Thank the good, sweet Lord it’s over. There will be no more wall to wall reports on who’s wooing the king and where he should or shouldn’t go. No more sports reporters trying to make a name for themselves by breaking suspect insider information. The most interesting question in the 2010 NBA LeBronstakes “Will he choose money, loyalty, or the chance at a championship?” has been answered. The king chose a shot at a championship. I was rooting for loyalty, even though loyalty has been a long shot for as long as I can remember.
By Hans Hetrick:
LeBron is going to South Beach where he belongs? That doesn’t sound right. LeBron will always be Midwest–hulking and polite. But despite his good manners, the king decided to tear out the heart Cleveland’s hopes and dreams on national television. LeBron had no qualms cashing in on his opportunity for self-promotion and media attention in spite of Cleveland’s fervent utter lack of shame in trying to keep him at home. Even though your girlfriend is a psychotic wreck after the break up, a gentleman keeps it all on the down low.
LeBron leaves Cleveland without a championship or any hopes of a championship for some time to come. And although he’s now permanently etched his name onto the long tablet of Cleveland sports villains alongside John Elway, Brian Sipe (defecting to the USFL), and Jose Mesa, he can’t claim to be the champion in that court either. That title will always belong to Mr. Art Modell. At least LeBron didn’t take the whole team with him. Not literally anyways.
But the point is that Cleveland is and always will be a football town. Modell ripped Cleveland’s true pride, the Browns, out of our hands. Professional football was born in Canton, Ohio. Paul Brown devised the modern forward passing game in Municipal Stadium. And northeast Ohio remains one of the most fertile high school football regions in the country.
An NBA championship spearheaded by a local boy would have been sweet, a good story, but it would have been only a salve rubbed onto the plight of the Cleveland Browns. A Vince Lombardi trophy will be sweeter. Let’s hope Mike Holmgren has the Browns pointed in the right direction. He better hurry though, Jim Brown isn’t getting any younger.