Mitch Albom over at the Detroit Free Press said it so perfectly:
The most upsetting part of this ridiculous night came at 9:18 p.m., when the cameras first showed LeBron
James sitting across from his chosen interviewer, Jim Gray, and in the background were rows of … children?I wanted to throw up. Bad enough that we adults have to watch the decline of grace to where a guy who calls himself The King gets a prime-time TV special to announce where he’ll play
basketball (an hour-long special at that!), but the fact that an audience of children was put around him, effectively being told, “Aren’t you lucky, kids, to be part of this? This is what MATTERS in life!” Lord, send me a bucket.Look. I had to watch this. It’s my job to comment on big sports stories, and LeBron James switching teams to join Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh in Miami is a big sports story whether I like the process or not. But why anyone else would waste time is beyond me.
EXACTLY... This is craziness and I'm very glad I didn't watch. Just sorry so many others did. What it says about our values is precisely what Mitch pointed out. A small thing being made into a very big thing. Hopefully Mitch wasn't the only one put off by the whole LeBron show. If they were then that would be something good coming from all this.
Just my thoughts. What do you think?
GHT
Big time athletes (and actors) with an elitist attitude have always turned me off. With that being said, I have been a LeBron fan since he came out of high school. I have been extremely impressed with how he has handled himself throughout his career, especially for as young as he is. I, too, didn't watch last night and I haven't paid a lot of attention to all the buzz, but I hope LeBron can remain somewhat humble. I'm sad he is leaving Cleveland, but he has a right to do whatever he feels is best for him. It's just sad that this is that big of a deal.
ReplyDeleteHey Jim -- well said -- sad for Cleveland and I think for the sport in general. But I guess we'll see how it turns out...
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