Browns trade playbooks for pins at team bowling outing
August 13, 2015Browns conclusions, Nick Swisher, Yelp and more: While We’re Waiting
August 14, 2015News emerged Thursday afternoon that LeBron James would be making a “major announcement” at Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio. What could it be? Would James be retiring from basketball to pursue his new-found acting career or, even better, stand-up comedy? Would James concede defeat and admit that Skip Bayless has been right about everything all along? Would he announce Space Jam 2: Return to Moron Mountain? No, hell no, and no, not yet anyway.
On Thursday afternoon, James announced that he will be providing full scholarships to the University of Akron for all kids who participate in and complete his I PROMISE program. (Actually, University of Akron President Scott Scarborough made the announcement, as James stood nearby.) The news was reported by Joe Vardon of the Northeast Ohio Media Group, among other outlets. Brian Windhorst tweeted to the same effect.
LeBron James announced he will provide full college scholarships to children who complete his I Promise program.
— Brian Windhorst (@WindhorstESPN) August 13, 2015
James announced a partnership between his foundation, the university, and JPMorgan Chase in which any child under James’ mentorship who graduates from Akron Public Schools and meets yet-to-be-determined testing, attendance, and community-service criteria would receive receive a free ride to the University of Akron.
The scholarships, paid for by the university, will cover tuition and Akron’s general services fee — currently worth about $9,500 a year.
James made the scholarship announcement at at event for his charity, the LeBron James Family Foundation, at the Sandusky amusement park, with which the LJFF has a five-year partnership. It’s unclear how many children this will ultimately affect, though 200 seventh graders appear to be currently enrolled in the program, and as many as a thousand at-risk students in Akron public schools may be eligible.
Also, Akron University will immediately rename its education department the LeBron James Family Foundation College of Education — an irony for a worldwide celebrity who never attended college (and has often said he would have attended Ohio State had he done so). The news seems to be a good PR move for Akron, who has recently faced an avalanche of negative publicity ranging from financial issues, slashes to resources and jobs, the dissolution of its baseball program, and a for-sale ad on Craigslist. But even the hardcore cynics among us who would like to view this as a publicity stunt for James — and it’s unclear how much financial burden he’ll ultimately bear with this pledge — and the University of Akron have to admit this is an incredibly generous gesture. Over the years, James has shown an incredible commitment to improving the Akron community and increasing the opportunities for young people in his hometown. Stay in school, kids.