I don't celebrate that...

So if you haven't seen Josh Howard at Allen Iverson's celebrity flag football game yet, it has stirred up many emotions around the world. Although this comment may have been just messing around among friends on a relaxing summer afternoon, the comments that Josh Howard made a few months ago are something to remember.



This celebrity all-star game was very non-competitive and is strictly played for entertainment purposes, yet it is still a sporting event and the national anthem is being played for a reason. The line between official and leisure may be very small and unclear, but it is important to understand that with the national anthem there are principles. Whenever this song is played it is to be played in a serious manner. Just as when a sermon preaches or a school teacher teaches, the national anthem must require a great deal of respect and attention.

Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban posted many e-mails he received from Americans who felt personally attacked by Mr. Howard's comments and responded with venomous rage at the player's boss. In a Mark Cuban kind of way, the Maverick owner showed the world these hateful e-mails and included them on his popular blog.

I feel like the real issue here is what is going through Mark Cuban's mind to do such a thing. What kind of business man will stick up for an unpatriotic act by one of his employees who has a noteworthy criminal record? If the president of an organization like Microsoft were in this position, I don't think Mr. Gates would keep anybody around let alone stand up for them just because he or she came up with the best marketing scheme and brought in the most money for the year. This person would be gone in a second!

The NBA is a business but for some godforsaken reason, presidents and managers of teams do not require their players to meet the same expectations as everyone else in the organization. I am quite disappointed in Mark Cubans childish actions and his unprofessionalism.

Whats the Deal with Boston Celtics fans?

So everyone knows the Boston Celtics won yet another NBA Championship this season and this of course solidified them as one of the most recognizable "famous" sports organizations in the world. However, does anybody realize that this so called "blue collar sports town" doesn't really give a damn about their beloved Boston Celtics? Sure this season they were 12th in the NBA in attendance, but lets take a look back a few years. In 06-07, Boston was ranked 20th in the league behind New Jersey and Orlando and in 05-06, they were 18th in the league. Now tell me how this is a world famous organization that still sells many tickets by riding the coat-tails of the legendary Larry, Robert, and Kevin teams of the 80's and 90's.

My question to everybody is, why doesn't anyone realize how fair weathered these Boston Celtic fans are? They start winning a few games in 07-08 and then all of a sudden, thousands of these "die hard" Celtic fans start coming out of the parquet woodwork, and into the Garden?

Wait, there's more! In 04-05, they ranked 24th and in 03-04, they were 18th. Of course the old cliche is that if the team starts winning, the people will come. Yet how come the fans of Chicago, Cleveland, and L.A. have been pouring in the last 5 years and show their allegiance to their respected clubs. I am sick of hearing how the Boston Celtics and the L.A. Lakers are the most historic franchises in Basketball. Boston is nowhere near the level of L.A. Sure the Lakers and the Celtics have the most Championships by a long shot, but honestly the Boston Celtics fans don't give a damn about their Boston Celtics so long as the Boston Red Sox are in town (and the Patriots keep on winning). As much as I dislike the Lakers, I have to respect their fan base and the city of Los Angeles for actually showing up to see their team play whether they have a strong season, or it is a rebuilding year. Dedication and persistence people, that's all I ask.