LeBron James: Hate Hater

Sam, I take issue with your last paragraph. People can be prejudice free in most areas of life, but then exhibit it in surprising fashion when the right (or wrong) circumstance comes along. Feelings about race are a lot more nuanced than an on/off switch (I'm racist/I'm not racist). It's common for people treat others well when others are doing things that deserve praise; it's often when others do wrong that one's true feelings surface. Robby mentioned a J.A. Adande article in his latest comment and Adande speaks about this very thing. Here's the money quote: That's because race doesn't affect acceptance, it affects tolerance. When people behave in a manner accepted by society at large they are easy for everyone to embrace. It's who chooses to align with the outcasts that is telling. LeBron quickly evaporated his reservoir of goodwill with the self-serving "Decision." His own actions were responsible for the ignition and the acceleration of the vitriol. Where race comes in is the continuation. The racial element won't be measured in the condemnation, which came from all corners. It will be measured in the willingness to forgive. I think this is spot on. Race never mattered before because LeBron was doing everything right. However, it matters now (and as a disclaimer that has already been repeated over and over, it is not the sole or even dominating factor) because he did something wrong. Loving Durant, Wade, and Duncan doesn't require one to face how one feels when someone hurts them. Race often does not play a factor in love. However, it can be seen in hate. People no longer react to LeBron in the former; the common reaction to LeBron these days is seen in the latter.

As a basketball fan, I don't give a damn about Lebron off the court, what he says, what he tweets, who he criticizes; and I'm getting pretty sick of seeing "Lebron backs tweet" on ESPN with 3,000 comments linked to it EVERY 48 hrs. Just as the last story of "Lebron criticism/backlash/villain/who gives a %&#) story calms down, another one pops up. Maybe I should take a chill pill and pretend not to see the next Lebron headlines. Seriously, if not about basketball, what gives? Can't we give all the "he said, she said" finger pointing a rest! Who are we to judge this guy on the way he lives? He's a great basketball player, a good enough role model on and off the court, and seems to be a fun-loving guy behind all the b.s. I think the media is looking to far into this whole Lebron villain or Lebron tweets this and that, and we need to get back to enjoying the game for what it is! Ball is all we got!

@Ethan- Alright I'll back off my original statement a bit regarding how race has nothing to do with it (not what i was trying to convey per se). Bringing up race does not necessarily imply racism, I agree, and to your point, I remember reading a good Adande article earlier in the 'decision' fallout regarding 'tribalism'-how we tend to identify with those of our own race/ethnicity/background. So is it worth talking about? I agree that it is. However I would not contend that a racial disparity in how Lebron is perceived delegitimizes the palpable anger felt by many, not just Clevelanders, at Lebron's actions. I'm with you that the constant hate-fest is getting old at this point, I guess I just don't perceive his recent comments to be justified as you wrote. Ultimately Lebron's vindication will be written by whether or not he wins a championship with theHeat, not by reveling in the suffering of his former teammates. It'd be nice to move past all this claptrap, and if Lebron really wants to move on he should stop reopening the discussion with remarks such as his recent tweet.

I agree with Adrian. When you put yourself out there, bask in fans love, play it up, and say that one of your goals is to be one of the most popular global athletes ever, you kinda lose the right to complain when people hate you. This isn't Joe Schmo that works in a cube and no one cares but his co-workers. This is someone who has purposely worked to expand his brand, which was the home town boy, making good, being the Chosen One, King James. He is the one who made concious decisions to place himself in situations where strong feelings happen. And again, as for race, how is it that the same guy who hates LeBron can love Kevin Durant, Dwayne Wade or Tim Duncan, but still be racist? Isn't the whole solution to racism is instead of judging by skin color, judging people by individual traits/personalities/behaviors?

@Ethan - "But I’m not comfortable with a recent hatefest directed at a human being". Fair enough, but you should also take into account that few human beings have ever been the taregt of such a lovefest as James was. We hate his guts not because he's black, but because he acts like he owes nothing to no one. When I leave my job for a better-paid position (the equivalent of what he's done, even if, in his case, we went there for a lower paycheck) I do that without breaking anybody's heart. No cleaning lady will cry, no assistant will suffer, no feelings of my coleagues will have been broken - because no one invested FEELINGS into the relationship. When feelngs are involved, all bets are off. Race has nothing to do with it. The same people who hate his guts LOVE Russell, MJ, Magic etc, and the same people who hate his guts loved him before. Bringing race into this cheapens the 'racism is bad' argument - see the Chris Rock 'it's not that he couldn't get a cab, he WAS the cab' point. People hate self-aggrandizing morons, and that's it (see his 'Gilbert never cared about LeBron' point, STILL talking about himself in the third person).

A really good comment, where to begin... My sarcastic "race has nothing to do with this!" jag comes from how many "race has nothing to do with this!" comments I've gotten on multiple LeBron articles. It's like people just want to wish away the race factor on a singular issue, simply because it's an inconvenient impediment to their current anger. Race plays a role in how we talk, think about and celebrate athletes--especially in the NBA (See: "Breaks of the Game," "Playing for Keeps," "Black Planet," the new FD book, etc.). This isn't surprising, the NBA is an overtly "black" sport, catering to a mostly white audience, in a country defined by the original sin of slavery. As for "throwing out a statement like that based simply on rough demographics seems a little irresponsible to me." I completely disagree, it's irresponsible to ignore the issue. The James backlash is so immense that it's not a difference in degree, but in kind. And it's not just fueled by "racism" persay. Human beings are more inclined to empathize with those whom they indentify with. If you're "white," you're more inclined to relate to a white free agent pitcher's desire to play for a winner. Perhaps your mind instantly goes to, "Well, I'm getting tired of my own job and..." Not so many older white Americans can picture themselves as a 6-foot-8 LeBron James. Look, James should have stepped up to the plate and admitted what the Tweet was about. He's far from perfect, I don't claim to know his soul. LeBron is a two-dimensional media projection to us all. But I'm not comfortable with a recent hatefest directed at a human being. - Show quoted text -

