Written by: Craig Shelton
Date Posted: 07-19-2010
Maybe I'm the last guy to know? Perhaps the past seven years I've been in a coma or dream-like state, totally unaware of the current state of events? Somewhere in the past seven years as an NBA observer folks, I missed the memo that Lebron James had become the most sought after marketing agent in America. Clearly Lebron's talents as a professional basketball player have been surpassed by his apparent ability as a marketing guru with freakish talents in the field, right? How the hell did I miss that memo...hmmmm?
Please allow me to paint the picture of an 18 year-old kid, fresh out of high school as a basketball prodigy. He joins his hometown NBA team as a player and is immediately thrust into the media's very own version of Cleveland sports & media publicity purgatory. For the past seven years, he lived within the prefabricated atmosphere of "planet media" with almost complete negative P.R. anonymity. If not for a single media hiccup of a poor showing of sportsmanship in the 2009 loss to the Orlando Magic, in the NBA Eastern Conference Finals, his public record would be without incident.
I've told a close friend on numerous occasions that I refuse to talk religion or politics with most folks. I say that because in my lifetime, I've learned that hot button issues of race & religion, causes "intelligent people to say really, really, stupid things". Stupid things like calling Lebron James the: "self-proclaimed King". Wow! Somehow, I don't get a big picture of a wet behind the ears 18 year-old walking into his first major marketing endorsement with the "swoosh" and start calling shots with an internationally accredited marketing behemoth like Nike. My point is, stop calling Lebron the "self-proclaimed" king of the NBA, when we all know he more than likely didn't make that call.
"You people were really reaching with all the Lebron pile-on antics. Geezzzzzz!!"
Lesbo
After observing the aftermath of Lebron James aka "The King" making his now infamous, prime-time cable network "decision" on ESPN, I'm now prepared to add "Lebron talk" to my short list of conversations on my "no can do" list. Before any of my buddies even consider bringing Lebron up in a conversation to me, hoping to get some beauty shop gossip response out of Craig, think again. You may as well be talking to Dan Gilbert about forgiveness, because your percentage chances of getting a favorable reply from me, is less than the percentage chance of Gilbert finding forgiveness in his heart for LeBron James.
When Cleveland Cavalier owner, Dan Gilbert, fired the initial shot that began to deflate the "fun" helium from the Lebron hot air balloon, he really "set it off". How could we all have not seen it coming in predictable fashion that he would be followed by the Reverend Jesse Jackson of the Rainbow Push Coalition?
HMW HMW HMW HMW HMW HMW
PICTURED ABOVE: HMW FACEBOOK FRIEND
RODNEY WAITES
In the words of my man, Rodney Waites, of CBS Radio: "BOOM"!
Even before the two rich guys (Dan Gilbert & Jesse Jackson) started running their collective, and surprisingly untamed comments; all the fun was trickling away from the Lebron saga; at least for me anyway. I mean c'mon, after I watched and listened to "men" go from talking sports to being "gossip" queens, enough was enough for me. No one was talking basketball anymore in regards to what the pros & cons would be if the Lebron, Wade, Bosh super trio was to come to pass as reality. No conversations about the on-the-court X's & O's related to the trio "ballin' outta control" in South Beach. No, none of the aforementioned angles dominated the airwaves, instead we got girlish gossip. What we got was beauty shop, soap opera gossip, and not barber shop male bonding chatter!I'm not going to spend an entire article perpetuating the farcical events that have taken place since Thursday, July 8, 2010, when "The Decision" came to pass. The one important fact that I will add is that; the only truly revealing thing that I took out of the Lebron James/ESPN production was that he's just a kid, folks. Lebron James is just a kid trying not to have a Michael Jackson-like existence in the world of the NBA and sports in general.
"SELF CHECK"
Stating the obvious: Lebron James never went to college or experienced the whole recruiting process. After listening to his unprepared delivery on July 8th and observing his demeanor during the Jim Gray interview, I understood what we all should need no reminding of: HE'S JUST A KID!!! The guy is very immature in areas just as you and I were at age 25. Even though Lebron James is obviously physically developed as a man, it's equally clear that intellectually speaking, Lebron James is not where he needs to be to reach his goals financially or basketball-wise. That's the story here folks.
