LeBron James: 7 Reasons LeBron's "Decision" Special Wasn't A Big Deal After All
LeBron James took his talents to South Beach just a half-season ago. He announced his destination on an hour long TV special called "The Decision."
At the time, it was hard to grasp just how horrifying this act really was. He was called a traitor, a quitter, and Charles Barkley claimed to be "disturbed" by the spectacle. Columnist and TV pundits carried on about how he had abandoned the city of Cleveland in a classless act of narcissism. Even the more optimistic commentators confessed that, while he had the right to go where he wanted, "I just don't like the way he went about it."
It already seems like years since LeBron was wearing a maroon Cavaliers' jersey. But, as time goes on, his move to Miami will seem less like Luke Skywalker deciding to just land his X-Wing on the Death Star, and more like any other professional athlete trying to leverage the business that he's in.
The Prime Time special was obviously a little weird, but here are seven reasons why history will vindicate the occasion.
1. Dan Gilbert's Guarantee to the City of Cleveland
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Never has being a billionaire been less desirable.
Caviler's Owner Dan Gilbert wrote a response to LeBron's TV special calling it "narcissistic", "cowardly" and a "betrayal."
Imagine breaking up with a pretty solid girlfriend, and the next day she wrecks her car into your sister's apartment, spray paints "Your whole family will pay" in the lobby, and then posts it to her Facebook.
You would at least have a response to her friends when they tried to make you feel bad about the break up.
At the time, Gilbert's letter was somewhat overshadowed by all the bad press LeBron was already getting. But, looking back, it's pretty easy to say, "Well, I can think of one reason he didn't want to stay."
2. It's Happened Before
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It's absolutely true that no one has ever made such a big deal about announcing their decision. But, it's also probably true that no one else ever could have.
The sports media makes such a parade out of anything LeBron James does, that it's a big deal if he wears the wrong cap to a baseball game.
Athletes have press conferences to announce their decisions all the time. They don't get coverage, because no one really cares. This was possibly the biggest free agency announcement in all of American sports, so it wasn't going to be a one line press release in the Cleveland Plain Dealer.
3. It Will Happen Again
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LeBron James wasn't the first person to call a press conference. He also won't be the last.
If you didn't know it, professional athletes make money. We buy tickets and jerseys and go to the games. If we can't go to the game, we watch on TV, and when the game is over, we watch the highlights on ESPN.
All of those things make a lot of people a lot of money.
LeBron's TV special fed that system the way teenagers feed shopping malls. It won't be long until the stigma of this has worn off enough for another TV executive to try it again. There's just too much money at stake.
My guess is that in five or six years, when some other huge free agent is having their TV special, we'll all look back and say, "Remember what a huge deal that LeBron James thing was?"
4. People (Especially Sports Writers) Really Like Winners
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All seems to be forgiven to Michael Vick after having a career-best season with the Eagles, at least as far as sports writers are concerned. And good for him.
Tiger Woods, on the other hand, is still seen as some sort of demi-villian who we really don't have much interest for.
Similarly, Brett Favre will never make it back to the popularity he enjoyed because he can't "prove himself" on the field.
But, even the most cynical Kobe haters have been reduced to a shrug of the shoulders, because he just keeps winning championships.
Once the media is on board, and that ship starts sailing the other way, it takes a lot to stop it. As long as LeBron James and the Heat are mildly successful, the sting of his unthinkable act will start to wear off.
5. The Cleveland Cavaliers Are Terrible, and That's Being Optimistic
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Right now, the Cleveland Cavaliers might as well be a lacrosse team. The longer they're the worst team in the NBA, the more it looks like LeBron really had no choice but to leave.
While they managed to beat a coasting Los Angeles team the day before the break, no one is projecting a major turnaround from their 10-46 start. If the Cavs had won 20 or 30 games, no one could really say that he had to leave. But when they're on pace to win 20 games in their first season without him, it's a little easier to be sympathetic towards the choices he made.
6. The Miami Heat Are Really Pretty Good
6 of 7Some have suggested that he has to win a championship for this to blow over; but, that seems to be an exaggeration.
Of course, to be in the discussion as one of the all-time greats, he will definitely need to win a lot of championships—maybe six or seven. But, as long as they keep having solid seasons, win a few rounds in the playoffs, and make SportsCenter's Top Plays every night, people will forget how much they hated LeBron for "making a spectacle of himself on television."
7. It Wasn't That Big of a Deal to Begin With
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In the world of professional sports, something crazy happens every month. Sometimes every week. And, if you haven't noticed, there is a tendency to blow things out of proportion.
This was certainly an example.
No one really knows what the reaction would've been had LeBron stayed in Cleveland. But it probably would have been something along the lines of, "That was pretty weird, but at least he did the right thing."
That sentiment has carried over as the initial repercussions have worn off. But, if you didn't really like LeBron before the decision, then you really didn't like him afterwards. And a lot of reporters had been waiting for just such an occasion to finally throw LeBron into the lion's den.
However, as time goes on, this will start to look more like a strange business decision gone wrong, and less like an egomaniacal attempt to take over the world.
