Playing by the Rules

by
Suzann Darnall

I am a San Antonio NBA Spurs fan and a Conservative Christian Republican . . . with some Libertarian and TEA Party mixed in for good measure. And, I can tell you right now that I am feeling some serious discrimination against my kind by the powers that be. Both within the NBA and from my own government. I truly feel like somebody keeps changing the rules to get the outcome they want . . . at the expense of a fair playing field.

Now, I am well aware that I probably have some bias (and perhaps even a little paranoia) about this. However, just because I am paranoid doesn't mean they aren't out to get us. After all, sometimes folks come up with conspiracy theories because there is actually a conspiracy happening!

I will start with the lesser of my two concerns: the Spurs. Okay, so actually they are probably at the top of my list since we are in the NBA Finals and tonight is Game #7 which will decide whether my Spurs or the Miami Heat gets the Championship. But, hey, I was trying to approach it like a mature adult and pretend the country's welfare trumps a sports event.

Anyway, back to the Spurs. Some of the officiating in this series has been horrendous. When even the national sports announcers comment on possible bad calls, you know it is a bad call. And, what NBA genius decided it was okay to put in a referee who makes headlines because he has an attitude problem with Tim Duncan and the San Antonio Spurs? I mean really??? If a ref makes the news because he has a history of making calls against a certain team and player, isn't it in the interest of fair play to NOT use him in some of the most important games of the season?

But, on the other hand, given the political and societal norms right now, I guess it is okay to discriminate against those who we deem to not be our first choices or those who are a little different from what we want. After all, our government seemingly not only allowed the IRS to do it, but it is possible the current occupant of our White House actually sicced them onto the TEA Party, Christian, and Conservative groups and individuals. Not to mention allowing the DOJ to target the media and the NSA to spy on almost all citizens' phone records, but to not allow mosques to be under observation. Hmmm . . . anybody got any Liberal Progressive Democrat agenda items going on here?

David Sterns, Commissioner of the National Basketball Association, has made no secret of the fact that he somehow considers San Antonio and the Spurs to be lesser entities in his realm. He and most of the "NBA" kingdom make it evident that they have favored LeBron James and the Miami Heat from the start of the season. And, this attitude of dissin' the Spurs has been pervasive in the NBA since I started watching games back in 1998, when they went on their run for winning the 1999 Championship. The Spurs were also dissed by the NBA and hangers-on when they won in 2003, 2005, and 2007. Yet, despite being in their fifth title run in 15 years, they are still being counted down-n-out.

Even worse, they may actually have the powers that be making sure they go out. Not something I want to see happen because I am a Spurs fan, but even more because I am an American and do still believe in fair play . . . no matter that my trash talkin' might say otherwise. I know it is naïve, but I want to believe the best man wins and everyone plays fair. I want the rules to be the same at both ends of the courts and across all segments of society. I suppose I want a utopia filled with people who live to the highest standards and not to the lowest common denominator.

Even more so I wish this for my entire country. I want it for my neighbors, my community, and my government. I don't want to have people targeted for their politics, their religion, their race, their gender, or their (_fill_in_the_blank_). I don't want it done to me and I don't want it done to those who disagree with me. I want a level playing field, but not leveled in the way Progressives like Obama think is fair. I want it to be truly fair. I want it Martin Luther King, Jr. fair.

Dr. King wanted people to be judged on the content of their character. I do not believe he would have wanted anyone to get a free pass because of race, religion, gender, etc. I believe all people are created equal and all people should be given the liberty to pursue their dreams. But, I do not believe this means all people will finish with the same results in their endeavors. Some people will do better and some will do worse. Because equality of rights does not translate into equality of talents, abilities, work ethics, and luck. Some people will study harder, work harder, practice more, and achieve more. Other people will decide they want to spend more time with family and friends. But, both have the right to decide the path they choose for success and whether their success is monetary, spiritual, or emotional. And, no one should be penalized for doing better than another . . . or have to pay for the failures of those others who opted not to succeed.

So, let's try to make our government realize that we want their "refs" to call the games a little more fairly. Just like we want the NBA refs to play fair as well. No one wants to lose at all, but to lose because someone rigged the game is really hitting below the belt. Let's find our way back to being good sports . . . across the board!

Our equality comes from God. We just need our right to it protected by government. We don't need government cookin' the books to make it SEEM all is fair. We need them to simply get out of the way and let it all BE fair.

© Suzann C. Darnall, JUNE 2013