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Lebron James


Telemundo219

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I don't know if the should go in the Lounge or Sports-In-General.

Look, I truthfully respect Lebron James as a player. Compared to someone of his age, his playing/basketball skills/IQ are tremendous. I believe he will be one of the best players of all time. However, I have really grown annoyed of him but not because anything he done, but because of how aggressive the media tries to market him. I mean, come on, his almost everywhere to point that I don't like and could never think of rooting for the Cavaliers.

If you don't believe me, let me give some examples:

1. Before playing a NBA game, James is signed to 90 million dollar contract, far greater than what Jordan got when he first came and greater than Kobe Bryant's sneaker deal.

2.In 2003, James got the ROY when Carmelo Anthony clearly had a better season than James plus the Nuggets made the playoffs while the Cavs missed it.

3. During the 2004 season, TNT shows commercials for the playoffs before they start with players whose teams are regulars in the postseason. James appeared on the commercial and his team didn't make the postseason that year.

4.ESPN had a poll asking who we thought the most popular player in sports (in general) was. They had Tiger Woods, Roger Federer, and you guessed it: Lebron James, when there are a number of players in the NBA or in other sports more popular than he is (then and now).

5. ESPN (again) over exaggerates many of his game highlights when it's clearly seen that he does about the same dunk all the time (he just dunks forcefully making it appear that it's tremendous). Along with this, some days he has 2-4 highlights in sportscenter's top ten plays of the night on some occasions.

6. (One more time) Analyze ESPN's headliners (the things that shows scores and stats at the bottom). About every time the Cavs play, his name is always appearing eventhough there games when other players on the team have more points than he has. This was even more noticeable during the 2006 WBC, when there were multiple games where players like Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh, and Dwight Howard had the most points on the team during games, but Lebron James would like 10, and only his name would appear at bottom of the screen.

7.Look at the recent NBA TV schedule and the current one. The Cavs have played on ABC maybe 3 or 4 weeks in a row, are playing for the next couple weeks on ABC (or ESPN on ABC), and have played multiple games during those weeks on ESPN or TNT.

8. This one that really gets me mad. Look at the latest commercial for the Nike Air Force 25. We have at most 12 All-Stars in the commercial. Good commercial you think. No. Even though they show every player playing in the pickup game, except for,I think, Paul Pierce, James is shown about 2-4 times more than Steve Nash, two-type MVP, Kobe Bryant, one of the greatest player's of all time and second place in points scored in one game.

9. All Star game intro, James again the middle (but you can debate that because the players were lined up in position order but that could also be a cover-up/deliberate illusion)

10. Go to sites like NBA.com or ESPN.com almost any day, and you will see Lebron James' name there multiple times.

Like I said earlier, dude is a great player, no question, but I think takes a lot from his basketball talent when he's just a marketing toy. And what's even worst is, it not like we (fans) naturally grew support him but the media or big business force his image and name down our throats to the point that we all (except me and a few others) are giving in to this marketing ploy. When are these players going to become only players and not marketing toys just to make bucks. When are (the fans) going to get the chance to think with our own minds instead having the media and corporations control them.

I just want to know what yall think (but I know more than half of yall probably already fell into the marketing trap to the point you won't even recognize what I talking about <_< ).

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College sports as we know them are just about dead. The lid is off on all the corruption that taints just about every major program and every decision that the schools or the NCAA make is only about money, money, and more money. We'll have three 16+ team super-conferences sooner rather than later, killing much of the regional flair and traditional rivalries that make college sports unique and showing the door to any school that doesn't bring money to the table in the process. Pretty soon the smaller schools are going to have to consider forming their own sanctioning body to keep the true spirit of college sports alive because the NCAA will only get worse in it's excess from here
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Maybe I'm just playing devil's advocate here, but let's try and break a few of these down.

1. Before playing a NBA game, James is signed to 90 million dollar contract, far greater than what Jordan got when he first came and greater than Kobe Bryant's sneaker deal.

