In the days following that, like the tide rolling back out to the ocean, the opposite sentiment comes out. Dan Le Batard of the Miami Herald wrote a sugar-coated, chocolate-topped, high fructose corn syrup injected, nut covered, cherry topped puff piece love letter to Lebron James. Lacy Banks of the Suntimes boldly came out and had the controversial thought: Lebron within his rights to leave Ohio. Others compared the situation to slavery-- apparently there is a way to compare free agents leaving to make millions of dollars to slavery. It is a well founded argument that isn't lazily injected with unfounded inflammatory language.
So I'm going to work on the Lacy Banks column first then Dan Le Batard tomorrow (cliffhanger!). So enjoy some odd thoughts and a flimsy column and Akron/Family. Article after the video.
LeBron within his rights to leave Ohio
By Lacy J Banks
July 13, 2010
Where would America be if not for free agency?
Not playing for the Yankees.
Free agency is the bedrock of America's capitalistic enterprise.
That and mergers, sales, loans, capital and lying to Congress.
Thanks to ''The Decision'' former Cleveland Cavaliers superstar LeBron James made last week to sign with the Miami Heat, the spotlight on free agency has been intensified.
Well, yeah- when the greatest free agent opportunity in sports history happens, people tend to pay attention. So much that teams were dumping salary for the last 2-3 years just to have a small chance to sign players.
Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert, who also owns Quicken Loans Inc., made a fool of himself when he viciously criticized James for joining another team to enhance his chance of winning a championship ring. But James simply was exercising a right enjoyed by 99.9 percent of America's work force.
Yes, Dan Gilbert's letter made a fool of him, but it was just a reaction to losing. Gilbert is a sore loser.
And who's the .1% or Americans that can't leave a job of their own will? That's like 20 or 30 million people-- that's more of a story. Are you counting children in that percentage or the unemployed or those in a coma? Or is that just a lazy use of the 99.9%? I would've gone with 110%-- cause its that American.
This includes Gilbert. No city is granted inherent ownership of any worker. Sure, James was born in nearby Akron, Ohio, and he called the Cavaliers his hometown team.
Bold thesis. Hopefully it can be supported.
But once a worker wants to change jobs, that is his right to do so as an American. After all, Gilbert, a multimillionaire, was not born in Cleveland. He was born in Detroit and still lives in Michigan. But he never concentrated his business investments solely in Detroit or more needy Flint.
Well, for 99.9% of Americans apparently. It is their right. Unless they're worried about being uninsured while they're looking for another job. But changing jobs isn't really the argument people are making....
And speaking of rights as Americans-- its Dan Gilbert's right to write an angry letter and make a fool of himself.
Rather, while Gilbert's Quicken Loans Inc. is headquartered in Detroit, he owns companies outside of the city. And nobody in Michigan ever accused Gilbert of ''cowardly betrayal,'' as he did James.
Maybe he didn't leave anyone feeling like a jilted lover. He also didn't have a fan base or an international sports image he had been building.
More than 99.9 percent of NBA players have been able to exercise their options when they became free agents.
I don't even know what this sentence means. I don't know what "exercise their options" means. Enough with the 99.9%. And to be fair, the NBA has a draft, so most players entering a league don't have a choice of where they go. Where's that add into the 99.9% math?
America's constitution grants all its natives the free agency to be in charge of their own careers, their personal lives and property.
Fun fact: The Bill of Rights has the whole life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness thing in it. The Property was part of John Locke's thoughts. And its not just natives, but all citizens. The Constitution didn't exactly account for everyone's free agency. There was that whole 3/5ths thing.
Using the NBA as another example, very few of its players play and spend an entire career in the cities of their births. One of those few exceptions is Hall of Fame guard Gail Goodrich. He was born in Los Angeles and played all but four of his 14-year career playing for his hometown Lakers.
Damn, you could have used the 99.9% number here.
What do Barack Obama, Jerry Reinsdorf, Michael Jordan, Walter Payton, Oprah Winfrey, Billy Williams, Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Mike Ditka, and the late Gwendolyn Brooks have in common? They are great Chicagoans born outside Chicago.
And if, say Michael Jordan, left in his prime-- would you as a fan be bothered? Probably. Would you write a column, letter or otherwise vent? I'm guessing yes.
Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Karl Malone, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Hakeem Olajuwon, Bob Cousy, Charles Barkley, Serena and Venus Williams, Shaquille O'Neal and Elgin Baylor likewise used their free agency to earn their fame and fortunes playing for teams in cities far away from their birthplaces.
You might need to look up the definition of free agency. Magic Johnson was drafted by L.A. Larry Bird was drafted by Boston. Serena & Venus don't even play for teams. I don't understand your definition of free agency. Or the point of any of this.
Being born in Akron never restricted James from working anywhere else. The main thing James owes his hometown is greatness. And the greater he becomes, the more Akron can brag that it all started there.
You're right, it didn't. And James could have at least not gone on a megahyped one hour ego fest and break his hometown's heart. The problem is not his decision but how he went about it. He abandoned Ohio on national tv. Oh, and the Cavs no longer have the best player in their history-- a decent reason for the team owner's anger to build. His letter was foolish, but no one needed to defend Lebron's right to free agency or to leave the Cavs. 99.9% of the people had that figured out and 99.91% can identify a ranting loon.
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