While We’re Waiting… Cleveland Fans, the Morning After
June 22, 2012MLB News: Indians Trade 1B Beau Mills to Cincinnati
June 22, 2012“I PERSONALLY GUARANTEE THAT THE CLEVELAND CAVALIERS WILL WIN AN NBA CHAMPIONSHIP BEFORE THE SELF-TITLED FORMER ‘KING’ WINS ONE”
You can take it to the bank.
If you thought we were motivated before tonight to bring the hardware to Cleveland, I can tell you that this shameful display of selfishness and betrayal by one of our very own has shifted our “motivation” to previously unknown and previously never experienced levels.
Some people think they should go to heaven but NOT have to die to get there.
Sorry, but that’s simply not how it works.
This shocking act of disloyalty from our home grown “chosen one” sends the exact opposite lesson of what we would want our children to learn. And “who” we would want them to grow-up to become.
But the good news is that this heartless and callous action can only serve as the antidote to the so-called “curse” on Cleveland, Ohio.
The self-declared former “King” will be taking the “curse” with him down south. And until he does “right” by Cleveland and Ohio, James (and the town where he plays) will unfortunately own this dreaded spell and bad karma.”
–Dan Gilbert, July 8, 2010
———-
It’s been two years now since Dan Gilbert sent that letter out on a warm, bitter summer night. Two years, or a lifetime. I don’t really care too much how anyone else feels about the letter, but I will be forever grateful to Mr. Gilbert for sending that letter. We live in a world where everyone feels the need to bite their tongue and hide their emotions and not say what’s really in their heart.
That night that LeBron James left Cleveland was painful. I was 7 years old when The Drive happened. It’s a painful memory, and I cried actual tears when Rich Karlis, an Ohio native, booted the game winning FG. But I was too young to fully understand what it meant in the context of Cleveland Sports.
For me, the pinnacle of Cleveland Sports Misery was Game 7 of the 1997 World Series. Cleveland had their title. It was in the palm of our hands. Jose Mesa just needed two more measly outs and we were going to celebrate like never before. We all know what happened, and I was crushed with a sports pain I had never felt before. It took me a very long time to get over that one. In some ways, I’m still not over it.
But I’ve never felt bitterness toward that Indians team. I loved that team. I still love that team. God knows they gave it everything they had. Jose Mesa didn’t want to blow that save. He didn’t choose to let the Marlins tie the game. He just didn’t have it in him, and the Marlins got key hits when they needed it.
LeBron was different. Not only did he leave us with a bitter on court disappointment (the mystery Game 5 disappearing act), but he turned right around, upped the ante and not only chose to walk away from us, but he chose to embarrass us in the process. The way Cleveland is now perceived by national media and sports fans across the country was directly set up by LeBron James’ actions and choices.
Sure, Cleveland fans could have handled it better. Dan Gilbert could have acted more professionally. But that night was raw. It was the deepest cut most Cleveland sports fans, or any sports fans in any city, had ever felt. There’s no practice session or owner’s manual on how to process that kind of visceral outpouring of emotion. Everything that happened that night was nothing short of real. It doesn’t get any more real than that night.
On a night in which Cleveland was kicked down to the ground and being stomped on by the media and laughed at by sports fans everywhere else, Dan Gilbert tried to pick us up a little bit. He showed us that hey, LeBron might be gone now and people are going to start ripping our franchise, our team, and our fans, but Gilbert had our back still. I understand why everyone outside Cleveland (and even some in Cleveland) hated that letter, but I wish they’d at least try to see it from our point of view and understand why we appreciated it.
But the guarantee of winning a championship first never made much sense to me. I never believed it. Nobody ever really believed it, did they? I’m not even sure Mr. Gilbert believed it. So now that LeBron James has his Championship while Cleveland still sits and waits, does this change anything?
I don’t know if I believe in curses or not. I do believe in karma, to a degree. I believe that the choices we make have a direct influence on the outcomes we experience. Choosing to do good things and to be nice to people and helping people out when they need it causes good things to come back your way. Not as any kind of mystic power, but just by the very nature of how those you help and are nice to tend to return the favor.
