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August 10, 2010
So we finally got our “thank you” from LeBron James. Initially I wasn’t going to write anything about it because I figured I’d put exactly as much thought and sincerity into it as LeBron put into his words of gratitude, but I have to be fair.
I wasn’t happy with LeBron’s ad to the city of Akron. If I’m going to criticize him for not thanking Cleveland, though, I should also be fair and write about it when he finally does.
While speaking to the crowd at his 5th annual Bike-A-Thon in Akron over the weekend, LeBron James finally, at long last, acknowledged the fans in Cleveland and all of Northeast Ohio:
After watching the video, you just want to ask him “Was that really so hard? Why couldn’t you have just done this a month ago? What was the point of doing the whole “The Decision” thing in the first place?”
And that’s the problem. This is really going to be too little too late for most fans who were turned off by the whole ordeal. On a personal level, I’m glad LeBron finally said something to the Cavs fans, but it’s not going change many people’s opinion of LeBron.
There’s a much deeper issue here than just the acknowledgment of thanks given by LeBron. In the latest issue of Harper’s, there was a fairly in depth interview with LeBron’s girlfriend Savannah Brinson. She talks about her initial feelings on Miami as well as about fashion and furniture, but she also had a few things to say about the fans in Cleveland. From that article:
After months of serious flirtation with a handful of teams—the New Jersey Nets, New York Knicks, Los Angeles Clippers, and Chicago Bulls—James, 25, who became a free agent this July, ultimately chose the Miami Heat. Fans outside of the Sunshine State were left heartbroken and seething. He and Brinson were roundly booed in New York City recently while walking into the wedding of Denver Nuggets star Carmelo Anthony and former MTV VJ La La Vazquez. At home, a few Cleveland Cavaliers diehards set fire to the player’s No. 23 jersey. Not exactly the cordial send-off they were expecting. “You have fans and you think they’re going to roll with you no matter what, and then they burn your jersey? It’s unfair,” Brinson says. “But they did it. It’s over.”
I feel like I’m beginning to understand where that disconnect is. Of course the families, friends, and loved ones of professional athletes are going to support them unconditionally. When it comes to fans, though, there’s an expectation that support should only run one way. If you look at Savannah’s quote there, you could just as easily change it to reflect the fans’ point of view by saying “You have heroes and you think they’re going to roll with you no matter what, and then they burn your team? It’s unfair. But they did it. It’s over.”
You see, the fans want the athletes to take it as personally as they do, when in fact this is all just a business for the athletes. This is where the relationship between fan and hero becomes uncomfortable. This is why athletes and their families will feign indignation at the retribution of fans, as if these athletes somehow cannot even fathom how fans could be this hurt by such a public humiliation and validation of their greatest insecurities.
Fans support athletes for a variety of reasons, but the reason LeBron was so beloved in Ohio was not just because he’s a basketball player. It had just as much to do with his status as the hometown hero, the “one of us” factor, and his presence in the communities of Akron, Cleveland, and the rest of Northeast Ohio. So when LeBron and the people closest to him act like the fans only loved him because he played basketball, they’re stepping on a slippery slope.
First of all, you can’t have it both ways. LeBron’s greatness as a basketball player has opened so many amazing doors that have lead to unthinkable heights in his life that are unavailable to 99% of humanity. So it actually shouldn’t be such a surprise that many fans love him for his basketball skills. Secondly, plenty of athletes have left Cleveland and have not faced the level of scorn LeBron has faced.
That is because most of them handled their exits with much more class and, more importantly, weren’t hometown heroes. That LeBron were to treat Cleveland, and by extension Akron (those 2 cities aren’t near as far apart as the wedge LeBron has been trying to drive between them lately), in such a manner as he did on The Decision without the slightest hint of gratitude or thanks caused many fans to lose their feelings of support toward LeBron the person, independent of LeBron the basketball player. Then came the month of anticipation waiting for some kind of letter of thanks, only to see Akron be mentioned without even a brief mention of Cleveland. It stung the fans in Cleveland all over again.
So if anyone is wondering why Cleveland fans still care, and why this thanks from LeBron is important, this is why. This wasn’t just any old athlete leaving the team we love to root for. This was much deeper than that. I’m glad LeBron James finally mentioned Cleveland and gave thanks to Northeast Ohio for the support. It’s far from feeling overly sincere right now, and it the timing is certainly bizarre, but it’s a start and it’s better than yet another public act of rebuke from LeBron towards the Cleveland Cavaliers and their fans.
74 Comments
OPINION WAR!!!
Savannah is just upset that Florida doesn’t have common law marriages either
LeBron is s punk. Maybe when he drops 50 on the Cavs and laughs at the fans in Cleveland the whole game will wake you up.
Such bitter, angry, hurt(?) sentiments…
It would be really nice to read some fair and balanced responses.
God I hate to defend LeBron but who cares if they are married or not? We dont know what goes on in that house, maybe Savannah wont sign a prenup? Youre worth 9 figures are you going to marry a girl without a prenup, kids or not? Not if you have your wits about you. It aint like hes Shawn Kemp, 8 kids with 8 women and tens of thousands in back child support.
You guys are starting to come off like the wife of the abusive husband who keeps coming back for more with the LeBro stuff. Let it go, let it die, as you keep writing, he doesn’t care about us, so we should not waste our time thinking about him.
Take a night, have a ceremony (maybe burn something, I don’t know), and let him go. It’s hard, been my hardest night of the summer, but it feels good to be done with it.
– I hate LBJ
– I can’t wait til he comes back, I promise I’ll be there.
