ANALYSIS/OPINION
Did you see the video of the young kid wearing a Wizards jersey and crying after watching his team lose Wednesday night to the lowly Philadelphia 76ers by the score of 109-102 —their eighth loss of the early season against just two wins?
That clip should take its place among the historic images of Washington sports — John Riggins turning the corner for his 43-yard touchdown run in the 1983 Super Bowl; Jayson Werth coming into home plate after hitting his walk-off home run in Game 4 of the 2012 National League Division Series; Alex Ovechkin with his memorable falling, behind-the-back goal against the Phoenix Coyotes in 2006.
This young man, sitting next to his mother as she rubs his shoulder to comfort him, should be every bit as iconic as any Washington sports image, because it represents 40 years of the painful existence of being a Washington NBA (barely) fan.
TFW you’re really, really hoping for a comeback. #WizSixers pic.twitter.com/17fvghmND6
— CSN Wizards (@CSNWizards) November 17, 2016
He cried for them. He cried for the decades of tears that have been shed by those before him — some who were likely once children, wearing a Bullets or a Wizards jersey, watching LaBradford Smith in 1991 at the Capital Centre, or Tyrone Nesby in 2001 at the Verizon Center — and crying.
AUDIO: Baltimore Orioles legend Cal Ripken with Thom Loverro
At times there were those who the crying Wizards/Bullets children thought would rub their shoulders and make it better. They believed Michael Jordan would, but after two losing seasons, he drove out of the parking garage of the building in shame. They believed Ted Leonsis would when he acquired full ownership of the basketball team in 2010. But he has ignored their tears, declaring that the young children who cried before 2010 were not his responsibility.
Those since 2010?
“I understand right now that the fan base is not very happy with our performance,” Leonsis said in an interview Monday on WTOP radio. “Frankly, no one in the organization is happy with our performance. But it is very, very early in the season. We haven’t played 10 percent of our games this year. Again, if we learned anything from Washington, D.C., and the political season, we should not call the election too early. I’m not being smug in that comment; I mean it is very early. John Wall hasn’t been able to play back-to-back games as he overcomes an injury from the offseason. We don’t expect that issue to linger as we get into the season. Bradley Beal has missed a couple of games already. John was ejected from a couple of games. Our big free agent signing we think will add a lot of depth to us hasn’t made it onto the court, and I believe he will be able to play within 10 days or so. We do have to be patient, but I do understand what people are saying.”
It’s hard to figure out after hearing that whether the tears that follow are of sorrow or laughter.
Bradley Beal has missed a couple of games already? The max player who has averaged just 62 games a season in his first four years in the league and has missed three games already this year? And you dismiss it with just a “Bradley Beal has missed a couple of games already” statement? And “John (Wall) was ejected from a couple of games.” You mean John Wall, your team captain? And you just pass it off as being “ejected for a couple of games?”
Kleenex, please.
Leonsis will need a few tissues when he finally takes accountability for the tears of Wizards fans and fires the source of pain for this latest generation — general manager Ernie Grunfeld (Washington record as GM: 446-614 and counting). He will wonder why he didn’t do it when he took over control the team — following the Gilbert Arenas guns-in-the-locker-room embarrassment — and tell Wizards fans to dry their eyes, instead of going through more years of tears.
It’s gotten so bad that the players themselves are crying early in the season. Marcin Gortat has already cried to reporters about having to play with the worst bench in the league after a 106-95 loss to the Chicago Bulls Saturday night.
“We’ve got to play better,” he told the Washington Post. “We’ve got to compete. We need energy. We need effort. We’ve got to make shots. I think there’s a lot of things we can do better. I think right now, as far as I know, I think we’ve got one of the worst benches in the league right now.
“We can’t get used to it,’ Gortat said. “We can’t get comfortable with that. We’ve got to do something about that right now. It’s not fun anymore. It’s not fun. I mean, it’s bad.”
It’s enough to make a young boy cry.
Thom Loverro hosts his weekly podcast “Cigars & Curveballs” Wednesdays available on iTunes and Google Play.
• Thom Loverro can be reached at tloverro@washingtontimes.com.
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