In the eyes of many, LeBron James became a villain overnight. He went from “The Chosen One” the “The Target.” And make no mistake, teams are going to have their crosshairs on him (what’s new?) but this time, I have a feeling that many arenas LeBron visits this year will welcome him with boos and jeers for the spectacle he put on these past few weeks.
Whoever is to blame in Cleveland for their always coming up short of a championship doesn’t matter. They just didn’t get it done there. Seven years and no rings to show. Then sure, he was absolutely free to join any team that he liked and most would agree that there is no problem with him choosing to go to the Miami Heat, if that was what he wanted. There is no way around it though. I’m all for his decision, but when it became “The Decision,” he humiliated the city and fans that embraced him for seven years. The way that LeBron went about his free agency was a slap in the face to Cleveland, something akin to a guy dumping his long-time girlfriend on Larry King. “Larry, I know she is still madly, deeply in love with me and has been on her knees begging me to stay, so this has been a hard decision for me, but she and I are done. I’m going to go shack up with this hotter, hipper girl down south.”
One of the more interesting parts of the whole ordeal is Cleveland’s owner Dan Gilbert’s instant-classic open letter written awfully in Comic Sans to the fans of the team that was posted shortly after the announcement where he calls LeBron’s “several day, narcissistic, self-promotional build-up” a “cowardly betrayal” and then goes on to promise that the Cavs will win a championship before LeBron does. As amusing as the whole letter is, who would want to work for such an unprofessional owner?
Still, I think this is all a bit overblown. The backlash for LeBron’s hype machine is getting too much hype. The antihype is now being hyped. People are talking about the destruction of his legacy, the blow his brand is going to take, and so forth. I don’t buy any of it. People will still watch. People will still read about him. The difference? There just may be a few more rooting against him.
Oh, what a tangled web you weave, LeBron.
This discussion currently has 2 responses.
July 11, 2010
I was thrilled to see someone write about this on More Pop. I agree (mostly) with your take here. If you had told me 2-3 months ago I would start to see Lebron James less as the next Jordan, and would see him surpass Kobe Bryant as Public Enemy #1 on my list of players, I would have called you a fool. That is exactly what’s happened though. I saw it as a remarkably cruel way of dissing Cleveland, by doing it the way he did. Not to mention he and Wade and Bosh have been planning (collusion?) this since the olympic team. The one point I disagree with you is the tarnishing of his leagacy. I’ve always seen players in “tiers” if you will. Russell, Bird, Magic, Jordan, Isiah, Duncan, Kobe, etc… are Tier 1. Players in this group stuck and got it done with their main team even when it got tough. I find it remarakable how easily Lebron QUIT his team in the playoffs this year, whereas you would never seen any of the “tier 1″ guys quit on their team or leave. He simply can never reach this pinnacle now of “truly legendary” which is disappointing with his remarkable vision, and athleticism.
August 2, 2010
Quitness.