Sorry (to myself, because I am the only person who really keeps track of this business) for the hiatus, taking three classes had me a little less eager to get on the computer and do fun writing. But I'm over it, and we should all be over it.
Pretend it never happened.
Something that DID happen (or didn't- it has not been confirmed): Scandalous Rumor surrounding LeBron James. Apparently some are chalking up his terrible performances during games 4 and 5 of the semifinals against the Celtics to an emotional break. What could possibly trigger the King to perform more like a princess?
They say he found out his mother was sleeping with Delonte West right before game 4. Which is ridiculous. But so ridiculous, it almost has to be true, right?
D. West has had his own issues. He's a troubled young man, I could totally see him going to Gloria for some love and support and getting a little something extra. But then again, that seems a little too Jackie Collins for real life.
So here it is, I'm on the fence on this one. It might have happened, and it would explain a lot, but it also seems like a deus ex machina-style excuse for LeBron's customary playoff slump. Doesn't he always lose it for at least a game or two? Who knows.
True or not, this rumor has a lot of value to me, mostly because I don't rate gossip on its veracity. To me, it's the juicier the better; I don't really care if it's true. If it's been confirmed or refuted, whatever that's fine, what I enjoy about it is getting to marvel at the idea of something like that happening.
Or not actually happening. Either it happened, or something like it happened, or it didn't happen at all. But if it was totally made up, someone had to make it up, and I find that very fascinating.
Some devious rumor monger with a great imagination had to sit there and come up with this ridiculous notion that one of the Cavs was doing LeBron's Mom. I often wonder what drives someone to come up with a rumor like that. Did it come out of nowhere? Maybe. The product of a late night brainstorming session? Perhaps. Scientifically researched and defended as a Master's Thesis? eh...probably not.
Wherever it came from, it's a strange phenomenon. I like to think about the origin of gossip, because whether it is based in fact or fantasy it always elicits the same response from me: That's some shit.
Either it's true and some people did some messed up stuff, or its a lie and somebody came up with this crazy theory on their own. Ultimately, I think the latter is more interesting because the motive behind the actions is harder to pinpoint. Why would Delonte and Gloria hook up? Easy - they both needed some lovin'. Why did somebody fabricate a relationship between Gloria and Delonte? There are a lot of possibilities: revenge, malicious intent, boredom, psychological breakdown, fantasy, hell the originator could have misunderstand a comment from someone else and been just as confused the rest of us about where this rumor came from. If the gossip in question is NOT true, there are more unanswered questions than if it ends up being fact. And this applies to all gossip, not just LeBron rumors.
In the spirit of full disclosure, I will share the incident that first sparked my interest in gossip mongering. When I was a senior in high school, a friend told me something. She had heard some other girls in our grade talking, and apparently they had heard that "White Grace" was pregnant. Being the only Grace (and coincidentally the only white Grace, but we'll get to that later) at my school, they were clearly talking about me. Initially I was a little shocked, because at this point in time that would have been...impossible. Or immaculate, take your pick. But whatever it was it was CERTAINLY not true. But the more I thought about it, the more flattered I was. Strangers were not only talking about me, but at least one had been invested enough to make up a story about me. And not an embarrassing, lame one - a pretty good and juicy and rumor. I felt like a celebrity. Kind of.
The point is, I still wonder where that rumor came from, and I still don't know. It's one of life's little mysteries: who sits there grinding the wheels of the rumor mill? More importantly, why do they do it?
If I were more math and science-y, I'd mount an impressive study that would make Alfred Kinsey proud. But I'm not so good with figures and scientific accountability, so I will continue to speculate wildly. I enjoy the mystique of juicy gossip, you know the real good stuff, and I don't need to understand it completely to value it. As long as it makes me raise my eyebrows, or drop my jaw, or just think to myself, "That's some shit." then I'm entertained. Just keep 'em coming.
