Even the non-sports fans out there have heard of Lebron James, the self-proclaimed "King." James, the best player in the NBA (National Basketball Association), recently left the Cleveland Cavaliers to play on the Miami Heat with two other superstars, Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh. The media has portrayed James as a villain for making this decision. Although James is not a villain, his decision to join the Miami Heat is cowardly and an antithesis to the notion of a true "King" of the NBA. For an athlete to be the best or a "King," he or she must compete against the best and win. Here, James has stacked his team with talent, with the combination of Wade and Bosh, therefore reducing the competition he must face to win an NBA Title and more importantly the true title of "King" of the NBA. Imagine, for example, that Michaels Kors, Diane Von Furstenburg, Tom Ford, Mickey Drexler and Christian Louboutin abandoned their own fashion lines to create one company. Although this initially may sound like the most exciting news - a creation of one ultimate brand designed by the best in the world - it ultimately will have negative effects on you as a consumer and lover of fashion. These creative visionaries will be forced to share the spotlight and therefore you will receive less of their genius. Moreover, the lack of competition in the marketplace for their individual brands will ultimately stifle their joint collection since the designers will no longer be forced to compete against one another by creating the best fashion lines possible. Now although you may not be over the idea of this ultimate fashion brand (as I am still excited by the idea of it), you may at least realize that it would have detrimental effects on the creation of the best and most innovative fashion.
However, this analogy reveals one important distinction when considered with the Lebron James situation: James is a role model for the public while fashion designers do not share the same role in the public eye. Regardless, of whether James' position as a role model is fair, he has clearly shown himself to be pathetic as a superstar athlete role model.
Even though James tends to stay out of jail, his decision to join the Heat in this manner will likely taint his reputation more than the typical athlete misbehavior. Instead of teaching us to be the best by competing and beating the best, James has decided that it is better to have the best players on his team so that he does not have to compete against them. He simply lacks the courage necessary to be the superstar role model we all believed he would be. James is more than just a sell-out to the Cleveland Cavaliers and the public, he is ultimately preventing himself from ever being the true "King" since he is avoiding the competition against the best the NBA world has to offer.
Maybe the NBA Titles that James wins while on the Heat will be listed in the Hall of Fame with an asterisk explaining that the team is not a true champion and James not a "King," since its players, led by Lebron James, simply wussed out on competing against the best.
Love that we can compare Lebron to Louboutin!!! This is fabulous Heather. XOXO!!!
ReplyDeleteGreat post Sports Girl...I had never thought about the Lebron free-agency like that
ReplyDeleteI guess I'm confused! I always thought it was good to be apart of a winning team and thats what most people strive to be on. Does that only count for work? But wait, isn't this his job and he is looking out for his best intrest? Like I said I'm confused!!!!!
ReplyDeleteI agree with tricia, he's done his part in cleveland for the past 7 years. Obviously he's not in it for the money(because he took a pay cut)he's in it to win championships. If that means going to miami and playing with 2 of the best players in the game then so be it.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your comment Tricia G! I hope I can clarify my point further.
ReplyDeleteArguably winning is the most important aspect of sports. However, winning is cheapened when you are not beating the best. In Lebron's case, he has decided to play with the best rather than facing them head on. (Essentially, he realized that he was unable to beat the best while playing for Cleveland and gave up trying.) Moreover, Lebron has agreed to take less money by playing for the Miami Heat - not the smartest financial decision. Lebron had several other opportunities available to him with other teams that would have provided him with more money, fame, and opportunity for more meaningful wins.
Thanks for clarifying this further for me. There's nothing worse then to have my husband and his friends all look at me and say "WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT". At least with this knowledge I can make a good argument. Keep the post coming and in no time they will be asking for my opinion and not rolling there eyes when I give it.
ReplyDeleteSportsgirl, I agree with what you said, but can also see why Lebron chose Miami. Sure, in terms of financials he could have gone elsewhere and picked up a bigger paycheck. He could have also gone to NY or Chicago, done great things for the team, played his heart out and still never won an NBA championship. At the end of the day, champions and sports legends are remembered for a few things: ability, competitive edge, passion, on and off court persona, and RESULTS.... Lebron, the self proclaimed King, does not want to be known as the greatest basketball player in history to never have won a championship. He is one ma (one arrogant man) and as he said during "The Decision," one man alone cannot with championships. So, while I was crossing my fingers he would remain the hero of Cleveland, I get why he wanted to go with to Miami to place himself in the best possible situation to win a championship. Now we just have to keep our fingers crossed that Miami blows it next season!!
ReplyDeleteI am definately sports challenged but the Lebron story was interesting to me.....I didn't even know who he was and I wanted to know where he was going!!! There is so much money in sports but even more money in winning and endorsements....I'm sure his move was well thought out and calculated. It will be interesting to see how this plays out :)
ReplyDeleteI do feel though that what Sports Girl is saying about beating the best to become the best is true...To take arguably three of the best 7 players in the league on one team diminishes the spectacle of making it to the top...the only thing that seems to be able to stop the Heat are themselves, as we all pray their egos will catch up to their "seemingly selfless" ways (Lets be real these guys are not saviors for taking 15 million each instead of 16 plus million). Their financial teams have most likely calculated the pros and cons to each decision and realized that the exposure and press offered in Miami with this super team would out weigh, the minute cut in their hundred million dollar salaries
ReplyDeleteLooks like Charles Barkley read Sports Girl's blog...and MJ agrees..
ReplyDeletehttp://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=5391478