Oh What a Year Makes

It will be one year ago tomorrow that LeBron James sat down with Jim Gray at the Boys and Girls Club of Greenwich, Connecticut, and made his infamous "decision" to leave his semi-home town of Cleveland, Ohio (he actually hometown is Akron) and continue playing for the Cavaliers, and "take his talents" to South Beach to play for the Miami Heat.  He was joining his two best friends in the NBA in Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh to form a trio that would rival such trios as The Three Stooges, The Bee Gees, and depending on who you ask - The Father, The Son, and The Holy Ghost.  The Nielsen Co. estimated that a total of 9.95 million people, and this blogger, all became "witnesses" to one of the greatest decision ever announced on national television.       

Not since Richard Nixon resigning from the office of the Presidency, the United States declaring war on terror, or the O.J. Simpson verdict, has a decision ever been so publicly watched.  I remember that day very distinctly.  It was one of our (Mrs. Loveseat and myself) last days in our quaint little apartment, and we had minimal furniture and belongs.  I purposely stalled and delayed moving the tv into our new house, as it was announced a one day prior that LeBron would be making his "decision" on national television and on ESPN.  The day of the "decision," I rushed home from work to assure that I was in front of the tv in time so that I could be one of the many "witnesses" to LeBron's "decision."  Even Mrs. Loveseat joined me on the couch to watch the "decision" as we ate dinner.  After it was over, she turns to me and says, "all this for a stupid announcement on where he is going to be playing next season?"  At the time, I looked at her as if she was crazy to ask such a question and tried to explain the logic behind the circus.  Now, she may have made a good point. 

The hype and phenomena that surrounded the "decision" now seems so trivial, as just over a month ago, we saw that the Miami Heat were indeed human, as they fell to the Dallas Mavericks in 6 games for the NBA Championship.  It is a safe assumption to make that unless you live in Miami, you were most likely rooting for the Dallas Mavericks to win, based on the sheer hatred for LeBron and the Miami Heat, depriving from his "decision."  But did we help fuel it?  Did we (along with ESPN) help fuel the ego of LeBron?  Are we at fault for our known hatred of LeBron?

The only reason ESPN even televised the whole LeBron "decision" was because execs knew that enough people across the country would care to watch it, myself included.  It was worth their wide to stage the "decision" and put LeBron on that pedestal.  It's unclear, depending on who you ask, who originated the "decision."  Some say LeBron went to ESPN, other say the reverse.  But either way, we help create this massacre.  And now, a year ago tomorrow, LeBron went from being one of the most beloved and humble athletes in professional sports; to now one of the most hated and vilified.      

I don't fault LeBron for wanting to go play for the Miami Heat and surround himself with his best friends in D-Wade and Chris Bosh.  He was a free agent and it is his right to go play wherever he so pleases.  But I am disappointed in what he (LeBron) has become and what he let his self-image come too.  I'm also disappointed in us fans for helping fuel all this, as we allowed ourselves to become so enamoured with where LeBron would go play basketball (I included myself in this).  Ultimately, everyone is at fault here.  In a matter of a year, the most popular and liked athlete in professional sports single handily destroyed his image and likability, and we helped his cause.  Oh what a year makes. 


Mr. Armchair Speaking