Some people feel that the shaking of hands by competitors at the end of a completion is the last bastion of sportsmanship.

A lot has been made about Lebron James and his refusal to shake hands with his competitors after losing to Orlando.

http://youbeenblinded.com/video-lebron-james-doesnt-shake-hands-talk-after-loss/3306

It’s true, there is a privilege of visibility and there are none among us more visible than professional athletes. Professional sports has been commercialized, over-hyped and over-sold and is now its athletes are paying the price.

In the majority of interviews, pre and post game, commercials, fund raising events, etc. Lebron James has proven to be very adept and has deservedly earned the title of ambassador of the game. This recent on court event seems to be getting a lot of attention at the cost of his body of work. He has real impact and stage potential as a role model. His body of work has earned him the benefit of the doubt.

The bigger lesson here is that, the way you compete is more important than the result. I think, upon reflection,  he’ll regret some comments he’s made about what it means to be a competitor and how a winner behaves.

The question becomes – how much does Lebron James care?

My hope is, a lot. Because we’re not talking about skills with dribbling a ball or shots from the free throw line – he is skilled, that is undeniable. What we are talking about is what kind of role model he is.

Being a role model is not about perfection. It’s about how you ‘model’ you behaviour through your handling of mistakes as much (if not more) than through your successes.