Photo Credit: © Can Stock Photo / kozzi
“Sometimes the things that may or may not be true are the things a man needs to believe in the most. That people are basically good; that honor, courage, and virtue mean everything; that power and money, money and power mean nothing; that good always triumphs over evil; and I want you to remember this: that love ... true love never dies. You remember that, boy. You remember that. Doesn’t matter if it’s true or not. You see, a man should believe in those things, because those are the things worth believing in.” --Robert Duvall as Hub McCann, Secondhand Lions (2003)
My son-in-law saved up a little money for an extra-special birthday gift for his son. He bought really good seats for one of the local professional basketball games. He deliberately bought the seats in advance for a late-season game so it might be one that really mattered heading into the playoffs. In such a case, it would be a great game with everyone at their best. Instead, the hometown team was already “up” enough games that the game was competitively irrelevant. As a result, two of the big starters on the team were “on rest” (in preparation of the playoffs) and didn’t even dress for the game. My grandson loved spending time with his dad, he was in awe of the massive and “electric” arena, but his heroes didn’t play and that was really what he wanted to see. I understand the team’s motives, but I don’t remember the great athletes of my youth ever taking a day off during the season so they could rest. They played for the fans as well as for themselves, simply for love of the game, their city, and the loyal people who made them famous.
Last summer, my wife and I had tickets to see one of my favorite 1970s/’80s bands at an outdoor venue. We had a terrific dinner and settled into our seats on a cool summer night. The breeze was blowing nicely, and suddenly there was the band. When the music started, the lead singer’s beautiful, muted vocals broke through the air, and it was awesome. But after he sang no more than 10 measures, the back-up singers picked up the melodic line and sang in places he typically would have. This continued throughout the concert. Yes, he’s getting older like a lot of us, but I didn’t come to hear the back-up singers, I paid to hear him. So, maybe with this “method” he can sing X number of additional concerts and make a greater amount of dollars, but what about his loyal fan base? I mean, I’ll never pay to see him again, and I heard whispers among the crowd echoing the same sentiment. Was the negative reaction of many of his fans worth the extra bucks he’ll make with more concerts? How about fewer shows and better quality? Nah. Not today. People just don’t seem to think like that anymore. It’s all about the money.