Just Why, Exactly, Should LBJ Need to Play for the New York Knicks?

(Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

Well I never thought I would be writing an article but as I stare at my laptop trying to figure the proper way to put my words together, here goes nothing!

So as I was getting off work today (yes, there are still some jobs in Cleveland), and I turned on a local sports call-in show called "All Bets Are Off," with host Bruce Drennan. He had a segment entitled "Highest Grossing Athletes."

In the segment he spoke briefly about were American athletes rank in yearly earnings in any sport, from top to bottom. What I found interesting was not so much their gross income, but were they stand endorsement-wise compared to other athletes, and how the New Yorkers' argument of " LeBron will make more money in New York" has no factual basis.

1. Tiger Woods: $99,737,626 - That's alot of cash, but don't think he made all that on the greens. Last year, Tiger made only seven million and change playing golf, and $92 million in endorsements.

2. Phil Mickelson: $52,950,356 - Not bad for picking up Tiger's scraps. Phil made some $6.3 million playing golf, and $46 million on Madison Avenue.

Now before I continue, I think we can all agree that no athlete--and I don't care if he plays for the Knicks in October and the Lakers after the All-Star break--is going to make more than those golfers. Myself, I don't get golf, but I guess a lot of Americans like it.

So let's continue, shall we?

Drum roll please, for Number three. . .

3. LeBron James: $42,410,581 - Pretty good for some bum from C-Town, but that's mostly all salary, right? I mean come on, he's playing in Cleveland; nobody is going to give him any endorsements, right? Right?

Well, the King made about $14 million in salary and yes, $28 million in endorsements. Remember that $28 million; we will come back to it later.

4. Alex Rodriguez: $39,000,000 - It's A-Rod the Yankee, coming in at $39 million? Well, umm, that's just because baseball players make less than basketball players, right? I mean most of that is endorsements, surely? Seriously, he plays for the Yankees, the New York Yankees (this is the my impression of a New Yorker arguing with me)!

Well actually, $33 million of that is his salary, and only six--yes, six million dollars--comes from advertisements.

Number seven? The World Champion Kobe Bryant at $31,000,000.

Well, Kobe plays in L.A., no way LeBron makes more in endorsements, right? Wrong!

Of the $31,000,000 only $10 million was from endorsements.

So what is the moral of the story, my friends?

In Cleveland, OH,  LeBron made more than any other basketball, baseball or football player in the world in endorsements.

So could LeBron make more money with endorsements in a bigger market? No.

In 2010, can the Cavs pay LeBron more money than any other team is allowed plus sign another All-Star (like Chris Bosh)? Yes.

The bottom line is there is one reason, and one reason alone that would make sense for LeBron to become a New York Knick: because he wants to live and play in New York.

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