Normally, we here at Golfstinks do our thing a little differently. We tend to approach the game of golf from a slightly different angle than most others. And today is no different.
I have come to accept the fact that most athletes, superstars especially, be it a team sport or not, are more “Me, me, me” than “Team, team, team.” But never (in my opinion) in the history of professional sports was it so blatantly obvious as it was with the recent LeBron James spectacle. Being a fan of all three major sports in the U.S., I was completely and utterly disgusted by the show Lebron James has been putting on for some time now. And it all came to a head on this past Thursday night. But I don’t want to put all of my disgust into only Lebron. It was much more than that.
It wasn’t necessarily about greed. Latrell Sprewell (who was already making over $14 million) turning down a $27 million contract, stating that he “has a family to feed” is greed. Patrick Ewing, during an NBA lockout, asking how the owners can expect them to work for the pay they are receiving as he hops into his $100,000 Mercedes, is greed. Not LeBron. He actually took less money to play elsewhere. It’s not about the money. It’s a different kind of greed.
I understand players marketing themselves. I get that. When their face is on TV, they make more money. And who doesn’t want more money? But again…this was different. I’ll start with the man himself.
Here’s a guy who is, arguably, the best player in the NBA. Personally, I don’t believe he is, I just believe he has the best statistics. But he has yet to win anything. In his seven years so far, he has reached the finals once – and was swept. But year in, and year out, it’s all about LeBron. And year in and year out, LeBron goes home empty-handed. The “King” has yet to wear a crown. Has he elevated the status of the Cleveland Cavaliers? Certainly! Have they become a much more respected franchise? Absolutely! But does that give him the right to string them along like he did? Does that give him the right to string along the people who have supported him from game 1…the always forgotten fans?
The Cavaliers have given LeBron everything he wanted. He was paid huge amounts of money. His image plastered all over the city. He wanted different players on his teams roster, and ownership went and got them. What LeBron wanted, Lebron got. But he still couldn’t get the job done. So what does he do? He parades teams in to present offers. He sets up a 1 hour TV special to showcase his decision. And he accepts the offer made by the team that will make it the easiest for him to win. And he made this decision, admittedly, without having the common courtesy to let his former team in on his decision. Don’t you think that would have been the decent thing to do? At the very least, a phone call. I can’t imagine a bigger slap in the face to the team that did everything for him. I’m sorry LeBron…but Michael Jordan didn’t need a TV special. Kobe Bryant didn’t need a TV special. And those two have actually won something. Carlos Boozer signed in Chicago, no TV special. Joe Johnson resigned with the Hawks, no TV special. Dirk Nowitzki resigned with Dallas, no TV special. Amare Stoudemire signed with the Knicks, no TV special. Chris Bosh signed with the Heat…, well…no direct TV special.
But as I mentioned, it’s not only LeBron. How about ESPN’s role in this? I mean really…was a 1-hour special necessary? I’ll admit, I tuned in until he said where he’s going. Then I changed the channel. That’s all I needed to hear. Here’s a message for ESPN – “I don’t want to hear LeBron’s feelings. I could care less. I want to watch a game! Put on a friggin’ game!” I know I am not alone when I say ESPN, intentionally or not, has helped to create the “I in team” thinking. We watch basketball highlights and all we see are dunks and threes. We watch baseball highlights and all we see are home runs and spectacular catches. We watch golf highlights and all we see is Tiger Woods. And the golf highlights are the worst! Its Tiger, Tiger, Tiger, and…”oh, by the way, so-and-so is winning…Tiger is five back of the leader.” According to ESPN, if Tiger is playing, then no one else is even worth mentioning until they have to be mentioned!
ESPN sucks up to the athletes. There, I said it. They can’t give serious sports news or an objective opinion because they are in bed with too many athletes. It’s that simple. And this LeBron James special proves it. This was not ESPN looking for an exclusive interview. This was LeBron and his representatives coming to ESPN with this idea. And ESPN, looking for ratings, soaked it up. This is a disappointing all-time low for ESPN. But wait, I have one more…
I have lost all respect for Jim Gray. How can I, or anyone, ever take him seriously again. For Jim Gray to agree to be just a pawn in this spectacle should be an outrage to anyone who considers themselves to be a good journalist. There was one question on everyone’s mind…and Jim Gray loaded us with a bunch of fluff, filler and outright crap before he got to it. “How’s your summer?” Are you serious?! “How’s your summer?” is one of your questions?! I swear if I ever see that putz on my TV again, I am instantly changing the channel. I don’t care if he’s interviewing one of my family members…they can fill me in later. This was worse than when the Yankees were telling the YES network’s Kimberly Jones which questions to ask Joe Torre during her interviews. It was just pathetic.
I know what LeBron James was trying to do. But it seriously backfired. The only people right now who probably don’t believe that, are Miami Heat fans and LeBron fans who believe he can do no wrong. Everyone else, sports purists especially, are looking at Lebron James as selfish, narcissistic, back-stabbing, and a coward. Me included. And it’s too bad because I like LeBron. But after all this, I’m just sick of him. He comes across as a player who feels he is bigger than everyone and everything else. At this point, I don’t want to see him win a championship. I hope Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert is right. I hope they do win a championship before LeBron does. As long as it’s not against my Lakers, then it’s OK with me.
In my opinion, LeBron James came out of this event representing almost everything that is wrong with sports and athletes today. There is no two-ways about it. He looked bad. Plain and simple. He looked bad. People will say that once he wins a championship, all will be forgotten. Well, try telling that to people in Cleveland.
