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LeBron James: Race a factor in "The Decision" backlash

Discussion in 'BBS Hangout: Debate & Discussion' started by J.R., Sep 30, 2010.

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  1. J.R.

    J.R. Member

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    Move if necessary.

    http://archives.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/1009/29/rlst.03.html

    (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

    LEBRON JAMES, BASKETBALL PLAYER: This process has been everything I thought and more.

    SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It was billed as "The Decision." Close to 10 million people tuned in to watch NBA superstar LeBron James announce the team he'd signed with.

    UNIDENTIFIED MALE: LeBron, what's your decision.

    JAMES: In this fall, man, this is very tough -- in this fall, I'm going to take my talents to South Beach.

    O'BRIEN (on camera): Whose idea was that?

    JAMES: It was my idea and the people around me's idea.

    O'BRIEN (voice-over): The decision was widely panned as a pr disaster, an ego trip of historic proportions. And seemingly overnight, the perception of James turned from golden boy to megalomaniac. New questions were raised about James' closest adviser, 28-year-old Maverick Carter.

    MAVERICK CARTER, CEO, LRMR MARKETING AND BRANDING: The execution could have been a little better and I take some of the blame for that.

    O'BRIEN (on camera): Is this sort of like where you grew up?

    CARTER: This is just like where I grew up.

    O'BRIEN (voice-over): James has known Carter since he was a toddler. Both were raised by single mothers in Akron, Ohio. They starred on the same high school basketball team.

    (on camera): I've read where he considered you like a big brother.

    CARTER: Yes. I would say so.

    O'BRIEN (voice-over): James entered the NBA as an 18-year-old. Two years later, he fired his agents and then put Carter, a 22-year- old college dropout, in charge of his $135 million worth of endorsement deals.

    (on camera): How old were you?

    CARTER: I was 22.

    O'BRIEN: And you are the guy in charge of the most important valuable athlete maybe in the world?

    CARTER: But I wasn't alone. And if I would have been stupid enough to think for one second that I could do this all by myself all alone, absolutely, I would have been over my head.

    Everyone knows the concept, right, of LeBron pitching to the kids, it's really cool --

    O'BRIEN (voice-over): Since becoming business partners, James and Carter have charted their own course towards turning LeBron Inc. into a billion dollar global brand, getting advice along the way from business hall of famers like Jay-Z and Warren Buffett.

    O'BRIEN (on camera): I don't think there's a lot of football players who call Warren Buffett Uncle Warren.

    JAMES: Well, I don't think so either but, you know, like I said before, I'm not writing down, let's say, oh, let's do what other ball players aren't doing. I say let's do what LeBron James want to do what he feels is best.

    O'BRIEN (voice-over): According to industry insiders, James and Carter have done just fine, striking multi-million dollar deals with State Farm, Nike and McDonalds. But those deals were overshadowed by this summer's decision and negative headlines which seemed to tarnish LeBron James, the athlete, and the brand.

    CARTER: It's just about control and not doing it the way it's always been done or not looking the way that it always looks.

    O'BRIEN (on camera): Do you think there's a role that race plays in this.

    JAMES: I think so at times. It's always, you know, a race factor.

    CARTER: It definitely played a role in some of the stuff coming out of the media, things that were written for sure. O'BRIEN (voice-over): LeBron James and Maverick Carter say what does bother them is that lost amid the controversy is the fact that "The Decision" TV program raised $3 million for Boys & Girls Club of America.

    CARTER: We own the advertising time. We went out and sold it to brands and we took every dime and donated it to charity.

    FRANK SANCHEZ, V.P., BOYS & GIRLS CLUB OF AMERICA: LeBron was using a significant moment in time to benefit young people. And a lot of people can take those opportunities and make it about them. He really was -- his goal was to make it about kids and make it about giving opportunities for kids.

    JAMES: For me to have an opportunity to give back to the Boys & Girls Club of America, that I would never change that. And if I have to take heat to give back to kids, I would do it the same way every single time.

    O'BRIEN (on camera): If you look at polls, there was some poll that said he was a top sixth disliked athlete. Do you worry about that?

    CARTER: The decision he made to go play for the Miami Heat, that's it. That's where he's going to play, so that's not going to change anytime soon. He's going to go play there. And you know, hopefully their team will do great.

    O'BRIEN: LeBron tweeted, I will remember those of you who said this and did this. What's that mean?

    CARTER: That means the fuel that he'll be playing with will be super duper duper premium. He usually plays with super premium. This year, that's a little higher grade of fuel.

    (END VIDEOTAPE)
     
    #1 J.R., Sep 30, 2010
  2. MadMax

    MadMax Contributing Member

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    was race a factor in how the media covered Kevin Durant's "Decision?"
     
    #2 MadMax, Sep 30, 2010
    1 person likes this.
  3. rhadamanthus

    rhadamanthus Contributing Member

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    Or was race a factor in Albert Haynesworth comparing his multi-million dollar self to a slave?

    STFU Lebron. Seriously, all of you pampered egotistical douchebag athletes, STFU.
     
