It's LeBron's Life
Move to Miami Heat Irates Home-based FanS
When athletes make a decision, it affects them first, families second, team third and fans last. But the recent outrage over LeBron James' decision to leave Ohio and play for Miami, after signing with the Cavaliers for seven years boggles the mind. His jersey being burnt by irate fans like his number represented the U.S. and they were extreme Muslims in Iran, was a sight to behold. Dan Gilbert, the majority owner of the Cavaliers releasing a scathing statement that left the playing field of good sportsmanship to cross into the territory of slave-master-cum-jilted-lover (calling James' decision a "selfish," "heartless," "callous" and "cowardly betrayal,"
while guaranteeing that the Cavs would win an NBA title before the
"self-declared former King) is more than disturbing when James put Akron and the Cavs on the world map. I have often viewed the process of sports—from the way players are "drafted" to the way they can be traded at will—as modern-day slave ownership, albiet laced with multimillion-dollar checks. But that's for another post.
Not an avid follower of any particular sport, I became a somewhat follower of James when, a) he became the first Black man to grace the cover of Vogue and people were outraged over his cover with supermodel Giselle and, more importantly, b) after seeing More Than A Game, the heart-wrenching documentary about James and the five friends he grew up and played basketball with while in Akron. In the documentary, pieced together from home-made video footage from the time he was in middle school and one-on-one interviews with the players today, I learned about James' friendship with his five friends, and how they forged such a bond around the goal of winning championships that they became unstoppable.
What the film also showed was James and the others, who was raised partially by his high school coach moreso than his single mother who had some drug problems, overcome the instability of his home life to become the "beloved" son of Akron. And him quickly turning into the person they love to hate on most when, as in one scene, he walked into a diner and because he didn't sign an autograph, was promptly cussed out by the good old boys. Or how the local media turned out story after story about his many "perks," from potential endorsers: his mother, who wasn't employed at the time, getting a loan for a Hummer H2 based on his future earnings, and his acceptance of two throwback jerseys worth $845. Between all the media attention he received on a national level, it prompted an investigation by the Ohio High School Athletic Association, that led to him being suspended from playing ball. Media and controversy have followed James since he was 16 years old.
The film also captured the choice James made to stay in Cleveland—when he could have gone to any city and played for any team when he graduated from high school. But most important, it showed the will of someone whose very drive, very essence, is about winning. And for seven years, he was not able to achieve that goal while a team member of the Cavaliers; but he did as a member of the All-stars and Olympic teams. "This fall I am taking my talents to South
Beach and play with the Miami
Heat," he announced. "The major factor was the best opportunity for me to win, to
win now and for the future also. Winning is the most important thing for
me. I feel like this is going to be the best opportunity."
Athletes play to win. And they want to be surrounded by a team that wants the very same. It's as simple and as complex as that. Play for a team run by Pat Riley, the man responsible for guiding our top b-ball players to championships, and you see why King James chose to go Southeast. And if we are to believe that seven is the number of completion, why are we really so stunned that he's leaving?
What do you think?
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