I heard the news about LeBron James (star of the Cleveland Cavaliers basketball team) signing with the Miami Heat on the morning of our family's departure for Ohio, six weeks ago.  Because I didn't want to make the travel preparations any more stressful than they already were, I didn't break the news to my son (a huge Cavs fan and LeBron James fan) until we were about half-way over the Atlantic.  But I knew that I had to let him know -- because it was definitely going to be a topic of conversation when we landed in Ohio.

Elliot and I, like a lot of people from Ohio, were disappointed by LeBron James' decision to leave his home state and pursue glory, glamor, and success in Miami -- down south, on the Coast (common destinations for the oft-lamented Midwestern talent drain).  But as I've processed his decision further, I have to admit that it makes a lot of sense -- and I think that it actually reveals a lot about the evolution of cultural and generational values.  And I, for one, don't mean that this shift in values is necessarily a bad thing.  It's just interesting to note.

A lot of people have given LeBron James a lot of crap over the last month and a half.  They say he's a sell-out, that he's self-centered and childish and unfaithful.  The previous generation's great basketball players -- guys like Michael Jordan, Magic Johson, and Charles Barkley -- have publically and universally denounced the move, which coincided with Miami re-signing its biggest star, Dwyane Wade and also winning Chris Bosh, another highly-regarded talent in this summer's free agent signings.  They say that a phenomenon such as Miami's new "Big Three" would never have happened in their days because they were too competitive, too intent on beating each other rather than teaming up to run laps around the competition.  The previous generation's superstars complain that LeBron's legacy will be tainted by his lack of competitive individualism -- that he'll never be as great as they were in their day, because he didn't "go it alone" against the top talent of his generation.

But I really have to wonder if this criticism is just generational ignorance and arrogance.  To me, LeBron James' move to Miami is very much in line with the cultural values of today's twenty-somethings:  less individualistic, less cut-throat competitive, more global, more synergistic.

LeBron James has his own set of values that aren't so hung-up on individual "greatness."  I'm guessing that he's not so concerned with having great enemies (as if this somehow made him a bigger man) -- as much as he's concerned with having great friends.  He seems to hope for ongoing support from his Ohio friends and family, even as he transitions to Miami for the next few years.  And with transportation and telecommunication as efficient and effortless as it is today, ties to "home" are defined in much different ways than ever before; he can still be every bit as much of an Ohioan as he's always been -- it's just that he doesn't always have to be in Ohio to do it.  I'm sure that the championships are still important to LeBron James -- but he wants to have someone with whom he can share that glory.  The teammates are not something to detract from himself, from his spotlight, but rather something to make the experience all the more sweet.  Like a lot of young people today, it seems to me that he cares about where he's going only secondarily, after he's figured out who he's going with.

Maybe this is total psycho-babble.  I don't really know.  A lot of my speculation comes from the news stories reporting that James, Wade, and Bosh have all been close friends since their time playing together on the USA basketball team during the 2008 Olympics.  But again, I can't really claim to have any particular insight into LeBron James' way of thinking.  Yet the more I process his recent career decision, the more I can see my own values at play.  After being away from Ohio for a number of years, myself -- I've had to come to terms with the fact that I can be both an Amsterdammer and an Ohioan.  It doesn't have to be one or the other.  I didn't leave Ohio because I was disloyal or embittered; on the contrary, I love it there!  But I didn't have to keep my feet planted eternally on Ohio soil in order to maintain my cultural identity.  Furthermore, as I think about the future -- I realize that my goals in life are a lot less about what I accomplish than they are about who I get to accomplish them with.  If I were ever to move away from Amsterdam, for instance, I would hope that it wouldn't be for some amazing job opportunity or to live in some amazing city -- but rather that it would be to team up with some amazing people to "make history" together.  In my case, of course, it would probably be to make disciples instead of win NBA championships; but when you really break it down, my values are not so much different from those that LeBron James has exhibited this summer.

As for our personal basketball loyalties, Elliot and I have basically decided that we're going to have to cheer for both the Cleveland Cavaliers and for LeBron James, now that their paths have diverged.  If it comes down to a head-to-head match-up, we'll probably go for the Cavs (we do, after all, have our Ohio identity to maintain!).  But I don't see myself remaining embittered with LeBron James for making the decision he did.  If he ends up winning championships, I say good for him.  We'll still have to wait until next season to see how things really feel, in the midst of the action.  But for now, I'm saying that I can at least see where LeBron James might be coming from...

Yesterday, the Dutch national football (soccer) team suffered an agonizing loss -- falling to the Spanish in overtime, 1-0.  It was a hard-fought game.  Even though many faulted the way that the Dutch team approached the game (calling it ugly, thuggish, and brutal), I am proud of the way that my adopted country played in this year's World Cup tournament.  They showed mental toughness, and they didn't let the Spanish intimidate them.  They kept to their game-plan, and it almost paid off for them.  If they could have held out for just four more minutes, they would have had the opportunity to win the game on penalty kicks (against an opponent who was, by most accounts, clearly better than they were).  If they could have held out for just four more minutes, I genuinely believe the game could have been theirs:  the first championship in Dutch football (soccer) history.

