Professional athletes, for the most part, have an incredible life. They get to play the game they love, for a living. They get paid extremely well. Because they have money and women are shallow, they usually have hot girlfriends/wives. In some of the better cases (Tony Parker) they have a beautiful wife, then leave her for a younger and more beautiful model girlfriend. Sounds like the American Dream to me. Too bad he's French. Anyway, that's the life for most of the professional athletes of today's biggest sports. However, we can't appreciate the good without the bad. Not all athletes have the perfect life, my friend, I tell you that right now. (Re-read last sentence in Andrew "Dice" Clay's voice)
Lamar Odom plays professional basketball for the Los Angeles Lakers, for the less sports savvy out there, he is married to Chloe Kardashian. Lamar makes great money playing the game that helped him through his very troubled past. His mother passed away when he was in grade school and his father was a heroin addict. It's safe to say, he spent a lot of time at Grandma's house growing up. Basketball was his way to escape and it led him to a very successful career so far. The Lakers might be able to win another championship while he is still there, so who knows how great his numbers could be. But, what did I say in the opener? We can't appreciate the good without the bad.
To recap, Lamar lost his mother while in grade school. There were no "father of the year" awards on the mantel. In 2006, he lost his youngest son to SIDS. And with a nice big (emphasis on big) cherry on top, he's married to the wrong Kardashian. But wait, there's more! (Re-read last sentence as the late Billy Mays) Last Thursday, Lamar Odom rented a car service to get around the Big Apple. No big story really, athletes rent cars all the time. It wasn't his fault the car he rented felt like crashing into a motorcycle. The motorcyclist is fine. Unfortunately the bike he was riding decided to hug a 15 year old boy minding his own business. The boy later died from the injuries. Talk about bad luck. It wasn't his fault, he was just renting a car service while it town. Did I mention he was in NYC for his cousin's funeral? Well after that rather horrible week, I'd say he had a few reasons to day drink that weekend.
Do you know the worst part? Lamar isn't the only athlete to be involved in the accidental death of an innocent person. Oh yea, it happens in baseball too. Does everyone know Josh Hamilton? He's a baseball player for the Texas Rangers. A pretty good one at that. Well, he went on a one man killing spree a few weeks ago at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, Texas. During the game he saw a nice young father with his six year old son. Next time he got the opportunity he decided to give the fans a little souvenir. I'm sure he didn't plan what happened next but it was epic. He short-armed it to the fan, who when reaching for the poorly thrown ball, fell over the railing to his death. I'll give you a chance to think about that. This guy was at a baseball game with his son, reached for a baseball tossed by an All-Star Outfielder and fell to his death. If you're anything like me, I know what you're thinking. What did the kid do with the ball?
I guess the point is, be grateful for what you have. Even the guys with all the money have shitty things happen to them. Unfortunately, with all the success stories flaunted in our face, the bad stuff seems few and far between. That may be true but just know this. No one is safe when professional athletes go on completely unplanned rampages of death. They are bigger and stronger than the average person and have the drive and motivation to unwillingly kill whoever they want. So, be careful out there. And next time you think you're life sucks and you'd rather be a pro, make sure you have the mental toughness to deal with the grief of offing a spectator. It's not all rainbows and gum drops in the world of professional sports.
When I read stories like this, I'm reminded these guys are still human beings. They aren't immune to anything and sometimes they get caught up in some crazy shit. The fact that they're famous just means we get to hear all about it. Of course I'd still rather be a professional basketball player and deal with the risk of accidental murder. I'm just saying, I can also appreciate what I've got going. Even though I get Hand-jobs for Ham Sandwiches behind (insert favorite gas station here) every other night.
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