I was listening to the Stephen A. Smith show today and he was talking about the Miami Heat's big three and their defensive dominance in their game 1 victory over Dallas. During the rant Mr. Smith referred to the big three as role models. It immediately hit me wrong, but why? Upon further review I completely agree with Stephen A's assessment. If you look beyond the surface the Miami Heat, and LeBron James in particular, are role models. That makes King James one of the most hated role model in the world.
LeBron James is the most polarizing figure in sports. Either you love him or you hate him. Let's not fool ourselves, people do not hate the Heat. They hate the King! And King James has flourished under the the pressure all year . I agree with the masses that LeBron should have handled "The Decision" better, but his actions since then are deserving of role model status. We all praise people who say "there is no I in team, and "all these athletes do now a days is chase the money". LeBron did neither, choosing to take less money for a chance to win multiple championships. Dan Gilbert, Cleveland Cavaliers owner, took several personal shots at LeBron upon his free agency exit. King James took the high road and turned the other cheek. LeBron faced questions about his loyalty and character off the court, and his failure to close out close games on the court. As the season progressed we witnessed LeBron James fight through adversity, become a go to guy, and lead his team to the NBA finals. All with the entire world rooting against him. I would love for my children to fight through adversity, turn the other cheek, put goals before money, and to do it even if only a few want them to succeed. I am rooting for King James to win now, I root for role models.
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
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