But it wasn't meant to be.  It turned out to be just another heart-break for an eternally-frustrated fan base.

Last Thursday, the city of Cleveland, Ohio suffered an agonizing loss -- when basketball superstar LeBron James decided to leave the Cleveland Cavaliers and sign a new contract with the Miami Heat instead.  The Cavs gave it their best shot, managing a clever campaign to keep their native son (James grew up in nearby Akron) playing in Cleveland, which was admittedly an uphill battle for a city which has been having a rough half-century or so.  And unfortunately, the story didn't have a happy ending for people from Ohio.  Similar to the way it happens in business, politics, and industry, Ohio sports are plagued by the fact that the best and the brightest often end up moving on to greener pastures in the South, or on the coasts, or in the bigger cities, where they achieve their glory.  Cleveland, in particular, seems to have a penchant for developing really good teams and really good players, but then losing at the last minute when the ultimate prize appears to be within their grasp.  There had been some hope that the LeBron James situation might be different -- that maybe he could be the "messiah" of Ohio sports.

But it wasn't meant to be.  It turned out to be just another heart-break for an eternally-frustrated fan base.

There's something astonishingly similar about these two agonizing losses, these heart-breaks, even though they're for very different cultures, different sports, and different types of loss.  On the emotional level, though, they're very similar.  Close but not close enough.  Good but not good enough.  Always the bridesmaid, never the bride.  I know the pain of Dutch loss, Ohio loss.  But the pain doesn't change my fondness for Oranje voetbal or Ohio basketball.  If anything, the pain intensifies my feelings of identification and affinity.  We may be mildly pathetic, but we've still got pride.  We may lose when it comes to the "big game," but we're loveable losers.

Ears ringing, throat stinging, elbows (and knees and shoulders) banged against me as I pushed through tens of thousands of screaming strangers.  Several of the people in the crowds physically accosted me at different point along the way, slapping at me and yelling in my face.  The air was filled with smoke and sirens.  Some strange, cold substance was raining down on my neck, my back, my legs.  It was absolute pandemonium.

And I hardly could have enjoyed myself more.

For yesterday's World Cup semi-final match between Holland and Uruguay, I joined 40,000 of my closest friends at the Museumplein in central Amsterdam -- watching the big game on the big screen, in the midst of the most unimaginable orange insanity.

When the Dutch team scored a goal, the sound of the crowd was deafening:  cheers, air-horns, vuvuzelas, bells, whistles, and music blasted over the sound system.  Confetti and fireworks shot up into the air.  Bright orange flares spewed acrid orange smoke.  And everyone jumped up and down -- making the Museumplein seem like a rocky orange sea.  People crashed into each other:  complete strangers hugging and high-fiving (and this from a culture where eye contact with strangers on the street is generally avoided).  And best of all, the Dutch team won 3-2, making it into the championship game for the first time in 32 years (and providing the opportunity for its first world championship ever).

It was an unforgettable experience.

And to think... I'm going to be back in Ohio for the championship game!  It'll be hard to be away from all the pandemonium in Amsterdam (especially if the Dutch team could pull off the win), but I'm definitely going to be cheering from wherever I'm at.

Speaking of which, does anyone know a good place in north-central Ohio for watching soccer with an enthusiastic crowd?!?  If there is no such place, I'm going to have to create one in my parents' living room.  I wouldn't miss the championship for the world.

Did you know that they observe the 4th of July in the Netherlands?  It's true...

It comes just after their observance of the 3rd of July and just before their observance of the 5th of July! :-)  Sorry, I couldn't resist the old joke.

But seriously:  We didn't get to watch fireworks this weekend, and we didn't grill out in the backyard.  We didn't deck the house with red, white, and blue bunting.  We didn't even sing any patriotic songs.  We did very little to mark the celebration of American Independence Day.  But we did have a pretty special weekend, all the same.

Particularly when it came to watching European sports.

Friday evening, the Dutch football (soccer) team stunned Brazil in the World Cup quarter-finals, suddenly making them favorites to earn a trip to the finals (Uruguay comes next, though they're generally considered the weakest of the four remaining teams, and even at that they'll be missing their top player for the next game).  Everyone here in Amsterdam was desperately hoping for the win over Brazil, but I don't think very many were actually expecting it.  To say the least, the city was a pretty happy place on Friday evening after the game...

And then, on Saturday, the Netherlands played host to the opening of the 2010 Tour de France.  I've been following cycling for a good while now (even before moving to Europe, back in the early Lance Armstrong years) -- and when I heard that the Tour would be starting in Rotterdam this year, I decided that I needed to make the trip to experience the event for myself.  Thankfully some friends offered to take our kids to the Efteling (kind of like a Dutch Disneyland), so we didn't have to keep them with us in the crowds and extended curb-side waiting in Rotterdam.  Instead, Marci and I waved them off at Amsterdam's Centraal Station and then took our own train south to Rotterdam, together with our friend Linda.

By the way, if you want to read more about our kids' adventures at the Efteling (without us), you can read Elliot's excellent report on his own blog...