Dan Gilbert said this would reverse the curse. We’ll have to see about that. But Gilbert also said that until LeBron does right by Cleveland, he’ll experience nothing but failure and Miami will experience his curse. For a year, that seemed to be the truth. Everything that happened last season was a direct result of The Decision. LeBron chose his path and he was falling under the weight of his own pressure.
But something happened in the offseason. Brian Windhorst wrote at length about this, but LeBron almost seemed to realize that things had to change. I’m not going to say he did right by Cleveland. But he put his personal life in order, he spent time back in Akron during the lockout, he worked on his post game, he apologized for the way he handled The Decision, he threw an olive branch in Cleveland’s direction. In a lot of ways, he grew up.
We saw a changed man in the playoffs this year. I said a lot of dumb things when LeBron left. I said Miami will never be his team and that even if he wins, it will be riding Dwyane Wade’s coattails. I was bitter, I was an idiot, and I was wrong. LeBron James didn’t ride anyone’s coattails anywhere this postseason. He threw his team on his back, just like we always hoped he would do against Boston when he played for Cleveland, and refused to be stopped on his new path toward a Championship. He was pure greatness in these playoffs.
So am I LeBron James fan again? Heck no. I was rooting against him like crazy, as is my right as a Cleveland fan to do. I will never root for LeBron James again unless he’s wearing a Team USA jersey or a Cavaliers jersey. But I saw LeBron cast aside his bitterness. He allowed himself to be humbled, and he grew from it. Now it’s my turn.
I’m tired of being angry, bitter, and sad. This is sports. It’s a game. It’s supposed to be fun. I allowed not just LeBron James, but the entire specter of Cleveland Sports to cut that part out of my heart. I decided a couple months ago to let go of the hurt and anger of LeBron leaving. Look, I’m not going to tell anyone else how they have to feel. If you’re still bitter and angry, that’s your right and I’ll defend you against anyone telling us to “just get over it”. It’s a personal decision. And for me, I let it go, and I’ve felt much better for it.
So as I watched LeBron James and his Miami Heat pull away from the Thunder last night, and the moment I never wanted to see happen was becoming more and more certain, I was surprised at how I felt. There was a little sadness, seeing Miami get yet another Championship at Cleveland’s expense. But other than that, there was just benign numbness. I wasn’t angry. I just didn’t care. So LeBron James won a title. At the end of the day, it doesn’t change my life one bit.
I was stunned this morning as I found myself able to listen to sports radio and watch SportsCenter and listen to people gush about LeBron James. And I felt nothing. It was a liberating realization that it doesn’t matter to me. My allegiance lies with the Cleveland Cavaliers. I put so much of my passion and my heart into following the Cavaliers, and this series had nothing to do with Cleveland. The Cavaliers haven’t played a game since April 26th. LeBron James has nothing to do with Cleveland or the Cavaliers anymore. He’s moved on.
Cleveland isn’t cursed. Cleveland is lucky. Cleveland is a small market city that gets to support 3 franchises. How many cities would kill for an NBA team? I live in Columbus. I can tell you that Columbus would give anything to have the Cavaliers. I sometimes feel like Cleveland sports fans have been driven so Championship crazy that we forget to count the blessings before us.
Of course winning a title is the goal. We all want to experience it in our lifetime. Yes, we’re a tortured, battered, scarred, beaten down group of fans. And we take pride in owning that misery. It’s a part of our passion. Other cities make fun of our passion, but it’s because they don’t understand it. It’s different in Cleveland and we should be proud of that.
But maybe it’s time to let go of some of the Championship anxiety. As I listened to Mike and Mike this morning (yes, a cardinal sin, I know), Marcellus Wiley mentioned how he remembered a class in college where they were talking about setting goals. Having goals is important. But Wiley said his instructor made the point that you can’t achieve your ultimate goal until you learn to focus on the first step. Maybe instead of fretting about the ultimate goal, we should stop and think a little bit about the first step in front of us.
