Sports fans have always polarized on big issues in sport, and so it comes as no surprise that when the topic is LeBron James, it basically stands that you either love him or you hate him. On polls of the public's least favorite athletes, he is a guaranteed lock in the top 10, and normally is in the top 5 as well. Is this okay? Has LeBron James really done that much bad that people have a valid reason to hate him after 9 seasons in the league?
No. He hasn't.
Think about the top reasons LeBron James is hated. "The Decision" is probably atop most people's lists of reasons he is hated. They say that by announcing his move to Miami he came off as arrogant, immature and self-absorbed in betraying the city of Cleveland. I can agree with some of those points, and I think later on down the road, he will agree that "The Decision" was not a good idea, and he *gasp! might even apologize for it. Regardless of whether he feels about it years from now, the point I'm trying to make is that it is no longer reasonable to hold that against him. Basketball fans in Cleveland, of all places, have even begun to forgive him because, guess what, they understand the concept of forgiving others for their mistakes. Here's a city that became the epicenter of hate for LeBron James. A city that took down, bowed up or threw out every reference to "the King" within a matter of weeks, and where citizens cursed his name in everyday conversation. I truly understood and sympathized with the way those fans lost their luster that day, but I could not fault LeBron, as some did, for wanting to leave.
It wasn't a matter of "they didn't try to help him" in Cleveland, because they did. He essentially had the run of the front office, had a suitable, not great, but suitable coach, and had an empire built on legions of inspired fans.
But it wasn't going to happen there.
LeBron saw it.
So he left. He announced his decision to leave Miami, and the sports world polarized in an instant, either you hated him or you didn't.
So why do you hate LeBron? You might say he's a bit cocky, or arrogant. Sure, I'll give you that. He's the best player in the league, you can't hate him for knowing that in his head. He still isn't the cockiest player in the league, he doesn't taunt his opponents (KG), or talk trash on the court. Do you hate him because you think he took a backseat in the Finals last year? It isn't behavior you want to see out of your star player, but it's not something you can hate somebody for. Do you hate him for assembling a super team in free agency to wipe the floor with everyone else and go undefeated like the media says they will?! Did that pan out how it sounded like it would?
Why is it still okay to hate a man who has done so little wrong? Are we as fans truly going to condemn him for "The Decision" but forgive and forget the countless players in all professional sports who have been found guilty of DUI's, gun charges, assaults and even rape?
On the court, Lebron is a leader and a team player. He gets teammates involved and many teammates have come out in support of him as a player and a leader. Off the court, he is unselfish as well, evidenced by his willingness to take a pay cut to make the Big Three happen in Miami.
So what possible reason could you have to hate LeBron?
He's a father of two young boys, married to his high school sweetheart. He was raised by his mother after his father walked out, and his success after a childhood like that is normally something society praises. He doesn't mess around at nightclubs or with other vices, and remains of the more well behaved high profile athletes in professional sports.
Whether you love him or hate him, I can't make you do anything. I can only encourage you to look at the reasons why you hate him and decide whether the energy you devote to hating him is really that deserved. The truth is, LeBron is not a bad individual, on or off the court, and the time for hating him for his past transgressions is over. Forgive his "Decision" and make your own.
Sunday, June 17, 2012
Thursday, June 7, 2012
Tim Tebow: The Unintended Cancer
Terrell Owens. Adam "Pacman" Jones. Chad Ochocinco .
These players are just a sample of a select group of NFL players that have at one point been referred to as a cancer to their team. These "cancers" are players that hold a team down through one or more factors such as an attitude problem, poor work ethic or a negative public image.
So how could Tim Tebow possibly be grouped in with these players? He has a stellar attitude and work ethic, and he couldn't be more well liked by the media and fans. He is a proven winner and leader, and is a pure and chaste individual who is very proud of his Christianity.
So what is wrong with Tim Tebow?
I don't want Tim Tebow on my team. Even as a GM or coach, I would still feel this way about him, and its for a very specific reason. Tim Tebow, for all his popularity and glamor, has found a way to be a monumental distraction in what has been a relatively short NFL career. It is unfortunate, because for the most part, it's not his fault. He can't control the media, what they say about him or what they write. Every statement he makes is scrutinized by thousands of fans, analysts and players, and that sort of exposure can be dangerous. His career in Denver quickly became a media circus, resulting in him basically leapfrogging Brady Quinn on the depth chart and then winning him the starting job over Kyle Orton, a proven capable quarterback, without ever having earned the role based on performance.
Tim Tebow gained a lot of respect in the league for his morals and his devotion to the fundamental details of football. His poor statistical performances, even in games that Denver won, were overshadowed by the pure media hype that TIM TEBOW won again, and that the kid was a winner, a saint, a Pro Bowler and just about everything else but a decent quarterback. John Elway repeatedly stood behind Tebow and praised his ability to lead the team. Confident as they seemed that they had found their franchise quarterback, Denver nonetheless won the Peyton Manning sweepstakes and Tim Tebow's time in the Mile High was done.
