Haven’t we given LeBron enough criticism?

Last July, I wrote an article on if loyalty should matter in sports. I chose LeBron James because he had just announced he was leaving the Cleveland Cavaliers to “take his talents” to Miami where he would join superstars Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh and form the “Big 3”. Fans were furious when they heard on LeBron’s hour long TV special “The Decision” that he was leaving and many felt betrayed. Fans called him such words as “narcissistic” “the antichrist” and the “n-word”. Pictures were photoshopped to insult LeBron like this one that shows him crying thus further mocking him. Many fans have given him new nicknames such as “Queen James” “LeFake” “LeBlow” and “LeSucks”. Does LeBron deserve all this hatred over one decision that he made in his lifetime?

Has America’s Past Time Changed?

Since the 19th century baseball has been considered America’s favorite sport, mostly because it was an easy game to watch and play and could be played with anything. Since it was the time of the Great Depression and money was scarce, baseball was a good sport for children to play because it could be played with a stick and pine cones while the bases could be cans or even worn out clothing. Baseball also connects on a deeper note due to the fact that it is very family oriented. I remember myself as a child, always wanting to go to games and my biggest dream was to catch a baseball in the stands. I would get my mitt and my baseball cap all ready and hope that this game would be the one. Yet my parents always kept my hopes up by taking me to the games. I never did catch a baseball, but I learned that baseball was not always about winning and traditions made up a huge part of it. One of the most famous traditions were the rally cap which was when your team was losing and was up to bat and fans would turn their caps inside out to bring luck that their team would win. There was also the 7th inning stretch when everyone would sing “Take Me Out to The Ball Game” or even when the opposing team hit a home run whoever caught it would throw the baseball back onto the field. The last tradition that always was exciting was the fireworks after the team would hit a home run or win the game. They were so bright and after a hard fought victory from your team, watching them was the end to a perfect day. So why are baseball teams attendance so low and games being watched by less and less people?

Should Loyalty Matter in Sports?

To the left is a picture of LeBron James who is considered to be one of the greatest basketball players in the world. When LeBron was only a sophomore in high school, scouts were already touting him as a future NBA superstar. When he was 18 he skipped college to enter the 2003 NBA draft and was eventually picked by the Cleveland Cavaliers with the number one pick. Before LeBron even picked up a basketball he signed a 90 million dollar shoe deal with Nike. He has set and broken countless NBA records and has racked up awards such as MVP (Most Valuable Player) which he won two times. He also won Rookie of the Year and helped the USA basketball team win gold medals at the 2008 Olympics.