He Pulled the “Card”
October 1, 2010 by admncc
Whether you’re a sports’ enthusiast, NBA fan or neither, surely you’ve heard about “The Decision.” That was the name given to LeBron James’ one-hour television spectacle which was held on July 8th. And I call it a “spectacle” because that’s exactly what it was.
LeBron, who many believe is the best basketball player in the NBA, was up for free agency. So after spending a week having six teams woo him, he went on national television and crushed his beloved Cleveland Cavaliers’ fans by announcing that he was signing with the Miami Heat. Afterwards, James and his marketing firm (particularly friend Maverick Carter) were ripped by fans all over the country and by many members of the media. Why? Because of the silly and circus-like way that “The Decision” was handled by both ESPN and James himself. People felt if LeBron wanted to consider other teams – fine. Or if he wanted to be wooed – fine. Or even if he decided to leave Cleveland – fine. But it was all about how he acted on TV and how it was perceived. As a result, he has faced quite a bit of backlash since then.
ANYWAY, it’s three months later, training camp has started in Miami and LeBron is still getting criticized for “The Decision.” So now, what does he do – he pulls the “race” card. Now, I work in Risk Management and nothing is more upsetting than when someone tries to claim race discrimination for no reason. You see, LeBron and Carter both told CNN that they “believed race played a role in some of the apparent dislike for James in the aftermath of his move in free agency to the Heat.”
I hate to say it, LeBron, but you are way wrong. Let me spell it out for you. You switching teams wasn’t important enough to do a one-hour special on. You received bad advice from your marketing firm – but that’s what you get when you hire three of your buddies (your same age) to run it that have no experience managing any other professional athlete. In my mind, whether you’re black or white has nothing to do with it.
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Agreed it isn’t/wasn’t a race issue. It isn’t/wasn’t an issue that he decided to leave it was how he went about doing it and his attitude during the free agent period that I did not like. With that said I am a Cavs fan (and an Browns, Indians and Buckeyes fan). I root for the name on the front of the jersey not the name on the back.
I don’t follow basketball, I always skip it when I see it on TV, but I have to agree with you CC, race had nothing to do with it. He made it all about him, and it was a slap to the face of Cleveland, his home town, the team he played for. There was no need to rub it in the face of his fans that he was leaving them. Just have a press conference with your new team, say “It was a hard decision, but the direction the Cavs are going is not one that I see myself fitting in, and I found a better fit with the Heat” or something like that. If he was staying, then do the one hour thing stating I am staying, and this is what I plan to do to bring a championship to Cleveland. Spend the hour talking up the place you grew up and why others should join the team.
I was NEVER a fan of LePrick, and was looking forward to his exodus since he was drafted. BUT, if Douchebag is a race, I’m a racist.
How could it be a race issue if other “people of color” were saying the same things as “white” people about the LeLOSER leaving Cleveland? It’s not a race issue. It’s a maturity issue!
As you can imagine, the press coverage down here has been a little different.
I completely agree with you. It’s always too bad when a pro athlete acts this way.
Go figure. A “kid” playing a “kid’s game” makes a childish decision, and then looks for something/one to point a finger at saying “they made me do it…”
I am a football fan and can appreciate the Browns, I can watch baseball, and have watched more Indians games than my favorite team. I bypass basketball for multiple reasons, and sour self centered attitudes are a major reason.
with an hour long mud slinging session, you would think that he was placing a political advertisement.
I think he has an over-inflated ego. If he interprets that as racist, then he has the problem, not me!