I'm not a fan of Lebron James at all. I think he's arrogant, narcissistic, and an attention whore. I was all set to blast him in my column today, then I realized it really isn't his fault he's this way; it's society's. For those of you who have lived under a rock for the last month, the Lebron sweepstakes comes to an end tonight in an ESPN hour special appropriately called " The Decision." I'm not sure why anyone is surprised this is happening.
This is the world we live in where people know more members of the Backstreet Boys than Supreme Court justices. Where Jessica Simpson's weight issues are more important than what is going on in the Gulf Coast.
This isn't Lebron's fault. He's doing this because he can. It's like the cost of beer at a sports game. They charge $8 because people will buy it. It's the same situation here. I guarantee most of you reading this will be watching tonight at 9pm when Lebron announces to the world where he's going to play for the next 5 years. I know I will be. The guy's kind of a prick, but sure knows how to market himself.
You don't like what's going on tonight and what goes on in the media in general? Then stop consuming it. The same people that hate on overexposure in the media are the ones watching it. Since day 1 Lebron has been coddled and told he was the best at everything. The guy has been told he was a god since he picked up a basketball, so over time a person starts to believe that. Of course he has an ego, who wouldn't?
At the same time he needs to stop trying to make excuses of why he's holding the special. To raise money for the Girls and Boys Club? Are you serious? Does anyone actually believe that? He's holding it because he wants to grab every single bit of attention he can before Brett Favre rolls into the spotlight next week.
That being said, Lebron's decision tonight will affect the landscape of the NBA for the next 5 years. I think Chris Bosh is overrated, but still Lebron, Wade, and Bosh would be a real tough team to beat. I don't know how Wade and Lebron would work together, but I'm sure they'd figure it out. Let's hope for competition's sake Lebron stays in Cleveland or goes to the Knicks. Also, don't discount the ego factor here. Will Lebron be able to share the spotlight with Wade? They can say all the right things, but at the end of the day Lebron wants to be the #1 guy all the time. It's in his nature. I really can't wait for this whole thing to be over so I can eagerly await Brett Favre's annual "to retire or not to retire" saga.
Karl,
ReplyDeleteYou seem to have great insight into Lebron's psyche. This is a well thought out, well written piece that could make someone not hate him. Wait... come to think of it, I've never seen you and Lebron in the same place at the same time. Hmm...
Lebron is a poster child for the NBA. They're going to milk this as much as they possibly can. You make money by getting ratings, you get ratings by selling something everybody is interested in. Just ask TO. I'm pretty sure Lebron didn't decide to have a broadcast show about where hes going to be playing ball, that would be his agent/publicist/PR guy who are now successfully making more money by whoring the guy out. A part of me feels bad for sports stars because they have vultures following them around, taking what they can. The stars still get to play a kids game for a king's ransom though, I'm still jealous. F Lebron
ReplyDeleteI agree and disagree. I definitely agree that the media is to blame for creating all of this stuff but LeBron definitely takes part of the blame too for choosing to do all of this. Kevin Durant announces his huge extension himself on his own Twitter, LeBron wants an hour long show devoted to him and "The Decision". Stark contrast - certainly makes me like Kevin Durant even more!
ReplyDeleteIt's all about the money (and ego). When his charity makes more money, he gets larger tax deductions. And it is what the market will bear. People will watch a special like this because he is a brand now. There is a market for it. I think the more interesting Lebron news is the lawsuit filed against his mother and he by his "biological father". I personally won't watch an hour of Lebron because I too, am a Lebron hater. I hate him almost as much as Kobe.
ReplyDeleteOf course its partially about money (and ego)but I agree with Karl that it's not all his fault. He was drafted into the NBA straight out of highschool and had been garnering national media attention since his sophmore year. Its basically the history repeating itself with Kobe Bryant. Lets be honest, if any of us had that kind of press and attention we would probably milk it for all it was worth. At least he is attempting to give some positive attitude by including a charity in these proceedings. I won't be watching the special, but I will be interested to see what he does with whatever team he chooses because that will determine his pull from here on out. 5 years is a long time....
ReplyDeleteHe may be a product of the environment we live in today and no one deny's his talent, but the bad pub he brought on himself. No one should fault him for what he did as was his right, but how he did it was pure fiction
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