--Miami Heat guard Dwayne Wade
At least once in our lifetimes, we've been hit with some cliche, over-exaggerated statement that's sole purpose was to make the situation at hand seem more dramatic. "It's hotter than hell out here." "I'm so hungry, I can eat a horse." Obviously, none of these phrases are meant to be taken LITERALLY. The same can probably be said for Dwayne Wade's temporary act of stupidity when he compared a Heat losing streak to the worst attack on American soil, an attack that killed nearly 4,000 Americans.
There are certain sacred cows that people with even the slightest bit of common sense know not to make comparisons to. 9/11 is one of them. Even nearly nine years removed from one of the most surreal acts of terrorism witnessed in recent memory, people aren't ready to put the image of planes flying into the World Trade Center behind them. Lives were lost. Families were ruined. You can still smell the death in the air around Ground Zero. A statement like the one made above is one I expected from a Grade A moron like Ron Artest or Gilbert Arenas. D-Wade? Well, I thought he was smarter than that. It turns out that I was wrong.
Here's how the Heat losing three in a row would be like 9/11, Dwayne: If the Heat make it to the Finals, and then right after Game 1, someone hijacks their plane and flies it into a building....AND KILLS 3,000 FUCKING PEOPLE! Now, I was fortunate enough to not lose anybody in 9/11, so maybe the outrage over Wade's poorly chosen comparison would be better made by somebody closer to the situation(although, I was living 40 minutes from NYC when it happened). We live in the hyperbole age. Every great Super Bowl is the "the greatest Super Bowl ever". We compare young upstarts to their legendary counterparts before they even reach the midpoint of their careers. Reggie Bush was the next Gale Sayers. LeBron was the next Jordan. It goes on and on. So, while Wade's statement was a bit surprising(mainly, given who said it), it isn't too much different from the normal overdramatic jargon we hear from the Stu Scotts and Mike Tiricos of the world(although, even THEY know not to mention sports and September 11th in the same sentence).
My question for Dwayne is "Why?" Why are we talking about losing streaks for a team whose roster isn't even filled out yet that MAY happen during a season in which the schedule hasn't even been finalized and is nearly four months away from even tipping off? I understand the anticipation behind this upcoming season and I understand that the Heat will have a tremendous amount of pressure starting on Opening Day, but, right now, this team is dealing with a large amount of bad pub. LeBron James went from being Cleveland's golden child to the most hated man in basketball over the span of one week. There are people who see this Wade/James/Bosh trio as bad for basketball. There is still such a bad taste in the mouths of some. Why are we adding to that by making ridiculous comparisons? And how is Miami losing three games anywhere close to 9/11? It's not even on the same wave length as the Oklahoma bombing. Hell, a Bloods vs. Crips drive-by shooting carries more concern than a Heat losing streak. I know, in this age, reporters and analysts and talking heads will lose their shit if Miami falters a little....but I don't see Stephen A. Smith crying on David Letterman like Dan Rather did following 9/11.
I know Wade apologized, but I take after-the-fact apologies with a large grain of salt. Clearly, the comment wasn't taken out of context and it wasn't like a reporter baited Wade into making the 9/11 comparison. If a journalist walked up to Wade and said "Dwayne, would you say the Heat losing two or three games in a row would cause a widespread panic much like 9/11?" and Wade said "Yes", then I'd be more inclined to rip the person asking the question than hold Wade's feet to the flames. That didn't happen. Instead, a man with somewhat of a college education(not sure how well they teach English at Marquette if one of its most noteworthy alums uses sentences like "it's not gonna be nothing") opened his mouth and made an ass out of himself. Don't think for a second that New Yorkers, already pissed that Wade isn't a Knick right now, won't continue to hold a grudge against Wade from here to eternity the way Cavs fans will continue to throw knives at LeBron. We all say things we don't mean and we all make gregarious statements that are overdramatic and ridiculous. However, there's always a line you don't cross.
Dwayne Wade crossed that line...and for that, his mic has been cut off.
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