Things aren’t so bad in Cleveland. The Cavaliers are lucky. We have Kyrie Irving. Do you even realize how fortunate we are to have a franchise player so soon after losing the last one? Kyrie won’t be LeBron James. Nobody ever will be. That was a once in a lifetime situation where a local guy gets drafted by his home team and becomes the best player in the game.
What Kyrie Irving is, though, is a leader. A player who loves crunch time. Who loves attacking the rim at the end of games. Who loves shooting clutch free throws. As a rookie.
Cleveland has the 4th overall pick and four picks in the top 34 of the draft next week. A championship isn’t going to be won in one draft or in one offseason. But the groundwork is being laid. And even if the Cavaliers never win a Championship, so what? Yeah, it’s not an ideal outcome. But rooting for the Cavaliers is fun. Spending cold Ohio winters watching our men in Wine and Gold as we partake in a Christmas Ale or two, joining in with fellow Cavs fans on Twitter, Facebook, and the comments section on this website. I wouldn’t trade it for the world.
If you told me the Cavaliers were never going to win a Championship no matter what, and then gave me the choice to either keep them in Cleveland anyway or let them go elsewhere and give up on rooting for them all together, I’d choose to keep them. Winning a Championship is the goal. My desire for a title in Cleveland isn’t diminishing. That’s not my point. My point is, it’s time for me to stop sacrificing all the benefits of rooting for sports teams in Cleveland for the sake of putting too much importance on winning a title.
———-
I still feel like LeBron would have won a title in Cleveland had he stayed. I think he would have eventually learned the lessons he needed to learn. But maybe he had to leave. Maybe he had to be broken down. Maybe he had to go through being the villain. Maybe this was all a process to get him where he was always destined to be, an NBA Champion.
And maybe so, too, is this our process. There’s no question the Cavaliers learned some valuable lessons from the LeBron era. They learned about team building. They learned about handling superstars1. They learned about expectation, loyalty, ego, and disappointment.
LeBron James built himself back up. Now it’s Cleveland’s turn. And I honestly believe that process has already begun organically.
In Cleveland, the Indians are a good team. They’re a fun group to watch, and they maximize the most of their limited abilities. It’s a true team. And they’re closer to a World Series than most of us realize. The Cavaliers have a great player in Irving and are positioned to add more talent. The Browns…..well, they’re still the Browns. But hey, in the spirit of positivity, let’s imagine a world where Trent Richardson is the real deal and Brandon Weeden turns out to be an elite QB. It’s not impossible.
We spend so much time in Cleveland focusing on the negatives, but man, for a city with such bad sports teams, we have a lot of positives to think about as well. So, if anything, I’ll take the high road and thank LeBron for helping me realize this. He doesn’t care how Cleveland feels today, and I don’t care how he feels today. This isn’t about LeBron James anymore. Today, I am proud and happy to be a Cleveland sports fan.
So sure, Dan Gilbert has been proven wrong and everyone can have a nice giggle fit over that. You think this is the worst Cleveland has ever felt? Please. We’re pros at handling heartbreak. But if we refuse to learn anything along the way, we’re just going to keep finding ourselves in this same position.
I’m not happy LeBron won a title. I just don’t care. I really don’t. He was always going to win one. He’s going to win more. He’s the best player on the planet. There’s a reason we wanted him to stay so bad despite the fact he “quit” in that Game 5. There’s a reason we defended him against people like Skip Bayless. He’s a great player. Denying that fact isn’t going to change anything.
But he doesn’t play for Cleveland anymore. And Cleveland still has the Cavaliers. We still have the first place Indians. We still have the Browns. We’ll be just fine, thank you.
One day, Cleveland will win a Championship again. And when that day comes, the ghosts of our pain will wash away in a current of unbridled joy. When we get our turn to celebrate, our failures will serve as the foundation of our joy, but it will be just that….foundation. Buried underground, not seen by the outside world, and but a mere afterthought.
