This website has tried to steer clear of a lot of the fan-led initiatives since its inception. We link to things and report on different ideas floating around, but we try not to get involved too much in leading the charge in that realm. Dawg Pound Mike had his walkout idea last season which didn’t seem very palatable to any of the people involved with the site if I remember correctly. Even though I think as a site we pretty well supported the counter-attack about fans don’t miss kickoffs, I think our support was more tacit than a direct promotion. Of course all of us as individuals say any number of things in individual posts and on Twitter. Still, as a site, we don’t generally take up a “cause” in Cleveland sports. This brings me to December 2nd and the return of LeBron James.
I have had some emails and even phone calls from individuals looking to get something started to unite the fans against LeBron in December. I have had bloggers and writers from the non-Cleveland parts of the web attempt to figure out how much violence and craziness will unfold with how incensed Cleveland fans were over the whole situation. Personally, I think there will be a lot of booing and cursing, but I don’t expect any violence. Maybe there could be a fight or two if someone would wear a #6 Miami Heat jersey to the Q on December 2nd. Then again, I expect Dan Gilbert to be completely on top of it in terms of organization and security on December 2nd. The prevailing question is, “What should we do?”
As I said in the opening, WFNY doesn’t generally lead any of these charges, so don’t expect us to do it this time either. Still, I am curious what some of the ideas are out there. A friend of mine is desperately trying to think of a hurtful, clean nickname that everyone can rally behind. His initial thought was to stick LeBron with the name Alfred. His thinking is, we thought we had Batman, and we spent all this time looking for Robin, and come to find out we had Alfred all along. People with apparent street credibility have reportedly called that “street cold” because comparing a young black man to a feeble old white man butler is especially cold. The idea also lends itself to being chanted over and over again. All that being said, I am not sure that it really can catch on.
Along those same lines, I suggested that maybe an even better name would be Ringo. Legendarily when John Lennon was asked if Ringo Starr was the best drummer in the world, John jokingly stated, “He’s not even the best drummer in the Beatles!” Then again, the Beatles were four and unless you count the “fam” Udonis Haslem, this “band” in Miami is a power trio.
Anyway, I was just curious what the other minds out there were hatching for December when LeBron returns to Cleveland. I have yet to hear that one idea that rings in my ear and makes me think that it is “the idea” that everyone will rally around. Then again, it seems against Cleveland’s nature for us all to rally around a singular idea. There is a reason that we are a swing state, you know. And who knows what will happen by December? Maybe Dan Gilbert will set the agenda all by himself by giving out a t-shirt with some kind of statement in Comic Sans.
