Why Hating LeBron James Is the Best Thing for the NBA
If you were not an ardent follower of high school basketball in the Cleveland area, living in one of 14 Ohio counties that could purchase his home games for $7.95 a piece, or working in basketball at some level in 2002, chances are that you were introduced to the phenom known as LeBron James by ESPN.
That was a great year for James; not only was he a senior in high school and looking at becoming the first overall pick in the 2003 NBA Draft, but ESPN proudly pegged him as the cover boy of their "NEXT" issue of ESPN the Magazine and televised one of his games on ESPN2.
The general public was sold an image of who LeBron James was.
He was a kid who loved life, loved playing basketball and had a good head on his shoulders.
LeBron wasn't a punk—he was respectful and humble, thankful for the gifts he had and the opportunity they presented for him.
LeBron was a "good guy".
Fast forward to the summer of 2010, when ESPN bought us an hour-long LeBron James infomercial.
LeBron was no longer a "good guy" for those not enamored with the Miami Heat, people who were willing to wait 6-8 weeks for delivery AND pay the $6.95 handling fee.
No, for most of us, this humble superstar who did things the right way was replaced by a self-indulgent clone. This new LeBron thought that the fans of the NBA were as in love with him as he was with himself. He thought that by holding this debacle at a Boys and Girls Club, surrounded by children, that we'd neglect to notice the nauseating amount of ego-stroking going on.
Instead, those not in Miami were disgusted and somewhat offended. Those in Cleveland were outraged. People felt that they had been duped, sold a bag of lies for the past eight years. What happened to the guy we were introduced to in 2002?
LeBron had gone from beloved to hated in the span of 60 minutes. From good to bad.
Isiah Thomas. Bill Laimbeer. Rasheed Wallace. Reggie Miller. Kobe Bryant.
All these men are great players who, while beloved by their fans, were despised by the rest of the league. They were (and still are) considered by many to be "bad guys".
People enjoy reading stories and watching movies where the good guys, inevitably, win at the end. We become emotionally invested in the saga, and sit at the edge of our seats as the story unfolds, even though we are fairly certain how it is going to end.
Shortly after Osama Bin Laden was eliminated, a 23 year old New York man made $120,000 over a two day span selling shirts that had a photo of Bin Laden and the word "dead" across his face.
People love to see the good guys win, and they will spend money to celebrate.
In the NBA, ticket sales and television ratings are important streams of revenue.
If LeBron is playing on television, even if they are not a fan of the NBA, there is a decent chance that people will tune in. If people have some disposable income and he is playing nearby, they might even make a night of it and buy tickets to the game.
Why?
People love to see the good guys win.
Hating the image of LeBron only increases interest in the NBA, which only increases revenue for the league.
The image people had of LeBron from 2003 until the end of the 2010 season was profitable for the NBA.
The image people have of LeBron now could prove to be even more profitable.
People love to see the good guys win, and the new image of LeBron James has him on the losing side in the court of public opinion.
After all, image is everything.
