Options are good. People deserve options regardless of their race, sex, or socio-economic level. Options are good for everyone — even celebrities. Even celebrities who play professional basketball in Indiana. Indeed options are good.
However, it’s up to us as individuals to determine the option that best represents our lifestyle.
At 3 a.m. on Sunday morning and hours before Indiana Pacers point guard Jamaal Tinsley decided on an option that could have ended his life: he attended a nightclub.
Who would have thought that going to a nightclub after a popular concert was a bad idea?
I would have. Especially if I were a celebrity who makes millions of dollars a year playing a sport I loved.
Unfortunately at the time Tinsley didn’t think that going out for an evening of entertainment was a bad idea, but that doesn’t make him a bad person. Naive? Maybe. Too trusting? Probably. Stupid? Hardly.
Tinsley probably just wanted to go out, listen to some music, and enjoy the night. I’m sure he never thought while preparing for that evening he’d be the victim (yes, victim) of a jealous rage that could have cost him his life. I’m sure he didn’t think this and that’s why he went to the club.
Sadly Cloud 9, the nightclub where the altercation began has a reputation for being frequented by people who some would consider undesirables or “ghetto” as one club-goer explained. It’s a perception that I’ve heard often and even witnessed when I attended the club previously. It was enough for me to not have the desire to go back, but I’m not Tinsley.
What NBA players (specifically our Pacers) as well as other professional athletes need to realize is that they are targets. They are targets of “haters” who are jealous of the material things their high salaries have afforded them. But it doesn’t just end there. Celebrities and professional athletes are also the target of conniving, manipulative people who will try in some way to profit from their money.
I imagine the life of a celebrity one that has its share of challenges. On one hand you want to remain humble and “normal” by doing things that everyday people do, but on the other hand you have to hold yourself to a higher standard than those who might not have what you have. It’s like that old saying, “I can’t do right for doing wrong.”
I understand the struggle that Tinsley and other celebrities are faced with. They want to fit in, do certain things, and go certain places, but unfortunately because of their hard work and the rewards of it, they can’t.
This is a very materialistic world. People want the best of everything; some can afford it, others can’t. Sadly, for some of those who can’t they get jealous and want to take what someone else has worked hard for… it’s sad.
In this very materialistic world, egos are big. For instance, if there’s a guy at a club who isn’t famous, but has lots of money and loves the attention that his money gets him, he may very well get upset with another man who comes to the club with more jewelry, a larger wad of money and a better car. The first man’s ego may be challenged in such a way that he feels he needs to do something to validate himself as a better person. That validation can come in the form of many things such as buying more drinks, talking disrespectfully to others, or evoking physical harm on the person with more money.
Because we can’t read people’s mind or predict the future, the best thing for us to do is carefully think things out in advance and make the best-informed decision. If there’s one thing that being a journalist has taught me, it’s to be objective and look at situations from every possible perspective and angle before proceeding. This is a custom that I practice in my professional life as well as personally. It doesn’t mean I’m perfect or don’t make mistakes or bad judgments, but it does mean that at least I try to think things through to avoid potentially harmful things.
Tinsley and other celebrities have a heck of a lot more to lose than the Average Joe, so they need to hold themselves in higher regard and be a bit more objective in their day-to-day lives. Doing so can truly mean the difference between life and death.