"WE THE PEOPLE"
I MEAN, IF LEBRON JAMES WAS YOUR SON, WOULDN'T YOU BE A PROUD PARENT?
NOTE: PLEASE REFRAIN FROM USAGE OF ANY DEROGATORY COMMENTS REGARDING MY USE OF "CAPS" IN THIS PASSAGE AND IN THE LAST PARAGRAPH AS WELL. YOU SEE, I'M A REALLY BIG FAN OF DAN GILBERT, SO IF I CAN'T HAVE DAN, DAMMIT, NO ONE CAN!
Craig Shelton
HMW
Email: houstonmediawatch@yahoo.com
Blog: http://www.houstonmediawatch.com/
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Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/lesbiancraig
4 comments:
I have to say the most disappointing thing about these events is that I don't like the men these basketball players are revealing themselves to be. I know it is basketball but when lebron did his thing on TV, he wasn't playing basketball at that moment. That wasn't about Lebron the brand or the Miami Heat. That was about Lebron the man. That was disheartening. If you have to be a less than honorable man to position yourself to win a title, then I don't know if winning a title is worth it. That is easy to say not experiencing life in those shoes. But that is still the way that I feel. Not to get on a moral high horse, but this free agency period was sickening. People falling all over themselves for men whose characters are questionable. I lost a lot of respect for Wade going Hollywood and leaving the girl and life he had before the fame to sip champagne with the Gabriel Unions of the world. I know no man is perfect and blah blah, but if the best thing you can say about these guys when it is all said and done is that they were just good to great ball players, but below average people, then our vision of greatness is flawed in my opinion. I don't know every detail about the life these guys live, but from what we see on a personal level, it makes me have to wonder how we got to this point. I am not demanding perfection. I just think a little perspective would be nice. From all parties, them and us. That is just my observation anyway. That is what I think at least a little of the negative feedback could be attributed to. They are just sickened by the truth these guys have showed the public at large.
i have 2 say rob my man, ub make maybe the point or @ least said it the best than anyone i've herd speak on the matter....rob thnx so much 4 all ur great detailed comments the past few weeks man!!!
lesbo
I just wanted to say one last piece about this issue based off of what Matt and Adam were talking about this morning in regard to Lebron, Twitter, ESPN and Racism...... Again I don't see this particular issue as a racist issue. But I do think the Lebron allowed himself to be subject to would be racist ridicule. I just don't think he really understands why. I will tell you why. When I was a kid growing up, as a black kid in my house, my mom and dad always told me that in order to be given the chance to excel, you have got to be better than the competition. Not equal, but better. When Lebron did what he did this summer, what he did was allow himself to be subject to stereotypes and become inferior. He turned into the person that people that would oppose what he is as a black man, always see us to be. To the people that live in the world of racial and cultural and social stereotypes, they don't have to know you to think they already know what you are. What he did was put on the ultimate minstrel show for that type of audience. He kept them entertained. He gave to them exactly what they have been wanting to see. Even expecting to see. It was just a matter of when. He has so much potential to be more than just a baskteball player, but he refuses to see himself as anything more than that. He should have had enough sense to know that no matter how much money he makes, or how famous he becomes, he will always be a black man first and foremost. He has to live accordingly. But I guess he has to care about that in order to live it out as that. It is like when I watch the news and see the young black couple that became the cab driver killers, or the brotha that was a school teacher that had an indecent relationship with a student, then took his wife and new born baby hostage, stabbed said baby before stabbing himself, then got 80 years in jail. No matter how far removed you are from those people and what they did, those crimes affect me, they effect Craig, or Lamont or whoever because with everything that our society has gone through, to the opposition, I am just as capable of being that same person that they see us to be on the news. I just hate that we live in that kind of world. But you would be naive to not take this world that serious. The same thing with Tiger Woods. Especially with an interracial marriage. He should have known better more than anybody else to keep his nose clean. But my point is, they don't care about the cause that much to see how they affect me and the other normal brothas out there. It is not racism that threatens Lebron although his actions brought a segment of racism to light. Lebron needs to get himself together and think about who he would be if he didn't have the God given gift of basketball in his life. Lebron, you have got to take responsibility at some point in your life bro. You are a father for Christ's sake. You have got to look before you leap and please gain some perspective that can keep your head above water off of the basketball court. You can't play ball forever brotha.
It's Lebron's Right
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