LeBron Haters: You Can Stop Now

LeBron James and the Miami Heat dominated game 7 of the NBA Eastern Conference Finals. The Indiana Pacers trailed Miami 76-99, a stark contrast from game six, in which Indiana appeared to be the team ready for the Championship against San Antonio. But on June 3, LeBron, with the help of his teammates working effectively together, proved they were the ones meant to win this series. They were the ones in control, setting the pace and tempo of the game. So why is it that the face of the Miami Heat, the talented and skillful, four-time MVP still getting so much hate? Yes, he left Cleveland with a bang, and yes, he went overboard with his egotistical press conference declaring him a free agent, also known as The Decision. He’s also friends with the very clever soon-to-be Father, Kanye West. And we all know just how outspoken Mr. West is. But I want to know why, three years later, the angst is still directed toward LeBron as a person, and more surprisingly, as a spectacular professional athlete.

We can look at this situation in several different ways. The first: Through the eyes of the bitter Cleveland fans. I can only imagine how upsetting it is when a gifted player who has so much going for him after seven faithful years decides to move to a different location and leave the city that was there with him from the very beginning to suffer. I went to the 2007 NCAA Women’s Basketball Final Four. Walking around, I saw how subdued the city was. There weren’t a lot of people other than the ones in and around the arena. Everything was just so…empty. Keep in mind, this is coming from a girl who’s familiar with the extreme business of downtown Chicago. Cleveland has a different atmosphere; it was unusual to me. It made me think of cities like Detroit and New Orleans–places I’ve also been that are much different from the demanding industrial infrastructure it once had in my grandparents generation. Because Cleveland’s economy is not as affluent as say, New York or Chicago, LeBron really boosted revenue and money for the Cleveland, Ohio community through his game. LeBron was Cleveland. He was a beacon of hope. The master of change. The light at the end of the tunnel, which suggested Cleveland once again might actually work its way in the financial ladder to compete with other U.S. cities.

Nevertheless, Mr. James decided to move on. He wasn’t winning any championships, and truthfully, he couldn’t make it to the finals alone. Basketball is a team sport, something the Cavaliers did not master well enough at the time to compete at the final level. Any other great player in LeBron’s shoes, would switch teams. Think about your life right now. When an opportunity presents itself that’s more appealing, you go for it. There’s nothing wrong with that. I’m not going to lie, if Derrick Rose from the Chicago Bulls eventually switched teams, I would be disappointed. Who wouldn’t be? I’ve invested so much of my time and energy cheering for the guy and my local team, I would almost find it insulting he would ever want to leave. At the same time, I realize that one, the NBA is a business. It’s a form of entertainment, similar to other sports programs, regularly scoping out new and innovative ways to earn money. And two, I realize the players and fans serve as pawns within that business. The managers or athletes really don’t care what we as fans think—they’re trying to boost their income! Whether that’s right or wrong is besides the point. But let’s be real. Men who join the NBA do so to work on the sport they love and be the best player out there. It also includes participating in the NBA Finals. Not one player in the league is there just to play and not win a championship. They worked their butts off to get drafted into the NBA. Don’t hate on LeBron because he wants to compete at that level. If you want something, you do whatever you can to reach it.

The second way we can look at this situation is through the eyes of the press conference blabbers. These guys are all over social media and at social gatherings when sport conversations present themselves. They’re the ones who wish the Heat harm without even knowing the team personally, describe how much they hate LeBron’s guts because he’s a either a prick, jerk, arrogant sportsman, melodramatic sissy, or a combination of all four–all because he had the audacity to hold a televised ceremony announcing his departure from the Cleveland Cavaliers. Believe me, I get it. It was a poor decision on his part. But it was three years ago. Get over it. I’ve moved on, Larry down the street’s moved on, and your great-auntie who bakes those nasty raisin-oatmeal cookies every Thanksgiving is too involved in her cookie dough to care about LeBron’s 2010 press conference. It’s not like he did something illegal, messed around with underaged girls, physically abused his significant other, or has been in and out of jail. Overall, LeBron James is a fairly decent celebrity off the court. He cares about his sons, provides for the single-Mother who raised him, has done plenty of advertisements, partaken in several endorsements, and donated millions to charity. He hasn’t forgotten about his days in Akron, Ohio, he’s just moved onto bigger and better things. Yet somehow, people have forgotten things could be a lot worse for him. They choose to focus on this one event, a series of personality flaws we also most likely have, and moments during a game where he’s been quite the drama queen—running across the court in disbelief and immaturely speaking out against unfair calls. LeBron fans get it, and we acknowledge how messed up his peculiar actions are perceived. Now let’s move on to more important things.

Then of course, you have the third way you can look at this situation: from the perspective of the other kind of people who don’t necessarily hate him. In fact, they might even love him, they just didn’t appreciate the boastful route in which he expressed his “decision.” I’m apart of this group. I understand why he needed to leave Cleveland. I’m behind him 100% on that. However, there was no need for a two hour ESPN presentation. That was unnecessary: a waste of time, space, and money. I’m not going to say his decision was unimportant, because I’d just be lying. His decision was important in the sense that he practically held the future of Cleveland and the hope of his loyal fans in the palm of his hand. That in itself is a little scary, and can indeed make an athlete grow exceedingly arrogant. Then again, you need some element of confidence, maybe even arrogance, at such a position in high society where you’re scrutinized for everything you do. Look at Kobe Bryant, someone who has, in my opinion, appeared arrogant for years. There have been times he’s given himself plenty of credit for wins without shedding the appropriate light on his teammates. On the other hand, after game 7, LeBron makes a conscious effort to keep his gratitude for his team at the forefront of his mind when he responds to questions from the press. How can you hate him for that?

Miami, with the legendary LeBron James, earned their title as Eastern Conference Championship finalists for the third consecutive year. And for that, I am a proud supporter. Congratulations, boys, and good luck in the final series against San Antonio.