Why do people love drama so much? (Steve Blake/ Gary Williams Saga)

Ever since I stepped on campus at the University of Maryland 9 years ago I encountered some obstacles. These normal stumbles that most student athletes experience and store away has followed me even to this day due to the "High Profile" nature of being a basketball player at my beloved alma mater.  Being on television (ESPN, CBS, etc...) and the fame notarization has its perks at times but it is a double edged sword. (Speaking from experience)  From the times of my arrogant youth days in a battle of words with former Hall of Fame coach Gary Williams to the recent viral Youtube clip fiasco of a short fist encounter with former Maryland great point guard Steve Blake.  I never wanted to be a "tough guy".  To all the kids, especially athletes, trying to be "hard" is the farthest thing from "gangsta" (cool, admired) its all about being successful, making a decent living, being a leader or self made man and ultimately define your legacy.  That's whats life is really all about to me & not the nonsense!
For the record I have vast professional respect for them and have made amends with both of those men since those incidences.
At Maryland, as I'm sure is the norm with any winning program, it was a very competitive environment filled with a lot of pressure to win and that competitive nature showed its ugly back side from time to time. Its hard to imagine how much big business being in a major program goes on.  The NCAA program generates millions of bucks annually for the school so the pressure trickles down even to the athlete that's playing for free. (Well a scholarship) I think they should get paid but that's possibly for another discussion. It was easy from the outside looking in at my tenure that it appeared much more dramatic than the situations actually were.  With coach I just was frustrated with us having losing streak and I thought I could save the team by scoring more and taking more of a leadership role in the offense instead of running the "flex" offense which features post play that we were weak at that year.  Now that I am older I realized that it ultimately made me look terrible in the fact that I seemed disgruntled and honestly if I would have done it differently I would not have said anything in the public (media) because it really started an AVALANCHE that still has negatively affected my professional career on the basketball circuit. (All you have in business is your name & reputation)  I instantly became a "villian" being tagged with "Uncoachable", "Selfish" etc... all causing me to not get drafted into the National Basketball Association.  People (Fans & Critics) have always speculated that's the reason I left school because of that but truthfully I had a child that year so I knew I was leaving from the program anyway.  Until now I have never opened up about how that has effected me much openly but it hurt me at that time like no other thing that has ever happened in my career until in 2010 injury.  At that time it seemed like my whole career was snatched from under me because I had felt cheated because of all of the blood, sweat & tears that I had put in up unto that point & I felt talented enough to compete. But it was really a "Blessing in Disguise" because I have been able to travel the world & really learn the hard way the nature of this business away from the comfy coddling that high school AAU & big time NCAA programs provide.  My maturity leadership ability was so far behind what I thought it was that it was a joke. (A boy at heart cannot succeed in a MAN'S business) I had to encounter a rude awakening when I chose to go over seas to pursue my professional career. I was not on long bus rides & "lost in translation" situations.  I had to really grow up fast or I would fail very bad because when you are a professional people chomp at the bit for your spot So you must always produce!  I made some (well a lot) of mistakes in my career but the beauty of being overseas is that I was able to bounce back with the luxury of obscurity that has made me more normal. That's the biggest blessing of my job!!!  Don't get me wrong I would love to make a NBA roster just to tell my kids that I hopefully coach in the future that I made the ultimate level of my profession but if it never happens I'm still good because its a privilege not a God given right to play basketball for your living.
Humbly I admit that: 1)I am not missing a meal 2)Have a beautiful family that loves me unconditionally 3)I've traveled pretty much every continent & have memories for a lifetime. 4)My feelings do get a little hurt when I read negative slanderous comments made via press... But I've learned a while ago that you gotta have tough skin to be of high stature because with success comes jealousy.  I must admit though it's not too shabby of a lifestyle.  People ask me what's my deal all the time when they meet me & I'm ALWAYS grinding to stay improving and getting better with experience because tough times don't last but tough people do.  Last but not least I leave you with as a wise man once said, "Only the Strong Survive."
Peace & God bless,
JG