Around the time that they were arriving at the amusement park, Marci, Linda, and I were starting to walk along the racing route in Rotterdam.  As we crossed over the famous Erasmus Bridge, we got to see teams who were making some practice runs over the course.

Eventually, we chose a spot where we'd be able to see each rider twice -- 1.5 kilometers into the route, and then again as they were headed into the last 1.5 kilometers.  We also had a convenient view of a large jumbotron (which showed the riders at other points on the course), and we had a gentle bend in the road which gave us a better view of the cyclists as they approached the finish.  A pretty good spot overall, I think.

But once we settled in there, we had a lot of waiting to do.

All said, we stood at that spot for about seven and a half hours -- through blazing sunshine, drizzling rain, and blustery winds.  But suffice to say, we got to see the Tour de France!

We got to see all the big names, including Alberto Contador (last year's winner), Ivan Basso, Andy Schlek, and Cadel Evans.  But two of my favorites were George Hincapie (above), and of course Lance Armstrong (below).

I've been wanting to see the Tour de France for quite a long time.  And now I can say that I've done it.  I can say that I've seen all the major riders -- all within just a couple of meters in front of me, about the distance from which I normally sit from my television to watch them!  I can say that I watched Lance Armstrong race in what will probably be his last Tour de France.

And now that I can say all those things, I don't have to do it again.

Honestly, I believe that the Tour de France is a sport that is perfect for television.  You can see more of the riders, hear more of the back-stories, get a better overview of the course (all those majestic, panoramic, post-card, helicopter shots), and sit in leisurely comfort while the athletes gut it out on one of the grandest stages in all sports!

Seeing it in-person was cool, and I'm still very glad for the experience this weekend in Rotterdam -- but to tell you the truth, it was not so comfortable sweating in the melting-hot sun and shivering in the cold wind and rain, over the course of seven-and-a-half hours.  It's a pretty amazing spectacle, with all the sponsors and merchandise thrown about, with all the skill that goes into competing for such an event and covering it in a way that so many spectators can enjoy.

But from now on, I think I'll be happy to enjoy it from home, where I can put up my feet, have something cold to drink, and quip about the time that I saw the Tour de France with my own eyes, on Lance Armstrong's last tour.

Hilko Blok has done it again: passing along another hilarious World Cup image -- made all the more funny by his politically-incorrect-but-still-quite-humorous caption: "Derp Derp Football Derp." Here it is:

As I've continued watching the World Cup, I've realized that the game of football (soccer) really can be something enjoyable for an American like me. It seems like I get this realization with every major international tournament (i.e. World Cup, European Cup) -- but then, for some reason, it never really translates into an appreciation for the regular European leagues. Maybe this time it will really stick. We'll see...

In the meantime, here are a couple of random thoughts for adapting the game of football (soccer) for an American audience:

• Instant replay - I'm not suggesting that the entire game be mechanized, but certainly when it comes to disputable goals some degree of replay/review could be a wise thing. Both of yesterday's games could have been changed dramatically by using instant replay (but as it was, they both ended up in blow-outs). I have to admit that there's something to the endless arguments that can come from a blown call -- creating a sort of mythology and mystique about the game that allows it to still be discussed (at length) years, and even decades, into the future... But there's also something very dissatisfying about a team being unfairly bounced from the tournament because a referee wasn't in the right spot. In my way of imagining things, given the amount of shots that actually come into doubt, there would be just a handful of "disruptions" to the game at most. To me, it would be worth it.
• Secondarily, it would help me a lot to get noun-verb agreement stuff figured out. The way I see it, a country or a team is a single entity: thus some natural headlines for today might be "Chile Eyes Upset Against Brazil" or "Holland Is Focused on Winning." But apparently, international sports writers tend to think about each country being a number of individuals -- a pural entity. So the actual headlines for today read: "Chile Eye Upset Against Brazil" and "Holland Are Focused on Winning." Doesn't that just sound wrong (at least to an American set of ears)?!? I was asking an Englishman about this last night, and he admitted that it didn't actually make any sense to him either, at least not gramatically-speaking. So I would wish for some adaptation to the sport's language, if it's ever going to get more coverage in American media sources.
• Finally, I think we all just need to admit that football (soccer) has some issues with play-acting. It really does seem to be a part of the game -- a strategic way to saddle the other team with penalties and set yourself up for better field position. I understand, of course, that on a stage as big as a stadium, you'll never get the calls unless the player makes it abundantly obvious that he's been fouled. But naturally, this means that there's a lot of theatrics that happen in the midst of a game. I understand this and have come to accept this. But no European will ever admit to the theatrics! For the doubters, I submit the following video clip as an example of football's most egregious acting issues:

Can I get an "Amen" on any of these points of consideration? Please feel free to convince me otherwise... but that's how I see it right now.

Anyway... today is the next step on Holland's road to glory: the early game, this afternoon, against Slovakia. The remainder of the road is still challenging (most notably a quarter-final match-up with the winner of the Brazil - Chile match)... but I would love to see the Dutch team pull it out. If the Dutch were to somehow pull it off and come home with the World Cup, they would join a very exclusive club of only seven other countries who have ever won the World Cup (which seems just crazy to me). Here's to hope...