Lord Stan The Man

This summer has been strangely compelling from a sports perspective, much more so than most years. Excuse me for not jumping up and down over mundane July baseball games, but most summers I find myself longing for the football days of autumn.

Well this year the World Cup and the NBA free agency changed that. So here we are in late July and we’ve barely even talked about Brett Favre. No live helicopter shots of his house in Mississippi? No uncomfortable Brad Childress press conferences? Where’s Ed Werder and Rachel Nichols when you need them? Somehow I find myself looking forward to the upcoming Brett Favre “decision.” It’s officially time for football season.

To the mailbag (comment-bag):

youtha:

Dan Gilbert is an ungrateful ass. He had LeBron for seven years and gave him no good support. Perhaps if he had opened his purse instead of his mouth, LeBron, The Real King, would still be there. He needed to acquire players of LeBron's caliber to get the title and only an outlay of money will do that. Apparently, Gilbert, the ass, was too stingy to do what the Boston Celtics did. When Boston finally gave Paul Pierce Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen, Boston went all the way and almost did it this time. I'm glad LeBron didn't bow to pressure. He deserves a ring and being a free agent, he can go anywhere he wants. Back off haters.

Trust me, I feel terrible for the fans of Cleveland. A few weeks ago the city housed one of the best athletes in the country. Now the title of Cleveland’s most famous athlete is a close duel between Jake Delhomme and Antawn Jamison.

(For the record, my vote goes to Delhomme. He is notorious for quarterbacking an NFC champion team, as well as surpassing Brett Favre as the most reliable NFL quarterback in terms of throwing interceptions. Here's Chris Collinsworth to break it down for you: "Jake Delhomme, this is a guy that just loves what he does and just works so hard every day of an NFL season. Don't you tell him that he isn't the best at throwing interceptions in the league. (Laughs) You know you can count on this guy any time you need that key turnover in the worst of moments. And you know, he might just be the most famous athlete in Cleveland. (Laughs) He's just an amazing guy, and the big man right now in Cleveland." Meanwhile, Jamison will now have played for the Arenas handgun era Wizards and the post-LeBron Cavaliers, two of the most depressing NBA teams possibly in history.)

Cleveland sports fans have a right to be angry. The city has had terrible luck in the sporting world over the past 50 or so years, and now its savior goes on national television and tears the heart out of every Cleveland fan, Last of the Mohicans style.

The Cavs have become an embarrassing collection of horrible talent, mostly a product of bad transactions. I’m not sure how any team can sell tickets with Antawn Jamison as its signature player. And even Anderson Varejao can’t flop his way to victories every night. Cleveland isn’t even close to being a playoff team; the Cavs could be one of the worst teams in the league next season.

Bob:

What a joke! When a professional athlete can take over a broadcast it just shows you how unprofessional he is and how the media built it up so much. I go along with Cleveland-GOOD RIDDANCE!

Unfortunately when Cavs fans said “good riddance” to LeBron they may have said goodbye to professional basketball in Cleveland. I’m not saying I expect the Cavs to move anytime soon; I just don’t think they will recover for a very long time.

It really was a terrible moment in TV history for Cleveland. Worse than the last moment of The Sopranos. Maybe the only way it could have been worse is if LeBron gave his decision wearing a John Elway jersey.

player23:

dan gilbert always talks about loyalty but how about the players that they took from different teams.. its the same.. Lebron is not a slave it his decision and he has the freedom to do so.. its a free country.. did the people of phoenix did that to amare when he went to knicks.. lebron has done enough for the city of cleveland.. it aint that easy

Is this Jesse Jackson?

John:

I suspect that the same people who are sniveling about America not accepting soccer like the rest of the world are the same ones that love to caterwaul about "diversity." Well, behold the marvelous diversity of sports! It is my sincere hope that America continues to love baseball, real football, and basketball and therefore carries high and proud the banner of sports diversity.

America will undoubtedly continue to fervently support a wide range of sports. Obviously, American football is the king in the United States, and I don’t see anything surpassing it.

We always refer to the “four major sports” of football, baseball, basketball and hockey, although hockey doesn’t get as much love because games aren’t shown on ESPN. But with possible NFL and NBA lockouts in 2011 and the slow nature of baseball, there’s no reason that we shouldn’t be talking about the “five major sports” fairly soon, with soccer joining the group.

Signs point to soccer’s rapidly increasing popularity in this country. The World Cup scored very high ratings for ESPN/ABC, most definitely assisted by ESPN’s nonstop excellent coverage of the tournament. Thierry Henry’s arrival in New York gives the MLS another big name star, along with Landon Donovan and David Beckham. And ESPN has begun to promote foreign leagues as well, televising a number of English Premier League games on weekends, as well as contests from the UEFA Champions League.

There’s no denying that soccer is on the rise in the USA. That America is beginning to embrace soccer is a testament to what a truly rich and diverse sporting nation it has become. In the typically boring summers, fans desperately searching for an escape from baseball are forced to turn to Arena Football, WNBA and possibly even suicide. MLS contests and European club exhibitions definitely have a chance to gain more than a few viewers.


You can e-mail Stanley at lordstantheman@gmail.com with any comments or questions. Stanley writes a Detroit Lions blog for NFL.com's Blog Blitz powered by SportsFanLive.com.