Are you being sarcastic? I don't even know anymore.

Well, it would seem that so much for my carved out time. I have made a more concerted effort this week to make time. After all, if this is so important to me, then time for writing should be a great priority. As I mentioned before, real life will intrude, and I will have an article regarding that soon. In the meantime, something is sticking in my mind.

I am not one that is large on awards shows. They are pointless, and generally nothing more than self-congratulatory schmoozing fests. But, they can be fun and entertaining and, especially with the Oscars, it is fun to see clips of shows and movies that you have not seen and may want to, and a fun reminder of the ones you have seen. Mostly, though, they are just pats on the back for people who do little more than entertain us, a profession that for some reason has risen further in rank and stature in our society than that of any scientist, researcher or statesman combined. This in my opinion is truly sad.

However, I do not put myself above anything of the sort. I enjoy a raucous good show as much as the next person, especially if it involves something that means a great deal to me. So with this, I tuned in the other evening to the ESPYs, ESPN's version of the Oscars. I tuned in to watch the Steelers win for Best Team. Yes, five months after their Super Bowl win, I am still a sucker for anything Pittsburgh. The show itself was fairly pointless, with an odd mix of staged hijinx, stale humor and an odd section of the show that discussed the triumph of human will and sports over hatred and genocide. Not a bad show, just an odd show. But this show is not what I wanted to make a point about, merely a tangent so I can mention the Steelers once more before the fun is taken away.

What I wanted to bring up was what I watched before the show. As I waited for the ESPY's, I caught the most recent edition of Sportscenter. During the episode, I saw a new segment called My Wish, where they grant a sports themed wish to someone. In this episode, they showed a piece about a young boy with leukemia. A sad story, the boy at one point had given up hope, and accepted the idea of dying before truly experiencing life. His mother kept encouraging him to try more treatments, to keep fighting, if not for himself, then for the family that loved him dearly and did not want to see him go. And the boy did, he kept trying. He began to get better, showing signs of improvement. As this bright dawn began, his mother passed away. At this point it did not seem like a story for Sportscenter, but then the catch came. The young man's favorite athlete is Kobe Bryant. And one wish he would love to have is to meet him. Through the miracle of Sportscenter, the young man gets to meet Kobe. They spend a great afternoon playing video games and competing. And then, they play a little hoop, with Kobe showing him a few pointers followed by a rousing game of horse. A nice touching story of putting a little sunshine into the life of one who desperately could use it.

Now, call me callous, cynical, hateful, mean or just plain cold hearted, but the whole thing smacked of public relations to me. They had cameras all over the boy and his family leading up to the big moment. They even had a staged looking setup for the meeting, where Kobe, being led by a camera, suddenly shows up into their lives to give this young man the afternoon of his life. The boy and Kobe were also obviously miked, so the surprise and shock of him and his family suddenly meeting Kobe just felt very forced to me. And Kobe giving the young man a fully loaded game card right before the two went tearing through the arcade? Yeah, like that card came from anywhere but the ESPN budget.

Here's my question, for exactly who's benefit was this little endeavor? The boy? Perhaps. He definitely could use a bright spot in his life. And I'm sure there was a moment when he was surprised and excited that he would be meeting his sports hero. And I do not want to take anything away from his enjoyment, he did have fun and I am very glad for him. But no, it did not feel like it really was for his benefit.

My guess it is for ESPN and Bryant. ESPN, because then they get to look like this benevolent organization that goes out of its way to help those in need and try to make someone's life better, even, or especially, if its just a young fan. And Bryant, who comes off as being magnanimous with his time and knowledge to spend it with this brave young man. What a great guy! Yes, taste the sarcasm.

Look, I have no problem with those of fame and fortune doing for those without. I think everyone should, and it should not be limited to those with fame and fortune. All of us who can should put some effort into making the world better, even if in just a small way, for everyone. But when you have to advertise and show off how much good you are doing, it takes away the point of doing good. Perhaps I am too cynical, or maybe like many I see through the machine now, but I don't care for those who stand up and say, look at me, see all the good things I do? It means I am a good person, right? Wrong. Doing good should be something that comes natural, something you want to do, and something you do for the reward of knowing you made your world better and nothing more. Like the saying goes, a good deed is it's own reward. The Make A Wish Foundation and other organizations of this nature strive every day to bring joy into the lives of young boys and girls faced with the horror of knowing their time with us is painfully short. They try to give each of these brave souls a moment like this that they can cherish as their time becomes shorter and the road harder for them. These people are truly good people that do care. And there are many of the famous from all areas of entertainment and sports that are more than happy to help these organizations with personal appearances and spending time with these children as well as volunteer efforts and donations. What is the difference you ask? These organizations and celebrities, after helping someone, do not go running to the nearest mountaintop to shout, "hey, I'm wonderful, I spent some time with a kid today and made his life better, if only for the moment!" No, they go about their work, knowing full well the consequences and situations of those they are working hard to bring joy to without the need for a thank you or a pat on the back. That is the difference.

I know I may be off base. Perhaps the point of the EPSN segment is to bring more light on these situations and show us all a heartwarming story that may help spur the rest of us into action. And perhaps Bryant himself had heard of this young man and was so moved that he felt compelled to meet him. Do I believe these are possible? Of course. Do I believe they are likely? No. Yes, the world may have made me too cynical. Because when I see something like that, all I see is people in power and multi-national corporations exploiting the weak, sick and the poor for their own benefit, be it image, money, power or fame. This is nothing new, turn anywhere anymore and you will see the same thing. I just did not ever think I would see it so blatantly on a sports newscast. Really brings to home how meaningless the games we love truly are.