Open Letter to LeBron James: Stop Letting Your Dog Crap In My Yard
Here’s another case of somebody who while embroiled in controversy had my support up until the point when they said something SO stupid that I had no choice but to re-evaluate my position.
I never faulted LeBron James for leaving the Cavaliers. As I wrote then, it was not James’ fault the Cavaliers never held up their end of the deal; it was not James’ fault the Cavs never put a team capable of winning around him. It also isn’t James fault the NBA has created a culture where winning championships is the only measure of greatness; it also isn’t James’ fault that so many NBA fans can’t understand why he would make such a move given the environment those fans created.
But, LeBron, you lose me when you start crying about the backlash against you. I don’t really need to listen to you cry about you not getting your ego sufficiently stroked. Are you really expecting me to believe that literally being the star around which the NBA solar system revolves is not enough for you? This past Wednesday night, CNN did an interview with James in which he said race played a role in negative coverage James’ decision to leave Cleveland. More specifically, James blames race for some of the negative backlash to The Decision, the ESPN special where the free agent NBA superstar announced on national TV he was leaving the Cleveland Cavaliers to join the Miami Heat. Within a few months of the July 8 special, James’ image was transformed from that of one of the country’s most liked sports figures to the sixth-most disliked, according to a recent study by the Q Scores Company.
“I think so at times. It’s always, you know, a race factor,” said James, according to a CNN transcript. James personal adviser Maverick Carter said he thought race “definitely played a role in some of the stuff coming out of the media, things that were written for sure.”
You know, LeBron, you likely don’t understand this being an athlete, but being an adult black male in America today still isn’t an easy thing. Its bad enough that I have to deal with a country full of liberal white do-gooders who by definition devalue everything I do through their inverted racism known as “Affirmative Action.” Its bad enough that I have to watch black people who should know better continue to deflect responsibility for their own actions on a daily basis. But the worst part is when I watch guys like you stoke both those fires by selfishly and needlessly injecting race into a situation where it was not part of the original problem.
The fundamental problem here is that even as misguided as most of the things white liberals “have done for blacks” are, it still makes them believe that they have carried a lot of water to douse the flames of past injustices. In many ways they really have. So, when guys like you or that charlatan Jesse Jackson start painting everything with the racist brush just because you didn’t get your way over something, you lessen the meaning of the word “racism.” If guys like you and Jackson continue to do this, soon the word will be meaningless; white people are already starting to tune out to it. In other words, white people are getting tired of reaching out to the “black community” and getting called names for the effort.
Another thing you don’t understand is the raw power of success. Sure, you know about the money and what it brings; that’s the easy part. But kicking a few bucks to charity does not by itself excuse you from or act in the place of your acting responsibly with your success toward the rest of the community. In other words, I don’t care how big your house is, you still don’t get to let your your dog take a dump in my yard.
In a previous writing on this subject, I said “James has the right to burn all the bridges he wants, he can do so without impacting his own bottom line because he has true talent.” Of course that only applies to talent on the court, which will not last forever. There comes a day when it is not just talent that will determine your legacy; that process never ends well for guys who can’t man up to the consequences of their actions.
About J-Dub
One comment on “Open Letter to LeBron James: Stop Letting Your Dog Crap In My Yard”
Drop Your Comments Here
The Man Behind Dubsism
Dubsism on Pinterest
Click On JoePa-Kenobi To Feel The Power Of The Jedi Photoshop Trick. Besides, you can get the best sports-related recipes ever. This is the sports-related content you are looking for.
Blog Directories
Dubsism 
Pingback: Why Sports Will Suck In The Future « Dubsism