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"Sports is our stupid."
I must keep reminding myself of this phrase as we begin to count down the final hours before Conor McGregor and Floyd Mayweather, Jr. do battle in the ring tomorrow night in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Because sports is supposed to be stupid. It's not supposed to bring out the worst in us, it's supposed to take us away from the nastiness, the bitter, the self-righteousness of privilege and fear and separation.
Maybe all of this hype has indeed just been a show.
Maybe all of this name-calling and back and forth hyperbole between two extremely gifted marketers is all just a sham.
Maybe they don't genuinely hate each other at all.
And maybe we're the suckers who will buy into the nonsense. Some of us at a whopping financial cost.
And maybe these two knew it. Maybe their camps knew it. We couldn't just enjoy a fight.
We needed it to be lowered to the lowest common denominator. We needed to see just how low and down into the gutter we could go.
I'll be thrilled to recap it all on Monday. Because it'll be over. One way or another.
Tune into FIRST SPORTS this morning at 10am ET as I'll chat with Pro MMA Radio host Larry Pepe. We'll talk all things McGregor vs. Mayweather as well as the latest news on Jon Jones' failed drug test.
My Prediction: Mayweather wins by TKO, Round 5
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In what could be the most impressive field of the year for a Grade 1 stakes race, Saratoga Race Course in upstate New York will host the Travers Stakes.
Kentucky Derby winner Always Dreaming, Preakness Stakes winner Cloud Computing and Belmont Stakes winner Tapwrit are all running in the 1 1/4 mile classic event.
But they're far from the only contenders...
Graded stakes winners like West Coast for trainer Bob Baffert, as well as Girvin, Good Samaritan, Irap and McCraken are also in the Travers field for what could be the most important stakes race of the year and perhaps the last chance for these sophomore thoroughbreds to determine which will be the top 3-year-old in America.
My preview of the Travers Stakes with TVG racing studio host and analyst Candice Hare is coming up this morning at 11am ET.
.... and to wrap up the week, a thank you to LeBron James.
Not that Isaiah Thomas necessarily needed your support, but it was refreshing to hear (or in this case, read) James calling out the actions of some perturbed fans of the Boston Celtics who felt it a fine idea to burn the jersey of the player who was traded earlier this week to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
From @KingJames on Twitter:
"The burning of the jersey thing is getting ridiculous now! The man was traded. What do u not understand? & played in a game after sister tragic death. Gordon Hayward paid he's dues as well and decided to do what's best for him and family. Put in the work, got better.... Became an All-Star, etc!! If these guys weren't good, u guys would be the first to say "get them up out of here". Man beat it! When "we" decide to do what best for us it's "cowardly" "traitor", etc but when it's on the other side it's "business" huh!?!? Ooh ok. Man do what u feel is best for your profession, love, family, happiness and continue to #StriveForGreatness #Salute"
Professional athletes, no matter what you may think of them, owe you nothing.
Much the same way that you, a professional in whatever occupation you have, owe nothing to absolute strangers.
Your "unwavering support" for a multi-millionaire superstar apparently does come with a pricetag. But you're the one who chose to hang that tag on that person.
You chose to get behind a stranger.
That decision wasn't on them.
It's on you.
And apparently, your disposable income includes purchases of flammable material that you chose to engulf in flames in a fit of self-destructive rage.
All of this and more, coming up today on FIRST SPORTS. Catch it LIVE right here across America from 9am-Noon ET on the I Heart Radio app or locally on the radio dial at AM1340/93.9FM.