Monday, July 12, 2010

My Thoughts on LeBron James and Cleveland


It has been a few days since the announcement and I think I am ready to talk about it. When he made his announcement I had to say I was angry, felt bad for my fellow fans of Cleveland sports teams and the business owners of the city of Cleveland who profited off of the James for the past 7 years. I even re-posted a comment that Dan Gilbert (the Owner of the Cleveland Cavaliers) on my Facebook page. I was angry, that is for sure.

However LeBron James made a decision that he felt was best for him and the people around him. I have to respect that, but I don’t have to like it. Under the structure of the contract he signed with the Cavs a few years ago he had the option to leave and sign with another team after the 2009-10 season. He had the right to leave and he chose to leave. He is now a member of the Miami Heat and has joined fellow Olympic team members Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh to form a super team. If this works out and they are successful remains to be seen, they still have to play games. I will be rooting against them.
I think most of the Cleveland fans understand that he had the right to leave. They don’t have to like it. What gets me is the comments that I have read painting Cleveland fans in a bad light. Most of them are just telling us to shut up or stop whining. We have a right to express how we feel about this. We have the right to hope he falls on his face and fail. We have a right to let out our anger and move on. We have a right to call LeBron a coward, because that is how we feel and we are Americans. So just as you have the right to tell us to stop whining, we have the right to ignore you and continue to express our feelings.
Dan Gilbert had the right to write the letter that he did. I have to agree with the fact that he wrote it. It may have been harsh and I would have worded it much differently. He wrote it, he is a smart man and he knew what he was doing when he posted it. I think the fans of the Cavs appreciated the letter and it made them feel better about the desire of the organization to win.

What upsets me the most is the way LeBron left. He was put up on a pedestal like no other athlete in Cleveland’s history. The fans loved him and felt that he was one of their own. He could do no wrong in this city. LeBron gave us so many moments that we will cherish and I appreciate all of those moments. LeBron also received many things from the community of Cleveland as well. It was a great relationship. To go on national television and announce he was leaving just wasn’t the right way. It was cold and cowardly and he should have been man enough to break it off with Cleveland in person. The whole special on ESPN was about building his brand. He showed his true colors, he never cared about Cleveland at all, just about LeBron. He never even called the Cavs to tell them his decision. Yes, he didn’t have to, but if he cared he would have.
It is over and it is time to move on. It is something that we as Cleveland sports fans have always done after we suffer heartache that one of our teams have given us. We always come back and pour our hearts into the Browns, Cavs and Indians, with the hope that it will pay off. Go Cleveland!