To paraphrase Mr. Gilbert, we will have died AND gone to heaven. Doing it the right way, so to speak. And it will have nothing to do with LeBron James then either. So congrats, LeBron. You did it. Whatever. I’ll save my emotional response to an NBA Championship when it’s the Cavaliers hoisting the trophy. Dan Gilbert may have been wrong about who wins one first, but he was right when he said:
“I PROMISE you that our energy, focus, capital, knowledge and experience will be directed at one thing and one thing only:
DELIVERING YOU the championship you have long deserved and is long overdue….”
- by doing it the wrong way [↩]
96 Comments
I’m glad we can finally stop talking about Gilbert’s guarantee.
Perfect.
Yes and also fonts.
Great read Rock. Thanks. I fall on the side of not caring that the Heat won. I was rooting like crazy against them but they dominated that game last night. I was so glad to see Durant walk over and congratulate Lebron. I was glad to see Lebron handle the situation with a maturity he never would have had in Cleveland. This is the first year he understood the words he uses in interviews all the time (humble, leader, etc.). That was an awesome series and I was excited to see the end of it handled with class on both sides. It gives me hope that these guys aren’t just a bunch of spoiled brats (although Dwight Howard is helping realize that is still the case).
I am excited for the Cavs. I am excited for the hope that I will get after watching the draft and looking towards the future. Sports is a diversion for me. It’s an opportunity to spend time with my son. It’s entertainment. I don’t have time for bitterness in my diversions. I have plenty of real stresses in my life to worry about. I can’t wait to start cheering on the Cavs again next year.
The thing is, for us, it’s not just sports. It’s about the health of a city, too. It’s about economy. It’s about hope and pride. It’s about justifying the machinations of the universe–what do we do to deserve this? What have we ever done to anyone? So, it’s not just sports for us. It’s just sports in other cities…not for us.
I had the same feeling while watching last night. I sat there emotionless and watched a team and a guy celebrate their title. Nothing more, nothing less. Did I want to see it? No. But I found myself a little relieved that we are now past this.
I am tired as a Cleveland sports fan of my sports joys/disappointments coming because of outside factors/teams. I don’t want to have to feel happy about the Super Bowl because I was rooting so hard for Green Bay to beat the Steelers. I don’t want to have to root for another team to beat the Heat. I want to root for the Cavaliers, the Browns and the Indians.
I think the sooner the city of Cleveland and the fans of its sports teams remember, accept and move on from this LeBron thing and get rid of the hate and negativity we collectively have, we will be ready to win a Championship.
Remember when the Browns left? Yes, lots of people spewed hate about Art Modell…but we also put our focus into the Cleveland Indians and they excelled. We need to focus positive energy, not just hate blindly.
I never understood the championship obsession either. I say it’s like a good book with a bad ending, you still had fun getting there even if you don’t like the final result.
on the flip side, it is like immensely enjoying a book but getting to the end and realizing that the last 5 pages are missing
You should take out a full page in the Plain Dealer with this article. Great Job. Great Perspective.
Agree with Nate.
In 2004, I bought a commemorative Jacobs Field 10th anniversary package. It contains a book, DVD, and some CDs. It’s a beautiful set. And I have never opened it up, and the reason is that there’s no payoff. No championship.
Championships matter.
Thanks for a well written and well reasoned post. “Getting over it” doesn’t have to mean rooting for Lebron, like some in the national media suggest. Nor should we repudiate Gilbert’s letter. He gets it.
Very nicely done Andrew. I feel the exact same way and let go of all the anger after the Boston series. Bottom line is we are all human and we all take time to mature and grow up. Unfortunately, LeBron’s growth came at the expense of leaving Cleveland. But it is liberating not to tie any joy in my life to something I have absolutely no control over.
The future is bright too with Kyrie and hopefully MKG!
This might just be the best article I have ever read on this site. You put every thought and emotion I have felt since The Decision until now into words.
I guess Lebron did light up Cleveland like Las Vegas. There is a casino there now!!!!
Absolutely fantastic article. Kudos.
