, there does not appear to be a clear path to reaching Sepp Blatter (unless an Elliot Ness is able to find a tax evasion charge loophole hidden in the documents).
So, the whole scandal brings about questions of if the end justify the means. FIFA is likely corrupt. But, is the FBI justified to utilize intimidation techniques to expose that corruption? Would the FBI have held an investigation had the United States been awarded the 2022 World Cup? And, will their exposing CONCACAF and CONMEBOL only hurt the American soccer federations to the point at putting them at a disadvantage to the rest of the world? Is it best for everyone involved if neither the United States or Qatar gets the 2022 World Cup?
Honestly, I do not have answers for my questions. There are layers of details8 that I do not hold nor will it likely ever be put out for public consumption. Really, the sole positive thing about the FIFA scandal is that there is potential for an absolutely great old-school mobster movie that will not have worldwide destruction/apocalypse as the central theme.
UPDATE: Sepp Blatter Resigns
Sepp Blatter did not admit to any wrong-doing nor did he expound upon why he is resigning other than that FIFA needs a “profound restructuring” and that there is some dissension among the members. However, it is awfully strange that he would resign just days after his Friday election. Perhaps, the surfacing of a letter implicating the Blatter appointed Jerome Valcke in the $10 million bribe towards Jack Warner necessitated this move. Or, perhaps there is more of the story to come. Either way, that potential movie keeps getting better.
B.B. King, Rest in peace
B.B. King was laid to rest over the weekend. As an ardent fan of blues music, it was refreshing to have B.B. King’s songs universally appreciated. He was the benevolent gatekeeper to the entire genre of the blues. While many people would give strange looks when I played John Lee Hooker, Taj Mahal, or Robert Cray, those same people would come alive with a smile for the music of B.B. King. My personal favorite song is the quite popular “Woke Up This Morning,” so I will add in another favorite that might be a bit lesser known.
Star Wars Parody
And, just for fun, most probably have seen the Weird Al Yankovic Star Wars parody, but this one is worth your time as well.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0eJeCM60awo
- Do not fret. Herein lies no true spoilers, just basic plot components [↩]
- Once again, there shall be an absence of true spoilers and just a generic discussion of the over-arching plot points. [↩]
- Basically, instead of understanding that the audiences loved the deeper dive into the psyche of their favorite characters, Marvel focused on increasing levels of shock value, which backfired. It appears that the script writers are being more prudent in their choices. [↩]
- And, my apologies to Ryan Neil Raburn for the Opening Day game recap. [↩]
- Hey, why not dream big? [↩]
- Who would have guessed? [↩]
- Like, I was feeling great and ready for the long road trip, ‘cep bladder. [↩]
- Much like a parfait and who doesn’t enjoy a good parfait? [↩]
24 Comments
I would argue (good naturedly, of course) that the little you tell about the Vision IS actually a spoiler for anyone who doesn’t know anything about the Vision going in. Or the n00bs, if you will.
1. Re negativity (if I may stretch a connection): Right on cue, in response to Kevin Love’s statement that he’s staying in Cleveland, Tony Kornheiser said on PTI last night that he doesn’t believe Love will be with the Cavaliers on opening day, and he cited as evidence several slights perpetrated on Love by LeBron. One went like this: “LeBron said people wondered at the beginning of the season in he would be able to play with Kyrie Irving. He didn’t say anything about playing with Kevin Love.” In another case, LeBron and Love didn’t smile at each other. So there you have it, iron-clad proof that OMG LOVE IS LEAVING!!!!
2. The only thing surprising about the FIFA scandal is that there haven’t already been dozens of them. Only the U.S. government seems to be upset about it. If I may make a broad generalization, I think that people in other countries are more resigned to the fact that high-level corruption and bribery are common in their governments and other institutions, and there’s nothing they can do about it but live with it. Not that big a thang.
A fair point, but it was too good of a connection for me to not use 🙂
I at least left alone his origin story.
1. Stretch away (some of the connections I had were already stretched to Armstrongs limits). And, yes, the absence of encouragement is not a slight. But, it’s a slow news day in the sports world.
2. Good news is that the Swiss and English are now involved (if it was just the USA, it would look really bad). Russia and Asia are staying out of it though, which means it will be difficult to enact change, but there will be different players in some seats moving forward. The disheartening thing for me is that the USA only cared after Qatar “won” the 2022 bid.
Russian political corruption makes our gubment look like it’s ran by a bunch of Mother Teresas.
Of course they’re staying out of it.
Fair ’nuff. And once the statute of spoiler limitations has past, I’m curious to hear your thoughts on the movie as we briefly discussed possibilities of how it would end a few months back (mainly, the Hulk).
Yes, I remember those threads with you. Great disappointment from me continues on how they are utilizing Hulk. He has the best individual storylines, but they are having him break character in the ends of movies (the Norton Jr. one as well). Not sure why they won’t give him his own tangent.
http://www.euractiv.com/sections/europes-east/putin-blames-fifa-scandal-us-314933
Putin is actually going on the offensive a bit. He doesn’t say anything that likely isn’t true though and he is protecting the 2018 WC in Russia.
Great piece, Michael. Loved your thoughts on negativity. It’s a battle I constantly wage, both internally and externally, and far too often lose. I HATE NEGATIVITY! (Does it work that way?)