"Race has nothing whatsoever to do with this because race never has anything to do with how a largely white fanbase fetishizes, observes and judges a group of largely large black men." I think it is less important in the NBA than you are insinuating. Did NBA fans act irrationally, perhaps unfairly in their hatred of Lebron? I think you could argue that (and I think you have). But as I see it, it was a function of his status (self-proclaimed savior of Cleveland) rather than his race. Does it exist at the extremes? Definitely, and I think you saw it in the "like father like son" sign (classless and definitely smacking of racial tones). But throwing out a statement like that based simply on rough demographics seems a little irresponsible to me. I don't think you could say race has 'nothing to do' with how anyone ever is evaluated across a variety of fields and from many different angles. So what's your point? Personally I shed no tears for Cleveland and the fans who turned a blind eye (and even defended) his petulant antics as a Cavalier and called him a quitter (understandable) after his debacle against the Celtics last year and refusing to acknowledge his teammates. I'm happy that another bottom-dwelling team now exists for the Wizards to beat up on. I don't expect him to root for Cleveland, and I definitely understand his beef with Dan Gilbert. That said, he was not only denigrating Gilbert but both the fans and the teammates that once had his back at their darkest hour. Then today he turned around and evasively side-stepped questioning, maintaining that: the tweet wasn't his (huh?) and mumbling some bit about karma. Take some personal responsibility Lebron. Breaking down his tweet: "Crazy. Karma is a bitch." - an obvious reference to Gilbert. I get it. "It's not good to wish bad on anybody." -yet it seems like he's reveling in his former team's defeat. "God sees everything!" -this is beyond the pale. Does Lebron really believe that God is policing his petty disputes and subsequently meting out justice to his adversaries. To me this is the height of narcissism and self-delusion. I understand your perspective Ethan. Lebron is still one of the most exhilarating athletes in the world to watch and to continue to harp on his past transgressions while acting as moral police is tiresome. But I vehemently disagree that his 'tweet' is "totally justified".

I disliked Lebron before it was cool (Celtics fan) but I honestly feel bad for him. The decision was a bit egotistical but he donated the profits to Boys and Girls Club. Lebron is a grade A asshole but how can you expect anything different from him when he was babied and told that he was the greatest his whole life, ironically by the NE Ohioans that despise him now. When I really felt bad for Lebron though was during the Heat-Cavs game, when I realized the situation had everything to do with race. Thousands of white people all shouting expletives at one Black man does not give me sympathy for Cavs fans. Even the picture of Lebron you have posted up above just seems a bit off and uncomfortable for some reason. If I were Lebron I would stick it to Dan Gilbert too.

I think anybody who puts themselves in LeBron's shoes would have to agree they'd want the Cavs to fail. I certainly would. Nobody who ever left a job looked back and wished them all the best. Not really. Especially when their exit interview consisted of getting called out in the worst way possible involving a drunken rant and comic sans. I feel bad for Mo, though. I wonder if he's still crying.

Why don't you write what you mean? When you say "race has something to do with this", what you really mean is WHITE people are racist towards black people. Keep in mind, though, every time LeBron, or someone else says "race is a factor", they're MAKING it a factor while assuming that white people don't like their act BECAUSE they're black. That is making race a factor. That is being racist. Sorry, but it's true.

"Anonymous January 12, 2011 at 1:39 pm Sorry Ethan, but race has absolutely jack shit to do with this. It’s all about “The Decision” and how the CITY of Cleveland (black, white, yellow, green) feels slightly, rightly or wrongly. For the love of God, don’t ruin a good article by playing the bloody race card." Race might not have 100% to do with this, but nobody is arguing that. You on the other hand are arguing that it has 0% to do with this. The truth is in between, race has definitely played A factor with some people. They might vocalize the same criticism as their non-racist neighbors, but their anger runs deeper and stems from something far more vile than personal dislike. The point isn't that a lot of LeBron's critics are racist, it's that enough are in this still racially tense country of ours that the debate is continuously complicated, the flames continuously fanned (hopefully just figuratively now that the jersey-burning has subsided), and while there IS freedom of speech in America, thank God, we shouldn't treat it all equally. There are sick people in this world whose twisted opinions don't deserve legitimacy. In other words, let's tone it down and stick to trash-talking each other's game.

Nice one!!

Spot on. Also, I think part of the criticism of Lebron hinges on a generational divide. I was arguing with a guy this morning who was talking about how classless Lebron was, kicking a team when they are done. He talked about how Lebron shouldn't act that way and then he mentioned he's like 64 years old. So we have a 64 year old White guy criticizing how a 25 year old Black kid handles his life. This whole Lebron post-Decision controversy has really made me detest most of the sports media and the fans. Everyone is throwing out their arbitrary morality which most agree, once Lebron wins a championship his public image will approve. Why does winning a championship absolve people of their supposed moral crimes? People need to realize their is no morality or loyalty in sports. Don't try to hold players to a higher standard than management. I know one thing, if Lebron was averaging 12 points a games and left Cleveland, no one would be upset. So the supposed love the fans have for athletes are all conditioned upon them performing at high levels for their team. I'm just so tired of this self-righteous attitude everyone seems to have now.

Sorry Ethan, but race has absolutely jack shit to do with this. It's all about "The Decision" and how the CITY of Cleveland (black, white, yellow, green) feels slightly, rightly or wrongly. For the love of God, don't ruin a good article by playing the bloody race card.