“Cleveland has the 4th overall pick and four picks in the top 34 of the draft next week. A championship isn’t going to be won in one draft or in one offseason. But the groundwork is being laid. And even if the Cavaliers never win a Championship, so what? Yeah, it’s not an ideal outcome. But rooting for the Cavaliers is fun. Spending cold Ohio winters watching our men in Wine and Gold as we partake in a Christmas Ale or two, joining in with fellow Cavs fans on Twitter, Facebook, and the comments section on this website. I wouldn’t trade it for the world.”
YES YES YES A BILLION TIMES YES
“Remember when the Browns left? Yes, lots of people spewed hate about Art Modell…but we also put our focus into the Cleveland Indians and they excelled. We need to focus positive energy, not just hate blindly.”
I think this applies really well to today. Our Tribe is in first place but the Tigers are coming fast. They could really use our support. Go Tribe! Let’s be positive around here.
That’s a perfect description for the 2010 season.
Andrew, that’s the best article I’ve read on this site, or anywhere for that matter since Wright Thompson’s “Believeland” article 2 years ago. Well done, sir.
Perfect reading.
I was not trying to imply they do not matter, because they do. There is sometimes a perception that it is the only thing that matters, and that is what I disagree with.
Tears……you dick. Freaking tears at 11am on a Friday. Kudos, that was amazing.
Lost some respect for Dan Patrick today. He spent part of his show this morning making fun of Dan Gilbert and James’ teammates on the Cavs.
Reminds me of the old saying, “Kick him again, he’s getting up.”
The reason I hated “the letter” and the jersey burning is that it just showed we couldn’t take the higher road. Our reaction to someone else’s immaturity was pretty much “just wait, we can stoop even lower”.
Gilbert could have shown us he had our back without sounding like a spoiled brat who had his favorite toy taken away. His rant could at least have seen an editor or two.
If Dan Gilbert is going to lead the charge to the next Cavalier championship, then I want him to display the level head that will be necessary to get there. Leave the mindless ranting to talk shows. Be a man, pick yourself up by the bootstraps and get back to what really matters, which no longer is Lebron. It shouldn’t take two years to get over him.
Fantastic article.
“I don’t know if I believe in curses or not. I do believe in karma, to a degree.”
This is progress.
Completely disagree re: Gilbert and what his ‘guarantee’ (as well as his refusal to acknowledge it after the Heat win last night) reflects about his fitness to be a custodian of the subsidized monopoly that’s the Cavaliers, but there’s no point getting into that here.
Big up yourself, Craig, and everybody else from Northeast Ohio. The indisputable best basketball player on the planet is from your own backyard, and he’s as poised as anyone has ever been to become the best to have ever played the game.
thanks for taking the thoughts in my head and putting them in article format. 🙂
Sounds like the stages of grief to me but I was there as well to a degree. I watched the game for the most part until the end of the third quarter when I said to myself that was enough I knew how it would end. But I of course tuned back in to not only see the final zeroes but watch the celebration. I even went to NBA TV and watched their coverage which included post game interviews.
I wasn’t done until Jason Whitlock asked LeBron James a question about Cleveland fans and what he’d say to them knowing that they wanted to take this ride with him only in Cleveland. Btw Whitlock prefaced the question by saying he wasn’t trying to bait James or imply anything. Anyways James answered by basically ignoring the fans of Cleveland part and saying that he won with the Miami Heat and how he and his teammates had spent two years to reach that conclusion. He was now a champion and that’s all that mattered.
Well it also meant, to me, that LeBron James was now an “other” and that it was time to focus on the Cleveland Cavaliers and the hopes for the future. I’m looking forward to the upcoming draft even more now. Who knows maybe one day it will be Cleveland’s turn to celebrate a championship and I guarantee on that night noone will care about last night.
you are still a ******* crybaby, you cleveland losers, maye all teh excuses you want, lebron left becaues of idiot like you go dig a hole and bury your head, any team in cleveland sucks
Kind of like Lost as well
James stood next to the best to have ever played the game in Bill Russell he’s not even close. Michael Jordan would be next for me and lets not forget about the guy playing RIGHT NOW in LA who has five championships Kobe Bryant. James might be the King of right now but he ain’t the King for all time!
