LeBron James or Wayne Rooney: Who's the Bigger Traitor?
Between LeBron James and Wayne Rooney, you have to ask yourself—who is this year's biggest sports traitor?
News has been circulating that Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney is done playing for the Red Devils.
Rooney had given United fans some hope of recapturing the Premiership. But with this news, they now have to fear that yet another star player may be leaving their hallowed grounds.
There is an obvious parallel. If you think of the pain and backlash a Rooney move would spur, you immediately recall James leaving the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Of course, these players are free to do what they like. This article is more to decide whose decision or, in the case of Rooney, possible decision, would be the bigger travesty.
10: Wayne Rooney: Drawing Media Attention
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If there is one thing the British public enjoys, it is a good news story. With but a rumor of Wayne Rooney's departure, journalists began clamoring for information. While United players may be used to such attention, it is the message that hurts most.
With every question about their leader leaving they have to wonder why. They have to question if they are good enough for Wayne Rooney. It is a disheartening message so early in the season, for this young of a squad.
10: LeBron James: Common Courtesy
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LeBron James bolted. I am fine with this. But it was the manner in which he left that hurt the most.
While Cavs owner Dan Gilbert showed little class after James left, James was initially in the wrong. He gave no heads up to Gilbert when one was called for. Gilbert was led on just like the rest of us, and had to hear the news on The Decision.
9: Wayne Rooney: Going Public
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If Rooney really cared for the United faithful he would keep quiet. Though he did not leak the story, he would have done well to keep it behind closed doors.
If this is truly about the team's roster, then secrecy is leverage for Rooney's current team. How can he expect the team to get equal return from Liverpool or Real Madrid when everyone knows his time in Manchester is done?
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9: LeBron James: Leaving No Time
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By giving no prior notice to the Cavaliers brass, James left them without a Plan B. This is not his problem. He shouldn't care what his former team does after he leaves. But that is not the point. This is not about what is right. It is about what has caused the bigger negative waves.
With no blueprint, the Cavs are suddenly a team with no playoff hopes. Not only did they lose their best player, they lost their ticket seller. A title contender is suddenly a bottom feeder. That is too far of a drop for fans to take.
8: Wayne Rooney: Manchester United Is Good
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So, Rooney wants to leave because assurances of the future have not been given.
A football player's longevity is extremely limited. I understand that Rooney does not want to be part of a rebuilding process as he enters his prime.
But, what rebuilding?
If anything the Red Devils are reloading with young talent, as usual. Like they were when they snagged Rooney from Everton. Currently they are still in the Premiership race and are contenders in the Champions League.
8: LeBron James: Cavs Not Committed?
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James actions spoke volumes, indicating his belief that the Cavaliers are not committed to success.
By going to Miami, James was saying that a championship was not on the horizon in Cleveland.
That is a tough message for a city that already feels jinxed, having gone so many years without a professional title in any sport.
7: Wayne Rooney: Faith
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Leaving now shows that Rooney has no faith in Sir Alex Ferguson or the staff in Manchester. This boggles the mind, as the Red Devils are always in the mix. Does he have a crystal ball that the rest of us are unaware of?
Maybe they do not win the Premiership this year. Even so, no team has a monopoly on trophies. The fact that they compete every year should be enough.
7: LeBron James: The Easy Way
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LeBron James fans are distraught that he is taking the easy way out.
Cleveland was the hard way. The Cavs posed a challenge. Getting a title there would have made him a god.
Instead, he chose to be a role player on a team of stars rather than "the man" on his own team.
6: Wayne Rooney: Leader
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One of the bigger realizations in all of this is that Manchester United needs Wayne Rooney much more than he needs them. That may be what started all of this.
The Red Devils are young team. Rooney's leadership is a huge plus. Too many stars have left recently. If Rooney leaves they are left with Ryan Giggs to run things by himself. He is much too old to rely on past this season.
6: LeBron James: Almost There
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Cleveland could see the title within their reach. They could smell it.
They finished first in the standings last season and were only ousted from the playoffs when LeBron turned human.
Anytime Cleveland is relevant in any sport it is a headline. Not only were they relevant with James, they were contenders. The talk of a title was not ludicrous. But as he leaves so does that talk.
