So much to say. . . so little time!

Sorry it's been a couple days since my last post. . . you could say life got in the way a bit! I've got so many different opinions on some things which have been going on recently, but wanted to touch on something my faithful reader Brian brought up to me. The gist of Brian's diatribe by private message, is basically the double standard he sees being set by our utter disdain for what Lebron James did. Brian stated in his first couple paragraphs how we all love Shaq, despite him flitting around to 6 different teams, but how we hate Lebron for leaving Cleveland.

Brian's last paragraph is the real heart of the issue:
I guess my main question here is this: are we upset with Lebron because he left the team that drafted him out of high school to go win a championship elsewhere with other stars, or are we mad at Lebron for leaving Cleveland??? Think about it: would we be up-in-arms if Lebron went to Miami after leaving Golden State?!?!?! Vancouver/Memphis?!?!?! Seattle/Oklahoma City?!?!?! I think we've all kinda hoped that Lebron could bring a championship to the city that can't win a championship (or one of the cities anyway...*sigh*) and we just pile on his signing with Miami as another black eye for Cleveland...thus making him the universal enemy of everyone who has somewhat of an interest in the NBA.

To answer the question in a nutshell, and obviously keeping in mind this is my own (and perhaps, uneducated) opinion; we are mad at Lebron for the way he handled the situation. He could have just opted out, and found another team quietly, but instead made it a spectacle. He didn't have to make the DECISION on ESPN, in front of little children, under the guise of donating the money he was making to them. He could have just donated money. To that end, he was the hometown boy, literally the FACE of the franchise in every way. Cleveland's entire marketing plan focused on Lebron. Most of their season ticket base can be attributed to having him on the court. He signed a second contract with Cleveland after his rookie contract was done with, and appeared to be in it with Cleveland for the long haul. BUT, like most athletes lately, the almighty dollar and the desire to be part of something greater than where he was, called him away. My biggest problem with that is he could have easily done it at some point in the future. He's young. He could have played another couple of years with Cleveland, and made more of an effort in the playoffs instead of laughing it up like this year. Instead, he went for the money grab and down in infamy like Benedict Arnold.

Shaq, on the other hand, wasn't from Orlando. He was drafted out of LSU, and while being a major player on the Magic and each subsequent team he was on, was never the only draw for the teams he played on. (*Magic had Penny Hardaway starting his second season, and Shaq was only in Orlando for 4 years) He was never the hometown guy. Not only that, but while in it for himself, he was also known to pick out young talent and form partnerships which brought wins to the teams he played on. Shaq always seemed to be a part of a tandem; Shaq and Kobe, Shaq and D Wade, Shaq and Lebron even. He even went to Cleveland to "Win a Ring for the King" referring to Lebron. He was a presence on the court, and people love him. Lebron doesn't have Shaq's ease around people, that sparkle that sets him apart from other players.

So Brian, the answer to your question isn't as easy as hating Lebron because he left Cleveland or hating him because he left the team that drafted him out of high school. The answer is yes to both. This wasn't LA. This wasn't Chicago. This was blue collar Cleveland, a city who backed a hometown boy not just because they believed in him, but because he was one of their own. Someone who knew their struggle for identity in a league filled with teams and cities bigger than life. Lebron took their love and made them a laughing stock on a national level. He knew he wasn't coming back to Cleveland well before the DECISION. He disrespected the team who drafted him, absolutely. And he disrespected Cleveland, absolutely. He might win a title in Miami, but it won't be their first and it won't have quite the meaning it would have if he had won it in Cleveland. Not to sound trite, but Lebron gave up a shot at immortality when he left.

But, in the grand scheme of things, does he care? Probably not. If he left for the money and the chance to win now, he doesn't care what he left behind him. And that's what people REALLY hate him for.