just something i want to save
"--You can't just watch Lebron, you have to watch the Cavaliers. Cleveland's struggles (historically and also since he arrived) provide all the human failures you miss in him. The national media consistently refuse to see Lebron as geographically rooted, despite the drama of the saviour arriving in, of all places, downtrodden Northeast Ohio.
His challenge as a player is whether even his gifts will be enough to lift a team (and by extension a region) who have been so hapless. Game by game, you can watch him struggle to find the best way to meld his ridiculous individual gifts to bring team success..."
I don't think you could have possibly said it any better and it's been something I've been trying to articulate for years to non-Cleveland based fans of the NBA about Lebron James and the way media portrays him.
Not to be utterly cliche, but Lebron James' narrative is the basic embodiment of the classic Judeo-Christian messianic story. Lebron's the bastard child of a poor single mother living in one of the most economically ravaged regions of the country where he is soon thrust into the spotlight at a young age because of his supreme athletic ability and preternatural basketball acumen where he's christened "The Chosen One" by Sports Illlustrated of all places at the age of 15. By sheer luck, he finds himself playing for the hometown team in a city that not only is economically downtrodden as it is but has not won a championship in any of the major sports in nearly 50 years. A place whose public and frequent sports failures and humiliations can simply described with phrases like "The Drive", "The Shot" and "The Fumble." That is deeply Jesus-like if you ask me.
All of Lebron's primary appeal would be instantly washed away if he were ever to leave Cleveland to go to a place like New York. He'd lose what makes him special and unique in order to complete his path to total corporate homogenization. His narrative changes from that of the Messiah leading the hopeless people of Cleveland to the promised land to that of Anakin Skywalker. A soulless, selfish figure willing to betray the region that raised him for more power and money. He'd basically become Kobe 2.0 and I don't think the world definitely does need another a Kobe. One is already enough.
It truly angers me when the national media disengenously pretends that everybody associated with the league whether it be David Stern, the corporate sponsors, Nike, the national media or even the fans are not desperately wanting Lebron James out of Cleveland. This possibly fabrication. He says Brooklyn is his favorite borough! He likes the Yankees! Clearly, he wants to play there. Nevermind, the fact, we've been basically suggesting Lebron would leave Cleveland 2.6 seconds after he was drafted by them. There appears to be a pervasive, insidious attitude that Cleveland is completely unworthy of having quite possibly a person who could end up as the greatest basketball player the world has ever known. Never mind, the fact that Lebron James leading his hometown out of 50 years of misery. We want Lebron James to win meaningless rings on the Knicks for a city that seems to win a championship every other year or so. Ugh, it just makes want to throw up.
His challenge as a player is whether even his gifts will be enough to lift a team (and by extension a region) who have been so hapless. Game by game, you can watch him struggle to find the best way to meld his ridiculous individual gifts to bring team success..."
I don't think you could have possibly said it any better and it's been something I've been trying to articulate for years to non-Cleveland based fans of the NBA about Lebron James and the way media portrays him.
Not to be utterly cliche, but Lebron James' narrative is the basic embodiment of the classic Judeo-Christian messianic story. Lebron's the bastard child of a poor single mother living in one of the most economically ravaged regions of the country where he is soon thrust into the spotlight at a young age because of his supreme athletic ability and preternatural basketball acumen where he's christened "The Chosen One" by Sports Illlustrated of all places at the age of 15. By sheer luck, he finds himself playing for the hometown team in a city that not only is economically downtrodden as it is but has not won a championship in any of the major sports in nearly 50 years. A place whose public and frequent sports failures and humiliations can simply described with phrases like "The Drive", "The Shot" and "The Fumble." That is deeply Jesus-like if you ask me.
All of Lebron's primary appeal would be instantly washed away if he were ever to leave Cleveland to go to a place like New York. He'd lose what makes him special and unique in order to complete his path to total corporate homogenization. His narrative changes from that of the Messiah leading the hopeless people of Cleveland to the promised land to that of Anakin Skywalker. A soulless, selfish figure willing to betray the region that raised him for more power and money. He'd basically become Kobe 2.0 and I don't think the world definitely does need another a Kobe. One is already enough.
It truly angers me when the national media disengenously pretends that everybody associated with the league whether it be David Stern, the corporate sponsors, Nike, the national media or even the fans are not desperately wanting Lebron James out of Cleveland. This possibly fabrication. He says Brooklyn is his favorite borough! He likes the Yankees! Clearly, he wants to play there. Nevermind, the fact, we've been basically suggesting Lebron would leave Cleveland 2.6 seconds after he was drafted by them. There appears to be a pervasive, insidious attitude that Cleveland is completely unworthy of having quite possibly a person who could end up as the greatest basketball player the world has ever known. Never mind, the fact that Lebron James leading his hometown out of 50 years of misery. We want Lebron James to win meaningless rings on the Knicks for a city that seems to win a championship every other year or so. Ugh, it just makes want to throw up.