On that note I take some solice. I also take some solice in look what it took for James to finally win his first one. I think this championship cost him alot frankly alot more then he’ll ever admit so hopefully it was worth it. I also take some solice in believeing it won’t be a cake walk for him to win a second. Meanwhile we’ll have the Cavaliers who will hopefully be building towards something of THEIR own. We’ll see though.
Really? Did you even read the article? We are moving on and are happy just to support our teams.
Also, you really could use some spelling and grammar lessons.
I loved reading your article and I must admit I’m envious of your ability to move on and be able to watch/listen to those programs without visceral anger. I realize I may be in the minority, but I am not yet ready to move on.. I don’t know if I ever will be. However, after reading your post I understand that I need to start moving to that point. I watched LeBron hold that trophy and I couldn’t help but think “It should have been us.” That isn’t fair to LeBron and it isn’t fair to us because a lot of things could have happened.. At least I don’t pretend to be upset about LeBron because “of the way he went about it.” I’m honestly just bitter and upset that he was selfish enough to leave us. I feel like he traded his dignity and his integrity for a better shot at a championship because he hears people say that all that matters are the rings.. /endrant
This being said, I’m definitely ready to move on to the NBA Draft next week and welcome the next piece of our Cavs. I’m not going to dwell on LeBron’s championship, my focus is on us getting one
lemme join the chorus, Andrew. Heartfelt and well-written. Wish this was the last column on the subject, but realize it can’t and won’t be; everyone needs to purge a little.
As tempting as it was to delete this comment due to the language violation, I’m leaving it up. It does a nice job illustrating that Cleveland fans aren’t the ones with the problem.
I am sick of this crap that #6 has “changed”. WHY? because he beat a bunch of junk teams and rose got injured? If we wasn’t such a quitter he could have rolled through the playoffs this season on the Cavs. Windhorst is an idiot as well he’s spent his whole life covering this jerk and wants to make him something better than he actually is as a person.
Funny, for the “heartbreak” my generation of C-town sports fans have experienced (i’m 37), this article puts things in perspective a bit. That is, I wouldn’t trade the “ride” to the 97 WS, the 87 AFC Championship, the ’07 NBA Finals for anything, despite not getting the finish we all wanted.
One point of disagreement, though–I really want a championship for this city, for many reasons, among them so moments like last night become meaningless and like James a huge weight falls from our collective backs.
Harv 21 great idea this should be it. It would only be fitting to let Andrew’s column be the place where all of the Cavaliers/Cleveland fans get it all out. Then attention can be turned to the Cavaliers and the promise that could be awaiting. There’s a long road to go but a boatload of opportunities await.
Btw I still haven’t recovered from 1997 and probably never will which is why I’m so detached from being a true Cleveland fan. I lived through all of the other disappointments but for some reason ’97 will haunt me until the day a Cleveland team, any, wins a championship.
I want a Championship, too. Badly. I think I’m just starting to realize that not winning is ok, too, as long as you’re having fun and enjoying watching the teams and participating in discussions with fellow Cleveland sports fans. That’s what it’s really all about for me.
Wow…I feel sorry for you.
Not sure why anyone would maintain respect for Dan Patrick…he’s a self-important hypocrite of the highest order.
