This is a story about two men who took a sport and made it into their own at a very young age. With fame came more fame and admiration throughout society. They lived a life where nothing would be able to go wrong and get in their way. But tragically, tribulation took over to haunt these men that most children look up to. Through a sex scandal and a decision, reputations were tarnished. Yet, since these fiascos, society has seemed to give a free pass to one of these men, while the other waits as the villain.
A high-school phenom entered the rings of the NBA at the age of 18 with an enormous chip on his shoulder by being crowned the next Michael Jordan without hesitation. Out of Akron, Ohio, rose this man among boys geared to make the city of Cleveland become relevant in sports once again. The city of terror and torture with the loveable losers of the Browns and Indians came about a team with a new identity aimed for greatest. And there stood the 6’8” frame of a king, LeBron James.
During his rookie season, he went a list that only legends Oscar Robertson and Michael Jordan are on. James averaged 20 points, five rebounds, and five assists a game as a kid still in his late-teens. His claim to fame in Cleveland rose each season to new heights, as he quickly became a superstar in a celebrity-ridden league. After seeing LeBron in his first appearance in Milwaukee that first winter, I saw something that I have never seen before. James had the ability to control the entire arena and make it his own. He was Napoleon conquering the whole NBA.
Years past and titles still slipped through the hand of James and his beloved Cavaliers. Finally, this past summer, LeBron made a decision to leave Cleveland for South Beach on national television. The special that aired on ESPN infuriated not only the city of Cleveland, but also the entire nation for his charades of public display. The admired LeBron James turned from the superhero into the villain.
National Basketball Association
We seem to be harder on LeBron with his fiasco with the decision than we are of Tiger Woods and his scandal, among other outrageous behaviors of athletes.
When Woods withdrew himself from his last PGA Tournament, it was all whispers and jeers about Tiger’s return to the course after his knee and his reformation of his swing. There was zero mention of one of the biggest scandals in sports history.
Woods entered the scene of professional golf in 1996 after signing a huge deal with Nike. His first event, the Greater Milwaukee Open, opened up doors for him to succeed early, and Tiger did just that. He won the biggest event in golf, The Masters, in only his second season and became the face of the sport right after.
There has arguably been nobody that has controlled the entire sports at his whim like Tiger Woods. People have watched golf on television and took the trip to golf courses just to watch Tiger play the game. When Woods first got injured and tore his ACL at the 2008 U.S. Open, the game of golf cringed in fear that ratings and popularity would sink drastically without the face. They were not prepared for what was next.
Once the first tabloid was published defacing the name of Tiger, more quickly followed. It was known that he had multiple affairs with his wife Elin Nordegren. The one-time beloved hero of many became a disappointment. Finally, after almost two years of rebuilding his reputation, Tiger has been able to come back onto the golf course without much controversy.
Sports Illustrated
The only argument to say that LeBron caused the biggest commotion is that he killed the spirits of an entire city that glorified like a god. But didn’t Tiger betray the entire sport of golf. Yet, now golf says it is okay to love the most powerful man in the history of the sport, and basketball has agreed that hating LeBron is actually a good thing for the sport.
The NBA community has been able to look past other fiascos like Kobe Bryant’s alleged sexual assault and Ron Artest’s melee at Auburn Hills. Kobe has risen once again to become one of the most popular men in basketball history. Artest has been able to not just hold up a NBA Championship, but also this past season’s J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award for all his hard charitable work.
The positive thing with LeBron James is that his has bit his lip this season knowing that the way that his decision was announced was in bad taste and sucked up to admit the role of the villain in basketball.
Kids are still able to adore James just as children should adore Tiger, Kobe, and others. In time, LeBron will be forgiven. He flaunted while the others hid in shame. But, people are similar to LeBron because they are willing to sacrifice for a greater opportunity. What we aren’t noticing is that we would have done the same thing with our own selfishness just as James did this past summer. We just don’t want to admit that we are all selfish. The Tiger situation is something that people can only dream of…to be perfect your entire life and then have the world to find out that your only problem is a petty sex addiction.