Were Dwyane Wade’s Comments Really That Bad?
Before readers start wondering whether I understand the magnitude of Wade’s remarks, let’s take a look at Wade - from several different perspectives.
First of all, would what he said have caused such a stir if it had come from a random rabid Miami Heat fan (of which many have sprung up recently)? A fan who, upon being asked by a member of the media if he thought the Heat were going to go undefeated, said, “If we (as any fan refers to his team) lose two or three in a row, you all (meaning the media, as Wade did) are going to make it like the World Trade Center is coming down again.” Would that statement have caused as much of an incident as when Wade uttered it?
Examine the speaker in this case. As cool and stylish as any of today’s athletes, Dwyane Wade was born to a couple who did more than dabble in the drug culture, especially his mom, who spent time in prison. Google Dwyane Wade’s name and you’ll read about how he was sent to live with his dad and his new wife (who also began having marital problems). While Dwyane, Sr. played ball with his son (hour after hour) and taught him how to deal with adversity on the court, the son apparently didn’t receive the same guidance in the academic world.
He was a Proposition 48 casualty, meaning he wasn’t eligible to play his freshman year in college. The story is similar to many such scholastic stars - OK grades, but missed the necessary standardized score (in Wade’s case, the ACT) by one point. Whether that was the case or not, missing academic eligibility isn’t like narrowly missing the Dean’s List. With his academic and social background, it’s amazing Dwyane Wade grew into the type of young man he is. But let’s not make him someone we should turn to for social commentary.
Wade fell in love early in life and married his high school sweetheart - after she gave birth to their first child. They stayed together for quite a while, but I remember coaching friends making comments that, with the temptations professional athletes were presented, especially the high profile, rich, good-looking ones, it was only a matter of time before the Wade romance hit the skids. As has been reported, i.e. publicly dragged through the mud, a nasty divorce and child custody battle is now taking place.
Then there’s the story of how D-Wade walked into a tattoo shop, as seemingly all the great ones do, turned around and left because he knew his father would disapprove. That’s a rather major statement in this day and age. Parents guide in different ways. I recall a professor I had in a child psych class in college lecture us one day that there were three theories on how to raise children. “Unfortunately, none of them work,” he ended the lesson.
Granted, Dwyane Wade makes big money. 10% of that (before tax) is donated to his church. It’s easy to say, “If I had that much money, I’d be giving it away too,” but exactly how much are of your own money is designated to charity? Regardless of your views on Wade, Sports Illustrated saw it fit to name him their Sportsman of the Year for 2006, an award they don’t give away lightly.
So who is Dwyane Wade? In this instance, it’s a case of walking a mile in another man’s moccasins. Shouldn’t he have realized that that comment would set off a frenzy of disbelief that someone could be so insensitive? Sure - if he had your social awareness, intelligence, upbringing and, yeah, common sense. Just like you wouldn’t be such a klutz when you play your weekend hoops game at your local gym if you had his basketball skill.
Dwyane Wade’s talent in basketball has given him fame, fortune and some powerful friends (not just LeBron and Bosh). Yet, as difficult as it may be to understand, it doesn’t mean he fully comprehends the magnitude of an event that took place when he was nineteen. That’s not an excuse, just what I believe happens when people with a platform are ill-equipped to discuss certain issues.
This reminds me a little - and just a little - of what brought down Jimmy “The Greek” Snyder. In 1988 I was associate head basketball coach at the University of Toledo when Jimmy made his infamous remarks that got him fired from CBS and happened to be a guest on a Toledo radio station . When asked for how I summed up the story, I said:
“The guy was a bookmaker and now people are making him out to be a geneticist.”