The Decision
Like most American sports fans I have spent the past 48 hrs. reading every possible article about the potential home of Lebron James. As usual The Sports Guy Bill Simmons put it best. Would he go to Chicago and join the best possible team, or to New York for the best possible market, or stay in Cleveland and be the best possible person. His choice? Miami… the best possible nightlife.
The Miami choice caused the entire country to turn on him. He hurt his hometown by leaving and he hurt the rest of us by making a decision that had nothing to do with what was good for the game. Ultimately his decision was extremely childish and cruel. I spent hours reading commentary looking for a silver lining around a persona that is now a dark cloud of selfishness. How am I supposed to not be a hater when everything about King James and the ESPN publicity roll out was so incredibly painful and nauseating? The answer of course comes from a deep place of empathy.
LeBron James arrives in Miami (Photo by Gustavo Caballero/Getty Images)
From the age of 13 on… James was a man-child destined to save his city. Can you imagine? He has been fielding questions and making decisions about his legacy when in spite of his body he was only a boy. Lebron is going to Miami to reclaim his childhood. He is going to Miami to be famous, sexy, young, and stupid. He deserves it. No child should be expected to execute the unlikely rebirth of one of America’s dying cities. No adolescent should be expected to care about winning as many titles as Michael Jordan. He tried to take on the aspirations of a nation as his own, but he failed. Just like you or me or anyone would drown in a sea of ludicrous expectation. Have fun in south beach Lebron. The fans suck, the politics are corrupt and loathsome, the values are malleable and transient. Seems like a great place to embrace the childhood that never was.
The Dave Good Show 
I’ll admit it from the get-go, Dave: I don’t have the sports gene. I’ve never understood where loyalty to certain athletes and teams comes from. It makes sense to me that you’d feel a certain connection to a high school team, since you may actually know the kid who’s playing, and you probably went to school there. But the higher the level, the more remote it gets. Why does anyone, for example, give a fuck about the Vikings and their relation to Minnesota? Do they represent some essence of Minnesota-ness? Hardly. What’s the basis for anyone’s loyalty? Here’s a pretty entertaining article on a similar subject, if you’re interested:
http://www.newenglishreview.org/custpage.cfm/frm/66894/sec_id/66894
– Patrick