Categories: Uncategorized

Another story you won’t hear while ESPN talks "Favre"

Remember back in the day when sports journalism wasn’t tabloid trash? When you actually heart compelling stories instead of pointless gossip?

While ESPN hunkers down and dedicated another segment to Brett Favre’s ribs or Terrell Owens’ big mouth, real stories exist and go unreported. Here’s hoping someone with a clue catches wind of this Tim James story and puts it under a microscope. It’d be perfect for Bryant Gumbel’s Real Sports or Bob Ley on Outside The Lines.

At 31 years old the former Miami Hurricane and Miami Heat first round draft pick has spent the last year serving his country in the Army. James made $2.5M in his NBA career and made money overseas playing professionally in Japan, Turkey and Israel.

The soft spoken James quietly enlisted, wanting to protect his country and start a new chapter to his life. Wanting to be ‘one of the guys’ he barely shared his past with his fellow soldiers.

“I wanted this experience to be raw,” said James. “Start a new life. I wanted to understand new minds and new ways of thinking. I’ve been in basketball since I was eight. I didn’t want to have a basketball conversation every day.”

I could go on, but in this case I employ you to read Dan LeBatard’s piece in Saturday’s Miami Herald. A rather incredible story about a professional athlete leaving the comforts of home (and professional sports) to fight for his beliefs. Not since the late Pat Tillman have we seen something of this nature – and thankfully in James’ case he’s not in harms way as Tillman was.

Check it out and for those media folk choosing to talk Favre over James, get your priorities straight. There’s a hell of a story going on here, if anyone cares to notice.

Comments

comments

C. Bello

Longtime Miami Hurricanes columnist. Wrote for CanesTime.com, Yahoo! Sports and former BleacherReport featured columnist. Founder of allCanesBlog.com no longer toeing any company line. Launched ItsAUThing.com to deliver a raw, unfiltered and authentic perspective of all things "The U".

Recent Posts

MIAMI HURRICANES LAST ONES STANDING IN SHOOTOUT WITH LOUISVILLE CARDINALS

The Miami Hurricanes won a spirited shootout against the Louisville Cardinals this past Saturday afternoon…

2 weeks ago

MIAMI HURRICANES OVERCOME 25-POINT DEFICIT; CLAW BACK AGAINST CAL BEARS

"Are you not entertained?!?" Impossible to not channel the legendary Maximus Decimus Meridius in the…

4 weeks ago

‘U’ PREVIEW: MIAMI HURRICANES HEAD WEST TO BATTLE CAL BEARS

The Miami Hurricanes are off to Berkeley, California for a rare west coast road trip…

1 month ago

WARTS EXPOSED IN MIAMI HURRICANES GRITTY WIN OVER VIRGINIA TECH

Miami survived Virginia Tech in a backyard brawl Friday night at HardRock and the only…

1 month ago

MIAMI HURRICANES DISMANTLE SOUTH FLORIDA BULLS IN SUNSHINE STATE SHOWDOWN

The Miami Hurricanes blew through Raymond James Stadium and delivered the kind of total-package, hit-on-all-cylinders…

1 month ago

MIAMI HURRICANES SHOWING UP, SHOWING OUT AND GETTING IT DONE

The cynics will constantly find ways to distract from what-is for a bevy of reasons.…

2 months ago