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November 25, 2010WFNY Black Friday Contest: Free T-Shirt, Chance to Win Tickets to Cavs/Heat
November 26, 2010(Or: Hey, who wants a free t-shirt?)
With approximately one week remaining until LeBron James returns to Cleveland, a city of sports fanatics – and even those who merely long for drama – are wondering what sort of welcoming awaits. For better or worse, the Cavaliers front office is getting ahead of the curve by telling fans that they will not be allowed to don any clothing or hoist any signs that disparage either James or his family.
The [Cavs] has done research on the various crude and offensive James T-shirts in circulation locally, and officials will be stationed at entrances to make sure no fans enter with such shirts or signs that disrespect James or his family members. They’ll also be in the stands, authorized to take away inappropriate apparel. Fans who have such shirts will be required to remove them and then will be given a Cavaliers-branded T-shirt to wear instead. All inappropriate signs also will be confiscated and officials will be on the lookout throughout the game for inebriated fans or fans who are preparing to throw things onto the court.
Security on December 2nd will be operated by the NBA as well as the city of Cleveland. The team is not quite sure what to expect, but wants to make sure that all T’s are crossed, ensuring that the organization (and the city) is not cast in ill light due to a select few individuals.
Cavs majority owner Dan Gilbert followed up on the ESPN article stating that the team will only ban “profane or vulgar” apparel and signs. They will, allegedly, “not be the Gestapo at The Q.”
The team also says that it is anticipating credentialed media numbers that are akin to that of an Eastern Conference Finals game. CNN, of all networks, will be sending several members to Cleveland on that very Thursday night, likely hoping to catch any and all actions that go against the grain of what the Cavaliers allow. Unfortunately, that ever-creative Delonte West-adled t-shirt that cost fans a cool $20 will not be getting any airtime on any network once fans are inside of Quicken Loans Arena.
22 Comments
Oh. And I’m thankful for the 1st Amendment.
Don’t get soft on us Danny boy
Please update this story with what Dan Gilbert Tweeted.
All we need as Cleveland fans is an arena full of classless, offensive signs regarding Delonte West and LeBron’s mother. This isn’t a first amendment issue. This is simply denying the national media the ammunition they’re dying for that would make us look like a bunch of douchebags.
Just chant Delonte at him then.
“cavsdan: ESPN headline is wrong & silly. Obviously no profanity,vulgar stuff U wouldn’t want kids 2 see but we are not going 2 be the Gestapo @ The Q”
–http://twitter.com/cavsdan/status/7862466620948480
De-lon-te!, with 20,000 synchronized pelvic thrusts…
You pay for the ticket to a private event, essentially, so you have to abide by the rules of the event. Which, sadly, include these Nazi-inspired rules. So it goes. Just yell all the louder; of course, with all the super-advanced microphones they can cancel the crowd noise out.
God-forbid the precious NBA gets any tarnish on their stupid league image which allows Cleveland and their fans to get trashed on national TV by the “Chosen 1/3.” This makes me sick but its the rules we have to live with.
People can still wear Delonte West t shirts as long as there is nothing profane.
I would print a t shirt with with photo and “Welcome Home LeBron” printed underneath it. Nothing vulgar about that, right?
http://www.slamonline.com/online/wp-content/uploads/2008/12/delonte_west_video.jpg
I think it’s fair… they just don’t want the thing to get out of control… even though i think it will! And i think dan gilbert and the cavaliers don’t want these
[WFNY Edit: Picture Delonte t-shirt here]
And I think it’s normal. the first t shirt is funny but you can totally understand why the cavs organization doesn’t want to be associated with that!
Cavs r soft on and off the court!
I’m all for first amendment rights and with that being said, I’m all about this ban as well. For anyone who claim that this is a violation of their “freedom of speech” has no idea what that amendment was written to protect.
8 said it best this event is being held on private property to which those attending have paid an admission to and therefore must abide by the guidelines set for with the purchase of the ticket.
On another note this is out chance to now prove we are not the underbelly of society everyone believes us to be. Think we have problems attracting FA’s now? Act like a bunch of drunken neandrothals in our one national spotlight game this year and see how willing athletes are to make a partial home here.
Besides this is nothing really new…I’ve never seen any profane language signs allowed at the Q ever anyways.
Weak.
But I still bet LeBron doesn’t even make the trip. He’ll find a way to quit on this like he always has.
Solution: Wear a shirt that explicitly describes what Lebron should do to himself or what Delonte will do… but have the shirt printed in Lithuanian. The security guards will have no idea what it says, neither will ESPN or CNN.
Then wait for the moment when Ilgauskas explains the shirt to Lebron.
At this point it should be obvious that this is nothing more than a wrestling match over control of public perception.
Cleveland is in the driver’s seat and is in a position of PR power greater than I’ve seen since the Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame decision.
The piece of s___ that tackled the 8 year old, whether or not it actually happened, has the New York media primed to file a paint by numbers hit job. Most national journalists are lazy and are already salivating to attach that story to this game and use it as a springboard to give their own PoS teams even more of an advantage.
Instead of handing out t-shirts they should take all those old lebron cavs jerseys and hand this out to 20,000.
http://photos.cleveland.com/photogallery/2010/07/get_your_new_lebron_jerseys_he.html
I also heard we are spending a lot of EXTRA money on security for that game. Sorry but honestly how much longer are we going to spend money on Lebron James? I thought that was Miami’s issue now?
I agree about him not even showing up. He probably will “pull” a hamstring before the game.
So I -can- wear my 1/14/1741 shirt…or I can’t?
Let’s keep it classy (no swears, family references, etc) and if one must chant, simply: “QUIT – IN – GAME – FIVE – CLAP, CLAP, CLAP-CLAP-CLAP”
Whatever else has happened in #6’s public or personal life is irrelevant to us as CLEVELAND fans. We shouldn’t really care so much about a player for another team (I say this while also reading all the related articles on the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network dot com. I acknowledge my own hypocrisy and deride myself and all others who indulge.)
-Matt
PS: Chanting MVP for any opposing player (in our own house, no less) is disrespectful to the Cavaliers.
Thats fine, as long as they make anyone in Heat gear change as well. I find a #6 Heat jersey significantly more offensive than anything any of our local shirt companies has come up with yet
I still say Gilbert should hire the Browns D-line on 10 day contracts just to watch leBums reaction