“Please stay Lebron. We really need you. No bigger market’s gonna love you as much as we do. It’s a choice you’re making, you’re saving our downtown. And Cleveland is a better place with you around.”
Words from the hilarious comedy music video “We are Lebron,” a parody of “We are the World.”
Remember this from the Summer of NBA Free Agent Love? That passion turned to vitriol as Lebron James turned his back on the Cleveland Cavaliers, and and coined a phrase “I’m taking my talents to South Beach” that every American citizen is now legally mandated to say whenever they discuss visiting the city of Miami. (But hey, it’s still better than what everyone was required to say in 1999- Will Smith’s “I’m…going…to…Miami, Bienvenidos a Miami”
During this past summer, I embarked on a fact finding mission/research trip to Cleveland. Ok I just wanted to take in a Cleveland Indians game and see The Jake. And it coincidentally, it was the game where Matthew Bellamy (you know that guy) wore his Lebron Miami Heat jersey in order to be a douche and piss off fans. It worked.
But how strong is the Lebron backlash today?
By Paul M. Banks
I guess we’ll find out Thursday night.
Since that fateful summer night at Jacobs Field, the Heat offered and then later rescinded Bellamy a first class package to enjoy a Heat game. That was wise on their part. And don’t take the picture above as an endorsement of this guy’s douchebaggery and attention-whoring. Just because I’m in a picture with him doesn’t mean I condone his cheap and churlish actions.
“The Decision” was the sports equivalent of your fiance dumping you by text message. And the city of Cleveland reacted like a spurned and scorned ex-lover turned stalker. And that is possibly understandable on some levels.
But why feed the beast, Cleveland? Yes, LeBron is a once-in-a-lifetime talent as a basketball player, but he’s obviously am egomaniacal dipsh** as a person. So try and take the high road, Cleveland! Right now Lebron’s Heat aren’t that much better than the Cavs, so try and be the proverbial “better man.”
In order to try and mollify the situation a little, James gave a public thank you to the city. I don’t think it will work, but he did luck out with the scheduling/placement of the game.
According to Yahoo:
Because Miami plays at home Wednesday night, the Heat will not arrive in Cleveland until early Thursday morning. The team won’t practice that day, just have meetings and a walkthrough at its hotel, which will be teeming with security—like always. They’ll bus to the arena, play the game, head to the airport and leave for Miami.
Paul M. Banks is CEO of The Sports Bank.net , a Midwest webzine. He’s also a regular contributor to the Tribune’s Chicago Now network, Walter Football.com, Yardbarker Network, and Fox Sports.com
You can follow him on Twitter @thesportsbank
He also does a regular guest spot each week for Chicagoland Sports Radio.com