Very well written, Andrew. I like your point of view and I want very badly to get there. I’m still frustrated though. Maybe it’s my Roman Catholic upbringing, but I have this overwhelming sense of right versus wrong and holding myself and others accountable for doing wrong. Paying penance. And the funny thing is that I don’t even consciously believe that people should be raked over the coals for bad decisions, but somehow that’s what my heart always wants. And right now it’s killing me that this guy who grew up 10 miles from me, who was watching when the Indians got their hearts ripped out in 1995 and 1997, who probably saw The Fumble, and The Drive, and every other bad memory from the last 3 decades of Cleveland sports decided to go win a championship somewhere else and (almost certainly) scheme with 2 other players and the Miami Heat to do it. He was arrogant when he left, thinking everyone would love him for his choice. He was selfish in his reasons. He was defiant and obtuse in his post-move reactions. The Catholic boy in me knows that a man who did these things should be riddled with guilt, and it drives me crazy that he feels absolutely no guilt. His apology was not heartfelt, but a forced move sparked by his PR people. He doesn’t think he did anything wrong. He didn’t do anything wrong in the eyes of the nation… unless you grew up where we grew up, and then you know that he did something horribly wrong. He failed to have pride in being from Cleveland. Akron is Cleveland sports. You walk around the city, you see so many Indians caps and Browns jerseys and Cavs gear. To claim that you have no allegiance to Cleveland because you are from Akron is like saying you have no allegiance to the US because you live in Ohio. Akron is a part of Cleveland, particularly when it comes to sports. It’s something that makes it really tough for me to be apathetic towards LeBron. He loved the Bulls, the Yankees, and the Cowboys, but he didn’t love where he was from, and now he’s holding up his reward for blasphemy. The man in me tells me this is fine and my love for the Cavs should matter way more. The little boy in me is still pushing for LeBron to pay his penance.
Dan Gilbert is still getting mocked because he made a fool of himself.
Enough said.
Where’s Andrew’s response to this comment illustrating who has the problem?
Great warriors in ancient Rome were rewarded with parades. A scribe followed till the end taking in the whole situation. When the event concluded it was his duty to humble the warrior by reminding him that he would eventually die. LeBron just like everyone else is a mortal and will forever be remembered for being a liar, a crook, a thief, and a complete asshole. You can win a ring but you will never win back the hearts and minds of those who cared.
Say it ain’t so Androw, say it ain’t so! Being okay with not winning a championship is the direct result of being a Cleveland fan and something I refuse to give up on even now. Everything else is fine. Having fun watching the teams and discussing it but you can’t let that replace the need, the want, the desire for a championship. That is at the heart of every champion no matter whether it’s a professional sport or paper football. So snap out of it!!!
My reaction was also about us rather than LeBron. I have two wishes for the city. Maybe they are interrelated. Both of them are long shots.
One, I hope we strike a better balance between enjoying our sports
teams and idolizing our jocks in such an essentially infantile way. Thinking of an athlete as a personal or municipal savior is weird if you are more than 11 years old. They are not us, they are mercenaries temporarily here for an unknown period of time, often not by choice. Enjoy their skills, sure. But we’ll all be happier if we step back and say: these are teens/twenty-somethings who have been sheltered in athletics and are less worldly in important ways than most of us at that age. It’s sports. He’s happy to be adored but he can’t fill the bottomless pit of your emotional need. So stop expecting it. You don’t know him, even if you think you do from watching him speak into a tape recorder, and he doesn’t know you. That’s healthy.
Two, I wish we would stop constantly obsessing about what the world thinks or says about us. The inferiority complex here is so tranparent and ubiquitous that it’s self-fulfilling. It leads national media to echo it and that makes us madder and more concerned about what they write. What’s said elsewhere doesn’t matter. It just doesn’t matter. Red Sox fans were as totally unselfconscious about how obnoxious everyone found their non-stop braying about The Curse as Yankees fans are oblivious to everyone hating them just because. We are worthy. If we want a healthier relationship with our teams, act worthy. Demand it of the owners. Stop the uber-sensitivity about what others think. Maybe the results will change.
Wow, nice work WFNY… you actually got LBJ to comment!
If you can’t find anything meaningful from watching any past sports event that would benefit your life, then you need to let it go. There’s no reason to constantly linger on things that you cannot control or learn from. Not just Lebron, but also all of the “THE ______” moments. The more you’re willing to move on, the more peaceful your life becomes.
Andrew, I’m very proud that your willing to move on from Lebron. You’re more likely to prosper by focusing on what you need to do now rather than letting the events of the past bother you.
Very nicely written article as well too. 🙂