With the news that Lebron James is going to L.A., I was horrified to see the number of Clevelanders who had words of thanks and praise for Lebron. Social media and regular media alike seemed to be falling over itself with northeast Ohioans saluting Lebron on the next leg of his journey. Even the great Doug Lesmerises, the best journalist at the Plain Dealer and cleveland.com, was seemingly sprinting to tell us how great Lebron’s time in Cleveland was.
We don’t demand enough of our civic leaders, nor our professional sports teams (in the case of the Indians we also somehow don’t support them enough either), and this is what separates us from other cities. Or at least it’s one of the things that separates us from other major league cities. Imagine if Derek Jeter would’ve left the Yankees in 2000 to go play for the Detroit Tigers. How do you think Yankee fans would’ve reacted? Or, if Dirk Nowitzki would’ve left the Dallas Mavericks to go play for a team that had better players. Do you think the average Dallasite would’ve said, “Oh, good luck Dirk. You’ve got a better chance with that team anyways. And thanks for bringing us an NBA Championship.” Hell no!
To contextualize things a little bit more, and connect this with other Cleveland entities, would we thank Sherwin-Williams for the century and a half of great deeds they did in Cleveland if they moved to Los Angeles? How about if Progressive moved their operations outside Jackson, Mississippi for a cheaper labor force? No. So why do it for Lebron James.
One person I fellow on Twitter even had the temerity, at the end of a lengthy tweet, to say that “Cleveland loves you” to Lebron. First off, no we don’t. Or at least we better not. Do we love the fact that he has now obliterated our team, left us with a well below-average roster, refused to sign a lengthy contract with us, and wrote a heartfelt letter to the city four years ago that now carries as much moral weight as the German-Soviet Nonagression Pact that promised peace in Europe in 1939? But all of that is acceptable because he got us a championship and has done great things for young people in Cleveland and Akron? No, we can expect more!
We don’t have to burn his jerseys or effigies of the man, nor do we have to lace together curse words on a public platform, but we sure don’t have to accept this as just part of the way the world works. Yes, we can still believe that he is the greatest player of all-time, and he’s almost certainly the most talented, but why don’t we wait until he retires before we even begin to consider wishing him well on his next journey.
clevelandbrocks
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You seem to be under the impression that LeBron owes you and the city of Cleveland. He owes neither one of you a thing. Basketball is his job. He did the job he was hired to do. His career decision to choose not to continue to carry this lackluster team any longer is his decision to make. He is and should do whatever he feels that will best enhance his career. Do you engage public discourse when you are making a decision about your career?
While he was here, he played at the top of his gave and led this team to a championship and multiple times to the NBA finals. A places the Cavs would have never gotten to without him and are not likely to ever see again. He did a tremendous amount for his team, his fans, and more over, his community. But he has chosen, for whatever reason(s) to move on. And frankly, so should you. Why not wish him well in the next phase of his career? You sound like a bitter girlfriend who refuses to accept the breakup. Just because you are no longer sleeping together doesn’t mean you still can be friends, or at least civil.
What angers me is that the Lebrons of the world are of no importance. Yes he did a lot of good for his hometown, but really he doesn’t matter. We have put all of this moral and monetary value on someone whose only contribution to the world his ability throw a ball through a net. I never see any press, commentaries, or any ink when a teacher quits her job out of frustration or when a firefighter gets laid off, or when a 19 year old soldier is killed fighting some bullshit war. These are the people that matter, the person who is teaching your dumb ass kids, or the guy who is going to run into a bring building and save your dumb ass when you fall asleep while smoking.
So, sail on LeBron, best of luck in LA.
Thanks for the comment YouKnowWho. It isn’t about LeBron owing the city or Cavs fans something. It’s about those fans and Clevelanders who almost immediately wished him well as though it was a fait accompli. Where is the civic respect? We shouldn’t be racing to thank those who turn their backs on our city. If we as Clevelanders collectively demand more of our leaders (in sport, politics, business, etc.) we can expect more from those people and ourselves. Which gets to your point. In the final analysis, we all have to shuffle off this planet so maybe we should be focusing more on that which is important. And one of those things is civic pride and making the city, and nation, better.