Some 12 year old basketball playing young man out there is just basking in his fortunate circumstance right now and he doesn't even know it. I stumbled across a Nike website today that I was captivated by. This was the site that would have been a dream come true when I was that age. Back in those days it would have taken me months to come across the basketball buzz, imagery, and straight-from-the-superstar tips that today I was able to click through in a matter of minutes. At 12 I was still hanging on to the professional basketball career dream; why not?, I made the Jr. High basketball team. If only I could have had the privilege of soaking in all of this basketball propaganda then I'm sure my chances at professional sports would have increased. I got most all of my information from basketball cards. Do those even exist anymore? Well it's too late now. I can tell that the ad wizards at Nike don't even market their basketball shoes to me anymore. I find myself in their running shoe market. I'll comment on that later.
Even the NBA has seemingly forgotten the GenX Caucasian male. I strolled into NBA Town in Florida a couple of years ago hoping to rekindle the professional basketball love I had so strong as a kid. What I got was the feeling you get when you walk into a party without being invited. I can't believe I stuck around waiting for a table at their restaurant there for 45 minutes. I just had to keep telling myself I was doing it for the 12 year old inside me since I didn't have the chance at that age. I can still enjoy watching sports don't get me wrong, but my fascination has shifted from the teams and the athletes to more of the marketing behind the teams and the athletes. Some professional athletes I dare say should be called professional spokes models who happen to be really good at a particular sport; that is if you base a person's profession on what makes them the most money. But if you insist on calling Lebron James a professional basketball player because that is his first love, or what he is best at, then I'll consider myself a professional dad for the same reasons.
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