i am a fan, please don't tell me i'm not allowed to act like one

i am a sports fan. i can't tell you all the records or statistics of certain players. i can't name all the teams or name every player on a particular team, but i am a fan. i don't know all the strategies or what the xs and os mean, but i know enough about football, basketball and baseball to enjoy watching and know what's going on.

i am someone who will jump up off my couch and scream when a player hits a 3 pointer right as the buzzer sounds to win the game. i am the fan who is jumping up and down in the stadium when a batter hits a line drive through the hole into the outfield letting the guy on second round third and score. i am on my feet high fiving everyone around me when the quarterback throws a 43 yrd pass to the end zone and the receiver catches it with his tiptoes just in bounds. and when a championship finally comes to cleveland, i will be downtown cheering and screaming as the parade goes past.

so, please, please do not tell me that i am not allowed to be, or should not be upset when disappointment comes along. when a beloved star chooses to act in a classless way, i will be upset. i will vocalize my opinion. yes, lebron james played fabulously for the cavaliers. yes, he did a lot for the city. but today, he showed that he doesn't really love the city, he doesn't really love the fans. a short press conference to announce his decision would have sufficed. the fact that he didn't inform the cavs of his decision before going on national television (or inform any other team that was trying to get him) says a lot. he suckered punched cleveland in the gut and then expects the fans to understand. did he really understand the cleveland fan to begin with?

i am disappointed. i am angry with the way he handled the situation. but i will get over it and so will the city. i don't live and die by the choices other people make, but i am affected by them.

it is just a sport. in the grand scheme of things, does this all really matter? no, but we're not looking at the grand scheme of things. when you get a paper cut, it hurts like the dickens and you wonder, 'why does something so tiny hurt so darn much?', but eventually it heals itself and you move on. but while it's hurting, you do a lot of hand waving in the air and saying, 'ouch that really, really hurts!' (or maybe some other choice words) and your entire focus in that first little bit is the pain that paper cut is causing.

please don't say to me, 'don't worry about it. why are you making such a big deal? it's just a little cut, what's all the fuss?' i know it's little. i know it will not seem like such a big deal in time, but for now, let me hurt.

let me be a fan.