It's Too Hype in Here

It is not a Saturday morning after a run and some coffee. It's a Monday morning and for the last few hours awake, I have been writing this blog in my head. So here goes... it's too hype in here.

I would like to say that I'm a sports fan who is very careful about giving my loyalty to a team because of the expected emotional investment. So maybe you're thinking that I think too much and maybe I do but like a friend said to me a few months ago, I tend to be a bit all or nothing. When it comes to sports, I've only rooted for two teams. University of Miami and University of Georgia. I gave them my loyalty with years of enrollment and monthly checks for student loans as we speak. I am part of that 'Cane and 'Dawg community. Hands down. Pockets emptied.

Over the last two years of professional employment, I've got to say, professional sports teams have had their share of my emotional investment. Quite a few sports teams have caught my eye and I've caught myself yelling in the crowd or at the tv when the teams have made a dumb move that either made me question my investment or theirs for that matter. What captures me about professional teams is the skill and quality of required for athletic performance from each individual. The individuals that capture our attention for 4 quarters or with each complete pass yards beyond the distance that I could probably throw a pebble, these individuals...they are professionals. Skilled and trained individuals who aim to perform at the top of their game each time. It amazes me at the fact that these athletes have the discipline and control to use their body to play these sports at a optimum level. Now I won't get on the soap box of whether they should be paid as much as they do but for what they do, I appreciate it as a sports fan.

Nevertheless, we come to the end of another season for the NBA. Yesterday before game six of the NBA finals, I couldn't help but reflect on the journey that this has been. Sure. I haven't watched every game, but I've been a pretty avid voyeur of the playoffs. Enough to submit quite a few tweets to the hashtag #nbafinals. Last night, it came with ease to declare my support for the Dallas Mavericks for a win the championships. Did I have my doubts? Yes. Why? Clearly because of the team they had to beat to get there.

During my reflection on the NBA season, I couldn't help but think to myself about this team the Mavericks beat last night to win a well-earned championship. The Heat aka The Hype. Last summer, we were introduced to this team with a classic marketing tool that always calls the attention of common folk - Hype. Rappers have hype men, movies have previews, albums have relase dates. I label all of the above, hype. So how does this reflect what our generation holds very important to us these days when the anticipation and the hype is what sells. Our generation pays a lot of attention to the release date of the next movie, the new iPhone, the next new gadget or event that's coming up and before you know it when it arrives, we're on to the next thing. The true test of the marketing agencies is how long you can mantain the hype... without necessarily following it up with talent or quality.

Let's take the Heat for example. It all began with all the hype around LeBron's decision and his talent taking to South Beach. Many sat around waiting for THE Decision and then sat on the edge of their seats to watch the Heat go through their ups and downs of the season. The marketing department held up their end of the bargiain... they maintained the hype about the Heat. It helped that the Big 3 said they would take over in a manner in which it seemed they already had taken over... already pocketed a couple of rings and certain individuals had already been Finals MVP trophy recipients. Now its realistic that athletes and performers should exhibit a confidence that motivates them to be better. But if there is one thing I can't stand it is someone who disguises arrogance with confidence and distract us from the quality of performance. Don't get me wrong, I know that the big 3 are talented individuals and truly will be a force to reckon with...however, without practice and focus and time to fuse their talents together, have they truly arrived?

In our society today, how many times to we focus on the quality and time it takes to be a contender for greatness? We focus on the hype. Our need for instant gratification oftentimes encourages us to be sold on the hype and not recognize the end-product or the process it takes to "arrive". Whenever an Apple product comes out, there are some who have a countdown of days before the next product comes out and there are others who wait for the next generation of the product when it is more glitch-free and its use can truly be determined. I prefer to stay with the latter group and wait until the hype as subsided and find out what the core of what we are looking at. I won't be fooled by the hype. I'll wait and see what it truly is before I determine my loyalty.

My friends, when the Dallas Mavericks won last night it showcased that quality beats hype any day. After years of working hard towards a goal, Jason Kidd and Dirk Nowitski won an award they deserved and earned. They didn't do anything that would draw the attention of mass followings on twitter or to create a network that honored them, they earned what they rightfully deserved... without the hype. For some reason to me, that stands out as more honorable and more of what deserves our attention than the hype.