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.
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