– I don’t care if he is married or not (seriously that’s pathetic)
– I miss Denny & love Andrew
– JMoney, I think you have some serious issues.
Denny, we’re just bitter because you abandoned us to go chase money by getting a doctorate. We thought you would stay here with us until we won a championship.
OMG!! SOMEONE ON THE INTERNET DISAGREES WITH ME!! I NEED TO MAKE THEM AGREE WITH ME!!
does everyone feel better now? Deep breaths, folks.
NO I STILL HAS RAGE!!!! RAWR
+1452834759203847 to all denny’s and ben’s posts on this thread…grow up and move on cleveland. No one needed an apology, this was a save face move for the national media. Kinda sad to see the hate filled a-bombs people are still dropping about this, let it go and do something enjoyable.
Why do people keep bringing up the word apology? Is there really anyone out there who actually wants an apology from LeBron? I highly doubt LeBron will ever offer an apology to Cleveland.
Andrew, I think you nailed it for me with this “…caused many fans to lose their feelings of support toward LeBron the person, independent of LeBron the basketball player.”
I don’t like LeBron the person – I never really did. I really don’t like him now. That’s the thing I’m mad at?
LeBron the basketball player? I would take him back in a heartbeat. I miss him and his two MVP awards. Big time.
Honestly if Lebron is your biggest worry in life you’re doing pretty darn good.
I don’t care if people love LBJ, hate LBJ, or forget about him altogether. My point is the following: It is asinine for people like Denny to come on here and denigrate others because they have a different opinion or reaction to something. To stin4u and Denny and Ben and everyone else telling others to “move on,” why don’t you take your own advice and move on? If you don’t want to hear about LBJ, then don’t click on the latest article about him and then comment about it. Move on. Go “do something enjoyable.” Let people post opinions about Cleveland sports on a blog about Cleveland sports. And stop pretending like you know something about someone’s life based on their opinion about LBJ.
Andrew, great work man. Got everyone fired up!
Do you know the record for most comments?
#65. Great point, J – you are exactly right is this BUM LBJ is our biggest problem, we have pretty good lives.
LBJ is really splitting the City of Akron vs Cleveland. Which pisses me off, it is all NE OHIO. PERIOD. And anyone from the area knows that. Same Difference. I love Akron Love Cleveland.
#21 – “Ok, not really, but i would refrain from reading anything written further by Andrew Schnitkey.”
#67 – “Andrew, great work man. Got everyone fired up!”
Quite the transition there, Jmoney… and I think your comments got more people fired up than Andrew did. All he did was acknowledge a simple “Thank You” from Lebron.
@#66- I have moved on and I’m encouraging others to do the same. Or as Denny stated earlier, we can continue to whine and complain about every little move Lebron makes and continue to take the low road….no need for it and were better than that.
By all means post whatever you like on here. I’m not here to call your opinion invalid or not worth talking about but I think there is something to be said for beating a dead horse. So if complaining about Lebron is “enjoyable” to you go ahead, but I think as Cleveland fans we NEED to be better than this.
@Andrew – I meant a thank you not an apology, I mis spoke in my previous post. I didn’t need a thank you and your absolutely correct, it was too past due to matter anyways.
@66: BUT I HAVE EMOTIONS!!! RECOGNIZE THEM AND AGREE WITH THEM! OTHERWISE I WILL GET INDIGNANT~!
Jason, first off – i like the Tim couch photo, i really do.
I just love Cleveland and by no means did i mean to piss anyone off, unless of course you love Lebron, and then i tried to piss you off.
I let Andrew know how i really felt, he made is stance, and i understand.
O-H
From My Buddy Breezy.
http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news;_ylt=Avq3jkzqt4WFVxvsgpk0x5O8vLYF?slug=ea-towlersports081010
One strong Cavs fan. has nothing to do with this POST. WEll sort of. I just feel back for Towler.
Lost in this mess of rants and some immature posts is a really great post.. If you missed it, go back and read comment 8 again.. And then read it again. I couldn’t have written it better myself. This is why most Cleveland fans loathe Lebron at this point. He is a fraud. When did it become acceptable in our society that people can blatantly lie and have no accountability? It happens in corporations, in politics and in sports. Lebron pissed on our heads and tried to convince us it’s raining.
I use to be a big Fan of the CAVS and LEBRON. My children loved them. I kind of had a gut feeling that Lebron would leave the Cavs when LBJ had all of the secret meetings with other players. I felt that it was so very wrong for players to be involved in collusion. I felt that LBJ would probably go to Chicago or Maybe NYC. I would have been disappointed in Lebron’s leaving, but he had the right to do so, by fulfilling his contractual obligations.
BUT…When Lebron did all of his Narcissitic, selfish greedy DRAMA for “The Decision” this was so very wrong. Lebron took a big, steamy dump on the people of Ohio, his home and the people that showed him love. THIS WAS TOTALLY UNCALLED FOR. IF YOU ARE GOING TO LEAVE…THEN LEAVE LIKE A GENTLEMAN…DON’T TAKE A DUMP AND RUB OUR NOSES IN IT. NO MATTER WHAT YOU SAY OR NO MATTER WHAT YOU DO TO TRY TO MAKE UP FOR THIS ‘DECISION’ OF YOURS…IT WILL NEVER BE ENOUGH. My children and I are still Cavs fans, but Lebron’s name and anything connected with Lebron James is forbidden in my home. This is because I do not like this example that Lebron set up for my children. I do not want to jhave children to idolize narcissism, greed, selfishness…etc