Almost a week ago last Wednesday, Lebron James announced that he had decided to go with the Miami Heat next season, and he had a whole hour and then some to tell us that. Really? Are we so enraptured with sports that a basketball player's career future deserves a whole hour?
As Time Magazine put it, "It was just sad." After thirty minutes of leading up to his announcement, followed by thirty minutes of lukewarm interviews. It just became an opportunity for ESPN to accrue ad revenue.
Worst of all though this decision to change teams is going to hurt Cleveland not only in its psyche but economically too. Bars, restaurants, and other retail establishments are going to lose traffic, and local media outlets will surely lose sponsors as well. If anything LeBron at least looked guilty during his special, but the whole thing became painful to watch. I'll say it again, "It was just sad."
"I would like to thank Cleveland, and while I'm at it, the whole state of Ohio. Thank you, thank you, for all your support. I hope you do not take this decision personally. I only wish to move somewhere better suited for my abilities. Again, I will always be grateful to Cleveland, Ohio, and the Cavaliers."
ReplyDeleteHe should have said that at least TUESDAY. This is what LeBron should have announced before totally dumping his team. Gracefully part with them, then move on to the Miami Heat. Instead, he became the greatest unsportsman-like jerk ever to play the game of basketball. (Except, of course, to Miami.)
Maybe I am moral idealist who believes that a simple "thank you" would do no trouble. Anyways, I agree with Carina. The tragic blow to Cleveland, and probably all of Ohio, came even harder with the influx of all of his money from commercials. Please, please do not let common courtesy go out the window with show business along with critical thinking.
The "King"? More like "The Despot."
I remember watching ESPN with my family and hearing all the hype about Lebron James. My brothers began discussing the different possibilities for the "King" with excitement. Unlike them, I honestly didn't care. I must admit that I have never really liked Lebron James. I always thought of him as being an arrogant player and nowhere being close to humble. The way he displayed his decision definitely proved my point. Like Kevin, I think that Lebron should have been more polite and professional with his announcement. I also think Lebron should have been more gracious to the Cavaliers, the team that not only built his fame but was the reason why he was nominated as NBA's MVP of 2010.
ReplyDeleteI also do not understand why it was that they spent an hour on this topic. Maybe because he is a huge star basketball player it's a big issue for basketball fans, but I believe they should've either shortened it, or just typed it on the newspaper so many may read.
ReplyDeleteOkay, so I may be less than enthusiastic about sports, so my opinion may sound a bit bias, but I just don’t see the need for Lebron’s announcement to last more than five minuets. I mean, everything he said could have been summed up in a small paragraph.
ReplyDeleteI think this is becoming a big problem for the media. They insist on filling a large portion of their programs with unneeded information to increase the length of their program to make more money. This seems to make it harder for viewers to differentiate between what is really important and the “fluff” the media has added to increase the running time of the program. To me, the media is becoming less and less entertaining and more and more frustrating.
Even though you aren't enthusiastic about sports, this was a bit cruel. Forget about the basketball and LeBron. This was a whole city getting crushed.
ReplyDeleteThe city of Cleveland is now at a loss. With a bit of thought, you realize that so much has been invested into LeBron. Echoing Carina's statements, the Cavaliers served as a sort of community for the city. They have now been cruelly removed of a star to rally around.
I really feel for Cleveland. They were truly attached to sports, and I do believe that the Cavaliers did give the city a sort of nationalism. I fear what will happen to the city as a result.
I understand that sports play an important role in the economy of Cleveland, but he is one player. There is no "I" in team. Imagine how hurt the other players feel, that people are so sad that they lost this one player. I'm sure they feel so underappreciated. And I think that Cleveland should not feel economically dependent on the career of one basketball player. I mean the city should not revolve around basketball, then it wouldn't be a city, it would be a fan club. The city should revolve around the people because I think that the people of Cleveland have so much more to offer than one basketball player.
ReplyDeleteAlso I don't understand why bars and restaurants would loose any business. People are still going to watch the Cavaliers. Beside a few saddened or disappointed fans, I doubt that the loss of one player is really going to make a huge difference in Cleveland.