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| source: kimoracochran.com |
The Atlantic Journal-Constitution has reported that Hall of Fame superstar Julius "Dr. J" Erving has decided to auction off some of his prized possessions he acquired during his 16-year NBA career. Among the several items included in the auction catalogue are Erving's championship rings from the NBA and ABA. There is some suggestion that Erving is selling off a portion of his collection because he is short on cash. Apparently, Erving's company, The Erving Group owes Georgia Primary Bank approximately $200,000 that stems from a $1,000,000 line of credit it received in April 2009. The bank filed a lawsuit against Erving in Fulton Superior Court seeking recovery for the amount owed.
But Erving denies any cash flow problems. He claims that this auction was planned a long time ago and the items that are up for sale have been in storage for decades. Erving said it was just time to downsize his memorabilia collection and that a portion of the proceeds will be donated to The Salvation Army, the charity which he has a long time affiliation.
Still, it's hard to believe that anyone would willingly part with any such valuables considering the rare personal accomplishment for which it represents. How many people walking this planet can say they won an NBA championship and have the ring to prove it? You would think that is the type of heirloom you want to pass on to your kids, grand kids and future generations.
Our popular culture is all about winning. We love winners because winning has been ingrained in our DNA. We've been conditioned to believe it's all about the ring. Only the ring matters (of course more recently, only the HUGE contract matters, but I digress). And maybe there lies the rub because we're not the ones living the lives of these professional athletes. We are simply voyeurs who are allowed into their world through the public portal. We (right or wrong) revere these athletes and look up to them as heroes. And by doing so, we put them on a pedestal. We perceive them as living in a world or a lifestyle which is not open to us. So we can never imagine an athlete daring to sell such a prized possession because if it were us we would never do such a thing. Of course we wouldn't because for most of us, the notion that we could ever achieve such an accomplishment in the first place is beyond any possibility and as a result, it becomes more valuable to us, the fans, than the athletes themselves.
Our popular culture is all about winning. We love winners because winning has been ingrained in our DNA. We've been conditioned to believe it's all about the ring. Only the ring matters (of course more recently, only the HUGE contract matters, but I digress). And maybe there lies the rub because we're not the ones living the lives of these professional athletes. We are simply voyeurs who are allowed into their world through the public portal. We (right or wrong) revere these athletes and look up to them as heroes. And by doing so, we put them on a pedestal. We perceive them as living in a world or a lifestyle which is not open to us. So we can never imagine an athlete daring to sell such a prized possession because if it were us we would never do such a thing. Of course we wouldn't because for most of us, the notion that we could ever achieve such an accomplishment in the first place is beyond any possibility and as a result, it becomes more valuable to us, the fans, than the athletes themselves.
In short, it might just be that the good Doctor has reached a point in his life whereby he no longer needs these baubles to remind him of his past glory. Maybe as you get older living life becomes more precious and material things become less important. Enough said.
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