To answer your (rhetorical?) question on the FBI cracking down on the US if we had been awarded the World Cup: Yes, I do believe that they would have done so. The FBI, for all of its faults, is a good organization filled with good people who care about their work. If there’s evidence of bribery or other illegal activity, the FBI would investigate. It’s their job to do so, and from my experience I can say that they take their job seriously and impartially.
“hate negativity” is a double negative, which yields a positive result when multiplied. right? 🙂
Good to hear a positive angle on the FBI as well.
This may be my favorite reaction by a (former) FIFA official to the corruption allegations:
http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2015/06/01/411210630/the-onion-strikes-again-indicted-ex-fifa-exec-quotes-satirical-article
That’s former head of CONCACAF Jack Warner quoting an article from The Onion. I don’t know if it’s more awesome that he didn’t know what The Onion was or that he was so out of touch with what FIFA is doing that he thought they were sponsoring some 2015 World Cup tournament in the U.S.
That same guy avoided extradition (temporarily) by admitting himself to a hospital for “exhaustion” and was then filmed literally dancing in the street within an hour of discharge.
There’s a podcast that I love to listen to called Total Soccer Show and they had an amazing way of characterizing FIFA officials. They’re a cross between Bond villains and Austin Powers villains. Jack Warner leans HEAVILY towards the latter.
The discussion of negativity inevitably (for me, at least) necessitates some sort of definition of just what constitutes “negativity”. Is the acknowledgment of potential non-positive outcomes inherently negative? Or is that simply being cautious and/or realistic about a given situation? It is, to me, possible and perhaps even prudent to make such acknowledgments without succumbing to the mindset that the non-positive WILL be the outcome. Call it being rational or a realist or what have you, but I don’t see it as a negative quality. As bad/toxic as the eternally pessimistic or negative view can be, I also find genuine fault in those people who operate with a seeming inability to consider all sides, fixating on only the positive or potential positive. This approach strikes me as naive and simplistic. In other words, blind optimism is just as undesirable as blind pessimism. Balance is important, and is not inherently negative.
Do I think the Cavs will win the championship this season? I do not. Admittedly, this is at least informed by previous history of Cleveland sports, which may not be entirely relevant. But it’s also based on considering all of the factors involved (injuries, team strengths/weaknesses, etc). My heart’s desire is for the Cavs to win it all, and I will root for that outcome along with everyone here. But I will do so while acknowledging that we are a legitimate underdog, and thereby temper my expectations of success. Is that me being negative?
Iman Shumpert saw “San Andreas” b4 finals…bad idea!
http://www.si.com/extra-mustard/2015/06/01/iman-shumpert-san-andreas-nba-finals-cavaliers-warriors
Bye bye Sepp!
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/sportsnews/article-3107842/Sepp-Blatter-resigns-president-FIFA-amid-bribery-scandal.html
I agree that it is necessary to acknowledge potential negative outlooks, but when it becomes an obsession and drowns out all optimistic ones, then I think that is when it becomes more of a self-fulfilling prophesy. I would argue that blind optimism is better than blind pessimism as at least you can live satisfied in your ignorant bliss for awhile.
Appreciating the good while acknowledging the bad is a great way of looking at it and I wish I had thought that portion through more fully before writing. Thanks.
As for your specific Cavs example, I think your approach is good and do not view that as negative. I would view that as your realistic POV. It is when one then starts writing the vitriol of #DellySux and going off railing on every possible poor outcome that it becomes a negative force. Apologies if I was not clear enough on that point.
“Each of the criticisms could be written constructively and respectfully rather than with vitriol”
Admittedly, it is but one sentence in the middle of the whole post and a point that deserved to have been expounded a bit.
I’m sure the letter to Valcke played a role, but I’ve also read that there is a movement within the European confederation to boycott the World Cup, and that they were going to meet about it on Friday. Squeamish sponsors threatening FIFA’s biggest revenue stream would certainly be enough to force Sepp out.
I have no issues with how you presented the issue–fine work as usual. I suppose my question of whether or not I’m negative RE: the Cavs was more of a “to the class” question than one meant to challenge your presentation. Your response is appreciated, and apologies if anything came off as combative.
I do find this general topic interesting, as it can be tough to see other views on one’s own: a naturally pessimistic person struggles to formulate an optimist’s argument for himself, for example. Helpful to hear other folks present their own positions.
Naw, you know me. I cannot but help to dig in further. You brought up a great point on it and I wanted to explore. I didn’t find your comment to be combative at all.
BOO HISS DAMN YOUR POSITIVITY. DAMN IT TO HELL I SAY. (Nice job, Bode).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q8mD2hsxrhQ
Thank you sir. And, thank you for bringing in the Simpsons clip that was referenced.
The FBI investigated the Salt Lake Olympic bid. I think thats enough evidence that they’d be willing to crack heads here too.
I think the important question is how anyone is going to prevent FIFA from behaving like this in the future. The sponsors don’t really care and will continue to pour in billions. And with votes costing only $40k, there will be plenty of opportunities for corruption. FIFA wasnt corrupt because Blatter was evil, but because the system is so easily corruptible. And as the SLC Olympics showed, its not just the smaller or poorer countries that are in on this nonsense. There are probably dozens of Blatter disciples and wannabes that are ready to step up and fill the void.
< col Hiiiiiii Friends…——–.???? ? @mi12//++waitingf++ < Find More='' ……..''
????????????????????????????????????????????????????n