So let's get this straight, you guys hate LeBron because he's a "man child." Okay. And he gets a lot of hype. Big deal. But you know why he gets a lot of publicity? I'll tell you why: take a look at the city of Cleveland and tell me what else that is great has happened to them since the days of Jim Brown in the 50's and early sixties? Nothing! All Cleveland has since an NFL championship in 1964 (before the Super Bowl) is a series of heartbreaks at the hands of John Elway in the 1987 AFC Championship (aka "The Drive"), Michael Jordan in Game 5 of the first round of the 1989 NBA playoffs (aka "The Shot"), and the Florida Marlins and Edgar Renteria in the bottom of the 11th in Game 7 of the 1997 World Series. What does this mean? People want and love feel good stories. And it's no secret that Cleveland isn't exactly on the rise in the realm of sports greatness, or economic prosperity for that matter. Cleveland is about as blue collar of a city as you can get, and their teams have been pretty awful for quite some time. And what can save a the city's threadlike grasp on hope for any of their teams? A savior. A "basketball Jesus" of sorts. Now is LeBron the M.J. of our era? No. M.J. is one of a kind. Period. However, people can't help but make comparisons to the "good 'ole days" and hope that someone of similar stature can bring some excitement to their city. LeBron fits that bill perfectly. He is exactly what Cleveland needed to get on the map. So the only reason LeBron gets more hype than Kobe these days is that the sports world craves hero-esque figures that are larger than life. Kobe isn't the hero that LeBron is in ESPN viewers' eyes, so naturally the media will give its viewers what it wants: LeBron. Kobe isn't saving a franchise nearly single handely like LeBron is supposedly doing; he's looking for his 4th ring; in L.A. What does L.A. have to complain about? Manny juicing? Kirk Gibson's legendary walk off homer in Game 1 of the 1988 World Series? Well, maybe David Beckham, Paris Hilton, and the barrage of "B-Listers" that think that anyone actually gives a damn about them...I digress. Viewers just see Kobe and the Lakers' hunt for that 4tht ring as greedy, which I agree is not quite fair. It's his job. He gets paid to win, as does LeBron and every other player in the NBA. The NBA is a business, and teams must win to succeed. Kobe is a great player; however, media followers want someone else to shine now. The NBA-media business pursuit thrives more off of LeBron's success than Kobe's, so they'll go with the moneymaker. So don't hate the player, hate the game.
So let's get this straight,
ReplyDeleteyou guys hate LeBron because he's a "man child."
Okay.
And he gets a lot of hype. Big deal.
But you know why he gets a lot of publicity?
I'll tell you why: take a look at the city of Cleveland and tell me what else that is great has happened to them since the days of Jim Brown in the 50's and early sixties? Nothing!
All Cleveland has since an NFL championship in 1964 (before the Super Bowl) is a series of heartbreaks at the hands of John Elway in the 1987 AFC Championship (aka "The Drive"), Michael Jordan in Game 5 of the first round of the 1989 NBA playoffs (aka "The Shot"), and the Florida Marlins and Edgar Renteria in the bottom of the 11th in Game 7 of the 1997 World Series.
What does this mean?
People want and love feel good stories. And it's no secret that Cleveland isn't exactly on the rise in the realm of sports greatness, or economic prosperity for that matter. Cleveland is about as blue collar of a city as you can get, and their teams have been pretty awful for quite some time.
And what can save a the city's threadlike grasp on hope for any of their teams?
A savior. A "basketball Jesus" of sorts.
Now is LeBron the M.J. of our era?
No. M.J. is one of a kind. Period. However, people can't help but make comparisons to the "good 'ole days" and hope that someone of similar stature can bring some excitement to their city.
LeBron fits that bill perfectly. He is exactly what Cleveland needed to get on the map.
So the only reason LeBron gets more hype than Kobe these days is that the sports world craves hero-esque figures that are larger than life. Kobe isn't the hero that LeBron is in ESPN viewers' eyes, so naturally the media will give its viewers what it wants: LeBron. Kobe isn't saving a franchise nearly single handely like LeBron is supposedly doing; he's looking for his 4th ring; in L.A. What does L.A. have to complain about? Manny juicing? Kirk Gibson's legendary walk off homer in Game 1 of the 1988 World Series? Well, maybe David Beckham, Paris Hilton, and the barrage of "B-Listers" that think that anyone actually gives a damn about them...I digress. Viewers just see Kobe and the Lakers' hunt for that 4tht ring as greedy, which I agree is not quite fair. It's his job. He gets paid to win, as does LeBron and every other player in the NBA. The NBA is a business, and teams must win to succeed. Kobe is a great player; however, media followers want someone else to shine now.
The NBA-media business pursuit thrives more off of LeBron's success than Kobe's, so they'll go with the moneymaker. So don't hate the player, hate the game.
I agree with Jerm. Well said, sir.
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