    #3 rhadamanthus, Sep 30, 2010
    1 person likes this.
  4. pgabriel

    pgabriel Educated Negro

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    I think what's more a factor is some adults want to believe in athletes like they (fans) are still kids and refuse to accept the new age of sports.

    it isn't 1950 anymore
     
    #4 pgabriel, Sep 30, 2010
  5. rhino17

    rhino17 Member

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    It definitely had nothing to do with Lebron being a complete Ass Clown
     
    #5 rhino17, Sep 30, 2010
  6. MadMax

    MadMax Contributing Member

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    maybe if he hadn't acted like a child, i'd see your point.

    not calling and talking to the Cavs owner or GM before getting on national TV to do that was pretty crappy, in my mind. handle your business like a man, and you'll be treated like one.
     
    #6 MadMax, Sep 30, 2010
  7. Invisible Fan

    Invisible Fan Contributing Member

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    Lebron,

    You should fire Barry Bonds as your PR manager.
     
    #7 Invisible Fan, Sep 30, 2010
  8. pgabriel

    pgabriel Educated Negro

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    why do you care about how he interacted with the Cavs owner?
     
    #8 pgabriel, Sep 30, 2010
  9. MadMax

    MadMax Contributing Member

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    it doesn't personally affect me in any way...similar to about 95% of what we all comment on here generally at Clutchfans.

    but because it doesn't personally affect me doesn't mean i can't have an opinion on it. if someone did you wrong, i'd have an opinion on that, as well....and i've never met you.
     
    #9 MadMax, Sep 30, 2010
  10. AroundTheWorld

    AroundTheWorld Insufferable 98er
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    Why not? :confused:
     
    #10 AroundTheWorld, Sep 30, 2010
  11. pgabriel

    pgabriel Educated Negro

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    the reaction to the television program is understandable, the reaction to him not willing to carry a crappy franchise for the rest of his career is down right silly.

    the most silly part about it is Miami had one good year. People act like he chose to go play with kobe and gasol. Dwayne Wade has one ring, with a healthy Shaq.
     
    #11 pgabriel, Sep 30, 2010
  12. pgabriel

    pgabriel Educated Negro

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    Lebron did his time, I don't see the big deal. He acted like a kid in making the decision, but the guy played great for seven years for that franchise, one bad pr move shouldn't negate that.

    I mean people are calling him a poor excuse for a human being for this. the overreaction is ridiculous
     
    #12 pgabriel, Sep 30, 2010
  13. mlwoo

    mlwoo Contributing Member

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    Way to justify being an assclown by saying you gave the proceeds to charity. You were still on tv being an assclown.

    If I crapped in own hand and threw it at my family on national tv, then donated the proceeds to charity, I still crapped in my hand and threw it at my family on national tv.
     
    #13 mlwoo, Sep 30, 2010
  14. MadMax

    MadMax Contributing Member

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    i'm not thrilled..as a basketball fan..with the decision to go to Miami. i liked the storyline of him playing for his team...his home state...and bringing them up from nothing. that was compelling to me. i rooted for him with that. him with Wade and Bosh in Miami is not very compelling to me. that's just my opinion as a fan. part of me is disappointed we won't ever get to see what could have been with the cavs.

    my opinion with respect to how he handled the situation is what it is. completely separate analysis from the decision, itself.
     
    #14 MadMax, Sep 30, 2010
  15. NJRocket

    NJRocket Contributing Member

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    He's got 2 cards to play......the charity card and the race card.....both are ridiculous. At this point, he needs to just come out and say:

    " I made a mistake...not in my decision but the way I made it. I should have had a face to face with my old boss....told him what I was doing and then released the info the the guy from the Cleveland plain Dealer....that guy has earned the right to break this news. The next morning I should have taken out a full page ad in the Clev Pl Dealer thanking all the fans in Clev and assuring them that this had nothing to do with them. Write a check to the Boys and Girls club out of my own checkbook and not tell a soul bc its really not about who knows what u did...its about doing it. I didnt do these things and for that Im sorry and Ill regret it for a while."

    Sure he would still be somewhat vilified but he would have come off as a much better person. Just be freakin humble for pete's sake
     
    #15 NJRocket, Sep 30, 2010
    3 people like this.
  16. da_juice

    da_juice Member

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    it's unprofessional. Wouldn't you call your boss if you were leaving to work somewhere else?
     
    #16 da_juice, Sep 30, 2010
  17. rhadamanthus

    rhadamanthus Contributing Member

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    I don't. Just like I don't care that Lebron is an epic douchenozzle.
     
    #17 rhadamanthus, Sep 30, 2010
  18. pgabriel

    pgabriel Educated Negro

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    I don't like to compare my job to guys making $20MM a year, but yes it was unprofessional, that being said I will watch Lebron PLAY BASKETBALL because I don't watch him for his professionalism with his boss
     
    #18 pgabriel, Sep 30, 2010
  19. pgabriel

    pgabriel Educated Negro

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    On a sidenote I was going to mention how I really like Soledad O'brien, but then I googled her image, and she looks a lot better on TV
     
    #19 pgabriel, Sep 30, 2010
  20. Cohete Rojo

    Cohete Rojo Contributing Member

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    I would and I did. But if I played a kids' game for a living making $20 million per year...
     
    #20 Cohete Rojo, Sep 30, 2010
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