LeBron James is a Good Role Model

(Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)

While I am certainly first and foremost a college football fan (Go Bucks!), I decided to write my first article about, of all things, LeBron James. 

In 2003, my boyfriend received tickets to the Prime Time Shootout being held at the Sovereign Bank Arena in Trenton, NJ. I am from Ohio, and I had heard about James—but was totally unprepared for what we witnessed that day. 

He was responsible for 52 of his teams 78 points.  My boyfriend turned to me and said "That kid is the next NBA superstar." 

Of course, I was hoping he would become a Buckeye first, but he went for the $90 million Nike and NBA contract instead, which was obviously the right move.

Since then I have become a big fan of his and the Cavs.  He brought much-needed excitement to a town that truly needed some. 

Despite all the hype, his picture on the cover of SI while still in high school, and the ridiculous amount of money thrown at him at 19, he has kept his head on straight. 

He is an extremely-affable young man with a great sense of humor, intelligence, and is the consummate player and teammate.  His passion for the game, his team, his teammates, the city of Cleveland, and the state of Ohio is obvious. 

It is because of that passion that the loss to Orlando in Game Six was so devastating. 

As we all know, James walked off the court without shaking hands with the Magic players and did not make himself available to the media later. 

This move has cost him $25,000 and made him the poster boy for unsportsmanlike conduct.  His critics say he is a poor role model for the children who look up to him. 

Give me a break.

This poor role model has never been arrested or charged with a sexual assault.

He has never shot himself in the leg with an illegal gun brought into a NYC club at 3:00 a.m. or been involved in a shooting at a strip club that left one man paralyzed.

He has never been charged with drug possession or domestic assault. In fact, he has been with the mother of two children since high school.

He has never gone into the stands and assaulted fans for taunting him, choked his coach, or spit on fans. 

But hey, he didn't shake hands with Dwight Howard or answer the usual stupid questions from reporters:  "LeBron,what went wrong tonight?"

"How do you feel about letting the city of Cleveland down again?" 

"Is there anything you would do differently?" 

So now he is not fit to be a good role model for our kids? 

The NBA has tolerated the worst criminal and anti-social behavior for years—as does the NFL—and this decent, hard working young man gets raked over the coals for the crime of being so upset and devastated he passed on a handshake and a Q&A with the smug, obnoxious members of the sports media. 

Who would you rather come to your kid's school and give a talk about being a good sport—Ron Artest or LeBron James? 

I know who I would choose.

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