So now Tebow finds himself in New York, with the Jets, of all teams. All of the leagues biggest ego's, all in one place, and they still haven't found a way to co-exist. And above all of the Jet's current issues stands one huge powder keg just waiting for Tim Tebow to land smack dab in. They have a hard knocks, no bullshit coach who likes to tell it how it is and speak plainly. They have a diva wide receiver who decides when and how much he wants to practice. They have an immensely talented D that under performs in a vast majority of their games. They are in limbo in what is quickly becoming one of the toughest divisions in the league and to top it all off, they have issues with incumbent QB Mark Sanchez. Sanchez, a frequent target of criticism from fans and his coach alike during his tenure with the Jets, has been left to consider how quickly he can ( and will) lose his job to fan favorite Tim Tebow if he so much as flirts with slumping play.
This is the Tim Tebow situation. Tim is used to getting what he wants, and he gets it without begging or complaining or even earning it in some cases. His fatal flaw as an NFL player is not his statistical shortcomings, as we have seen before that stats do not always translate to wins and vice versa. His flaw is that he attracts too much attention to himself and his team, and this in turn puts pressure on the front office to make him relevant in any way possible. Even his recent placement on the punt coverage team made national news.
It is regrettable to group Tebow in with other troubled players, because he suffers from none of the transgressions of other players.However, if he is to truly succeed in the NFL, it will require him to find a balance between being the player everyone loves and the player who does right by his team.
Tebow is a rare breed in the NFL, one of the few players who work hard, pray hard, keep their vices down and cherish the game. He deserves a better legacy than a distraction and I think in time, he will see that the true road to success in the NFL is done out on the field and not on camera.
These players are just a sample of a select group of NFL players that have at one point been referred to as a cancer to their team. These "cancers" are players that hold a team down through one or more factors such as an attitude problem, poor work ethic or a negative public image.
So how could Tim Tebow possibly be grouped in with these players? He has a stellar attitude and work ethic, and he couldn't be more well liked by the media and fans. He is a proven winner and leader, and is a pure and chaste individual who is very proud of his Christianity.
So what is wrong with Tim Tebow?
I don't want Tim Tebow on my team. Even as a GM or coach, I would still feel this way about him, and its for a very specific reason. Tim Tebow, for all his popularity and glamor, has found a way to be a monumental distraction in what has been a relatively short NFL career. It is unfortunate, because for the most part, it's not his fault. He can't control the media, what they say about him or what they write. Every statement he makes is scrutinized by thousands of fans, analysts and players, and that sort of exposure can be dangerous. His career in Denver quickly became a media circus, resulting in him basically leapfrogging Brady Quinn on the depth chart and then winning him the starting job over Kyle Orton, a proven capable quarterback, without ever having earned the role based on performance.
Tim Tebow gained a lot of respect in the league for his morals and his devotion to the fundamental details of football. His poor statistical performances, even in games that Denver won, were overshadowed by the pure media hype that TIM TEBOW won again, and that the kid was a winner, a saint, a Pro Bowler and just about everything else but a decent quarterback. John Elway repeatedly stood behind Tebow and praised his ability to lead the team. Confident as they seemed that they had found their franchise quarterback, Denver nonetheless won the Peyton Manning sweepstakes and Tim Tebow's time in the Mile High was done.
So now Tebow finds himself in New York, with the Jets, of all teams. All of the leagues biggest ego's, all in one place, and they still haven't found a way to co-exist. And above all of the Jet's current issues stands one huge powder keg just waiting for Tim Tebow to land smack dab in. They have a hard knocks, no bullshit coach who likes to tell it how it is and speak plainly. They have a diva wide receiver who decides when and how much he wants to practice. They have an immensely talented D that under performs in a vast majority of their games. They are in limbo in what is quickly becoming one of the toughest divisions in the league and to top it all off, they have issues with incumbent QB Mark Sanchez. Sanchez, a frequent target of criticism from fans and his coach alike during his tenure with the Jets, has been left to consider how quickly he can ( and will) lose his job to fan favorite Tim Tebow if he so much as flirts with slumping play.
This is the Tim Tebow situation. Tim is used to getting what he wants, and he gets it without begging or complaining or even earning it in some cases. His fatal flaw as an NFL player is not his statistical shortcomings, as we have seen before that stats do not always translate to wins and vice versa. His flaw is that he attracts too much attention to himself and his team, and this in turn puts pressure on the front office to make him relevant in any way possible. Even his recent placement on the punt coverage team made national news.
It is regrettable to group Tebow in with other troubled players, because he suffers from none of the transgressions of other players.However, if he is to truly succeed in the NFL, it will require him to find a balance between being the player everyone loves and the player who does right by his team.
Tebow is a rare breed in the NFL, one of the few players who work hard, pray hard, keep their vices down and cherish the game. He deserves a better legacy than a distraction and I think in time, he will see that the true road to success in the NFL is done out on the field and not on camera.
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