Belated Thoughts on "The Decision"

So apparently some guy named Lebron just signed a big contract to play basketball with the Miami Heat. You might have heard about it. And you may have heard that Lebron thought it was a good idea to hold a one-hour TV special to announce his decision, a choice that made the once likeable Lebron seem like a self serving egomaniac. To quote Drew Magary of Deadspin, “[Lebron] is a self-aggrandizing sack of shit.” (so tell me what you really think, Drew.)

But while it’s easy to label Lebron as another cocky athlete, is it fair to blame Lebron for acting in the manner that he did? Let’s look at some of the driving forces behind Lebron’s supposed cockiness.

Nike: I understand you’re motivated by one thing (money) and don’t care what measures you take to make it, but let’s clear something up. I am not a "witness". Someday, when I have kids, I will tell them that I “witnessed” the first time a black man became president of the United States. I will unfortunately tell my kids that I “witnessed” the twin towers collapsing. But I will not tell them that I “witnessed” Lebron James play basketball. The election of Obama and 9/11, for better or worse, are two moments that changed the world. Lebron James basketball skills, while very entertaining to watch, are not world changing. So while I consider myself lucky to watch James in action, I will not tell my kids that I “was a witness.” I will merely tell them that I got to watch a tremendous athlete

The Media: Another reason why Lebron’s head is currently the size of Mr. Met’s. Putting a High School Junior on the cover of the biggest sporting magazine in the world and anointing him the “chosen one” is never a good idea. Believe it or not, teenage prodigies don’t always meet expectations (see Adu, Freddy; Wie, Michelle.) And people who achieve fame as a child tend to not age well (see Bonaduce, Danny; Coleman, Gary; and pretty much every other child star ever.) And even if they do meet expectations, as Lebron has, they probably will develop a big ego in the process. Let’s put this in perspective. 17 year olds tend to get excited if their name is merely mentioned in the local paper. At 17, Lebron was on the cover of SPORTS ILLUSTRATED!!!!! That may lead to a slightly inflated sense of self-worth. Hey, at least SI hasn’t resorted to putting a High School Sophomore on its cover… oh, nevermind (interestingly enough, Bryce Harper is rumored to be a cocky douchebag… I wonder why?)

ESPN, you’re even more to blame. You might as well have created an entirely new channel devoted to Lebron. Remember how pathetic it was when you had Pedro Gomez stalk Barry Bonds? Well, you’re treatment of this was even more pathetic. Telling us that Lebron having lunch in New York is “Breaking News” is beyond pathetic. It’s an insult to journalism. Between soccer, baseball, golf, and tennis, there is enough real sports news to fill up the day. You don’t need to “report” on what Lebron ate for dinner last night.

Cleveland: I know it seems harsh to blame Cleveland, because Cleveland seems to be the major loser of the entire Lebron ordeal. But here's an idea. Don’t put a mural of the guy on the side of a building! Paying homage to an athlete is nothing new. Plenty of great athletes have been honored with statues… but generally the statues are placed in front of a sporting arena and not erected until after the player retires. Cleveland treated a 25 year old as if he was a city landmark.

Clevelanders (or is it Clevelandonians, maybe Clevelandians, Clevelandites?), you have other things going for your city. There is no need to cry over the loss of Lebron. You guys have the Rock n Roll hall of fame, and… you also have… ummm… well… this building seems sorta nice... and Drew Carey grew up in Cleveland... well at least you guys have a rich sporting history. Alright fine, maybe you guys don’t have a lot going for you. I’ll give Cleveland a pass.

Us: The media kept feeding it to us, and we ate it all up. We turned a blind side to the signs of arrogance, happily buying into whatever Nike and ESPN told us. We are so desperate to find a superstar athlete who is truly humble and likable, but has anyone considered that maybe it is our own fault that pro athletes act in the manner that they do? We live in a culture that mythifies sports and the athletes who play them. We treat athletes like gods, but we get angry when they start to act as if they are god. If we really want athletes to be likeable, we need to stop holding them to such ridiculous double standards. Either we continue to treat them like gods and deal with the cockiness, or we can start treating them like normal people

This post is not meant to be an excuse for what Lebron did. His hour broadcast was baffling, over the top, and basically a giant middle finger to the city of Cleveland. I am simply trying to look at things from Lebron’s perspective. And while it’s hard to portray someone who makes millions of dollars a year as a sympathetic figure, I do feel sorry for Lebron in a certain way. He seems to be a pretty nice guy who is fairly intelligent. But it is painstakingly obvious that he lacks any sense of self awareness. While most of us transition from our teens to adulthood learning who we are, Lebron entered adulthood trying to convince millions of people that he is one of the greatest basketball players who ever lived. His image of himself was entirely based off what others told him. And to me, that seems unfair.