Loyalty & Allegiance: Forgotten Words in Sports These Days

Have you ever been so loyal to something and then...BAM, it is swept from underneath you; leaving you wondering what is going on? It happens in the sports world all the time. Earlier this month my hometown hero, was rumored to be getting the axe from the team. Today it was another team losing their hero. It makes me shake my head and wonder where did all the loyalty and allegiance go?

I think of major players in history and how they felt when allegiance was compromised. Jesus immediately comes to mind and I often wonder what expression was on his face when he saw Judas.

I know it is a business. It was for Judas, and it is for the protagonists of this blog. I get that, I really do. Better offers come and go all the time, and larger markets and richer owners will always have the ability to reel in the big gamers.

I remember growing up watching Steve Largent catch tip-toeing touchdowns for the Seahawks. Cal Ripken only wore one jersey and that was a Baltimore Oriole one. I'd turn on the television and watch #32 Magic's Lakers and #33 Bird's Celtics battle it out on television. In every sport, every town who had a team, also had a star who were lifers. It was called LOYALTY, or ALLEGIANCE. Fanatics and management made sure the stars knew they were loved. Fans of anything nowadays have loyalty and allegiance. Jason Bourne will only be Matt Damon, no matter who else tries to carry the series on. Imagine if some bonehead tried to pull Jonny Depp from the Pirates franchise.(even though its run its course-it'd be a dumb move)

Here is the deal, today's sports stars are drawn away by the huge salaries that large markets can offer. They will go toward the money, and forget about the fans that they will leave behind when they depart. The landscape of sports changes before our eyes. You may have a Minnesota or NY Jets jersey with Favre's name on it, but love him or hate him he's a Packer. Jordan will always be known as a BULL, not a Wizard.

In life these stars will rise, take teams to championships, and then bolt. That is the crazy landscape we live in the sports world today. I find it rather sad, and I find it rather lame that players can't play for the game in the city they love, instead they play for the love of money, in the city that will pay best. Wonder how St. Louis feels right now.

Loyalty and Allegiance is a lost thing in many regards these days. But it is an important virtue to have. So, ask yourself do you have it? Do you need it?