LeBetrayal

I'd like to play devil's advocate for a spell, and talk about LeBron's nationally-televised betrayal of the Cleveland sporting world. When an unfavorable act is perpetrated, the perpetrator should only be condemned if the act is committed with calculated malice. LeBron's planned one-hour television special seems to indicate some level of calculation. And anybody who understands the concept of empathy could have told you that any decision, other than Cleveland, would have resulted in a city-wide disaster in LeBron's home town. But did LeBron understand all the possible consequences of his actions? I am hesitant to say yes.

LeBron has always appeared slightly aloof to me. We remember how he infamously wore a NY Yankees hat to an Indians game when the original NY Knicks rumors began. From this we can extrapolate that LeBron either likes attention when he stirs up controversy, or he does not understand the subtleties that would indicate how such an action would be perceived as hurtful. It's probably a little of both. LeBron is another example of an athlete who has been unconditionally loved and coddled since high school. Labeled as the "The Chosen One" and "The King", he has been treated as such for his entire adult life. He knows nothing else. Up until this point, nothing he has ever done has ever swayed the public's love for him.

So if you are surrounded by yes men and adulating fans for your entire life, how would an individual learn about all the things that anger people? More importantly, never knowing hatred, LeBron doesn't truly fear being universally reviled as most people would. His ego probably prohibited him from even considering it as a possibility. I remember the first time I experienced the feeling of what it was like to be hated. It was unsettling. LeBron really felt that for the first time on Thursday night.

(Doug Benc/Getty Images)

You can actually pinpoint the moment where LeBron realized the pain he may have inflicted on the city that raised him. When Michael Wilbon showed LeBron his jersey burning in the streets of Cleveland, you could see the shock in LeBron's eyes. His body physically recoiled for a few seconds as he collected himself. His face indicated shock and disbelief (which also speaks more to his aloofness). I don't think LeBron truly realized the destruction he would leave in his wake by announcing his plans to leave Cleveland for Miami on national television. I believe that LeBron bought into his brand and universal appeal so much that he truly believed he was giving the world what they wanted when he scheduled his TV special.

Such a tremendous ego is not built without enablers, so I can't totally fault LeBron. Anybody who is referred to as royalty their whole life wouldn't be very well-adjusted socially. Instead they would behave as such to fulfill expectations. LeBron believed he walked on water, and nobody told him otherwise. And nobody around him stopped from unleashing hell in Cleveland. The whole situation deeply saddens me. I'm sad for the fans in Cleveland. I'm sad for LeBron's totally warped view of the world. I've always held that ignorance should never elicit contempt -- it should elicit pity. And right now, I pity all those Cleveland fools.

(Too soon for a Mr. T joke? My bad.)

One other note: The intensity of LeBron's newfound hatred can only be linked to his decision to hold a television special and not so much his decision to leave. By scheduling a television special on ESPN, he made his decision a singular event. An event that everybody in Cleveland can now collectively remember. "Where were you when LeBron betrayed us?" will be another common question seared into the tortured Cleveland sports fan's psyche. The shared experience of all of Cleveland being simultaneously disemboweled will forever enhance LeBron's hatred in Cleveland. Had he kept expectations low and announced his decision through a short public statement to the press, the sting would not nearly be so great. Sure, Cleveland would still be weeping today, but they wouldn't be calling for blood. Sports fans around the country and in Cleveland alike would have heard the news haphazardly throughout the day, on radio stations and second-hand through friends. The point is, there wouldn't have been one singular event that united and incited the angry mob mentality.

(Not to mention announcing your intentions to leave discretely is infinitely more respectful than a one-hour television special. LBJ pretty much did the polar opposite of discrete. Such utter disregard for common sense can only be chalked up to extreme assholery and/or extreme aloofness. Oh well, at least the Boys and Girls Club got some money. )