That may hurt the most, getting so close to a dream title and watching it suddenly vanish.
5: Wayne Rooney: Money
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Maybe it all comes down to money.
He may just be putting Manchester United into a position to rework his contract. At 25, Rooney is near his prime. Strikers are considered old by the time they hit 30, so this is perhaps Rooney's last major cash grab.
5: LeBron James: Playoff Choke
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The Cavs were close. It all rested in their savior's hands.
He proceeded to play the worst basketball of his career at the worst possible moments.
The Boston Celtics beat Cleveland in the playoffs largely thanks to the uninspired play of James. Whether he gave up on the team or was simply over-matched is not certain.
The point is that the Cavs did not get the best of LeBron James when they needed it most.
4: Wayne Rooney: Fergie Leaving
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It hurt when Tevez left. It hurt more when Ronaldo moved. It will hurt yet again, with Rooney saying goodbye, especially with the assumption that these could be the last few years for Sir Alex Ferguson.
Sir Alex is not getting any younger. With a big contract, Rooney could stay on for five more years.
Five years may be all that Sir Alex has left in the tank. He deserves to have one of the best strikers in the world as his career enters it's denouement.
4: LeBron James: Collusion
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The late notice that James gave the Cavs only fuels the notion that he, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh hatched this up a long time ago.
Collusion cannot be ruled out, considering the fact that James' biggest motivation in heading to Miami was the presence of the two other stars.
So why the charade? He would have done well to tell the Cavs that he would be leaving as soon as he heard Bosh would be a Heat. He has heard of two weeks notice right?
3: Wayne Rooney: He Is Manchester
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With the departure of Christiano Ronaldo last year, Wayne Rooney has come to be the face of Manchester United and Old Trafford.
He is one of the last remaining vestiges of the Champions league title team. Without him, United loses its most marketable player. The Red Devils lose their cache.
3: LeBron James: Charade
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Cleveland is not the only place James is hated. He gave false hope to 5 other teams. The New York Knicks were rumored to be his destination. Then it was Cleveland, then the New Jersey Nets. Then the Knicks were back in the picture.
He even took a meeting with the Los Angeles Clippers. We all knew the odds were a million to one. So why take the meeting?
It was a giant "look at me" moment that would culminate in one of the biggest public relations gaffes in NBA history.
2: Wayne Rooney: Just a Player
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Wayne Rooney obviously thinks he is bigger than the team. Whether he wants more money or a better roster, in the end, he is just a player.
He is not the general manager. Rooney has no right demanding to have a direction shown to him. If the Devils want to go in a more youthful manner than so be it. If they choose to go another route so be it.
Whatever happened to players worrying about the game itself and leaving management to worry about personnel?
2: LeBron James: The Decision
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Whether you agree with James' decision or not, you have to agree that the manner he chose to relay it was classless.
The norm throughout NBA history is to hold a press conference. Then you announce your decision to either leave or stay and then answer some questions.
James chose to hold an hour-long special. There were highlights of him, in a Cavs jersey, played throughout. Watching it, the country was assured he would stay in Cleveland. How could he possibly rub it in Cleveland's face on such a big stage?
1: Wayne Rooney: Loyalty
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Sadly, loyalty is just a word in sports today. The chase for the almighty dollar has made the notion obsolete. Player jerseys have become a gamble for fans who don't know how long their favorite player will stay in town.
So it is with Wayne Rooney. He is supposed to be the Manchester United mainstay. Rooney was going to be the player that wore his emblem with pride.
But it looks as if greed will once again trump loyalty.
1: LeBron James: Hometown Hero
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This was supposed to be a fairytale. The tattered Cleveland Cavaliers draft a local hero to take them to the promised land.
The ending was right there for James to write. It needed no set up or pomp, the drama behind what was at stake was obvious. Instead, the story that was too good to be true turned out to be just that.
Conclusion
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Who is it? In the end, whose actions will have the bigger impact?
Wayne Rooney may have played his last game at Old Trafford. As we have seen, life goes on with Manchester United. They will regroup. They will always ensure they are near the top of the standings.
But when James bolted, he left a wake of destruction and peril. First in the East last year, they will fail to even make the playoffs this season.
Couple that with the manner in which he left, and LeBron James is the obvious choice for biggest traitor.
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