Inflation, my friend. Dollars are not worth the same today as they were when Jordan entered the league. Add into that the market for players' salaries that continues to escalate and always will, and it's very sensical that James got more than Jordan did, just like the next phenom to come along will get more than James did.

Also, I'm not sure whether you're referring to his player contract or his $95-million endorsement deal with Nike. If it's the latter, then you can't really fault him for taking the money and running. That's how the free market works. If Nike overpaid, so be it. They're the ones who will have to deal with the consequences.

2.In 2003, James got the ROY when Carmelo Anthony clearly had a better season than James plus the Nuggets made the playoffs while the Cavs missed it.

Carmelo had 21.0 points per game in his rookie season; Lebron had 20.9 ppg. I wouldn't call that "clearly" a better season. Lebron also had 5.5 rebounds and 5.9 assists per game, joining Michael Jordan and Oscar Robertson as the only players ever to to average 20 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists per game in their rookie seasons. Plus Carmelo probably had a better cast around him, hence making the playoffs. Making the playoffs is not a prerequisite for the Rookie of the Year award.

3. During the 2004 season, TNT shows commercials for the playoffs before they start with players whose teams are regulars in the postseason. James appeared on the commercial and his team didn't make the postseason that year.

A calculated risk that backfired. Really, why wouldn't TNT want the hottest star in the league in their commercials?

4.ESPN had a poll asking who we thought the most popular player in sports (in general) was. They had Tiger Woods, Roger Federer, and you guessed it: Lebron James, when there are a number of players in the NBA or in other sports more popular than he is (then and now).

I would argue that Lebron is absolutely the most recognizable player globally in the NBA right now. In different regions, there may be more popular players β€” i.e. Yao Ming in China, Steve Nash in Canada, Dirk Nowitzki in Germany β€” but still everyone knows who Lebron is. There may be a few guys who are up there on the same plane with him, like Kobe, Shaq or D-Wade, but no one above him on a global scale.

And the poll wasn't asking who was the most popular player 20 years ago; they were asking about the here and now.

5. ESPN (again) over exaggerates many of his game highlights when it's clearly seen that he does about the same dunk all the time (he just dunks forcefully making it appear that it's tremendous). Along with this, some days he has 2-4 highlights in sportscenter's top ten plays of the night on some occasions.

OK, you've got me there. Maybe it was just a slow sports day?

6. (One more time) Analyze ESPN's headliners (the things that shows scores and stats at the bottom). About every time the Cavs play, his name is always appearing eventhough there games when other players on the team have more points than he has. This was even more noticeable during the 2006 WBC, when there were multiple games where players like Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh, and Dwight Howard had the most points on the team during games, but Lebron James would like 10, and only his name would appear at bottom of the screen.

He's a popular player, people care about what he's doing.

7.Look at the recent NBA TV schedule and the current one. The Cavs have played on ABC maybe 3 or 4 weeks in a row, are playing for the next couple weeks on ABC (or ESPN on ABC), and have played multiple games during those weeks on ESPN or TNT.

Networks want ratings, and to get ratings, you've got to draw fans in. Lebron is the type of player who can draw in the casual NBA fan. He'll get people who wouldn't normally watch basketball to tune in, and that will equal more advertising money for the networks.

8. This one that really gets me mad. Look at the latest commercial for the Nike Air Force 25. We have at most 12 All-Stars in the commercial. Good commercial you think. No. Even though they show every player playing in the pickup game, except for,I think, Paul Pierce, James is shown about 2-4 times more than Steve Nash, two-type MVP, Kobe Bryant, one of the greatest player's of all time and second place in points scored in one game.

I referenced Lebron's $95-million contract with Nike earlier. You think they're going to pay a guy all that money and then not showcase him in their commercials? That's not a wise way to spend that kind of money.

9. All Star game intro, James again the middle (but you can debate that because the players were lined up in position order but that could also be a cover-up/deliberate illusion)

Purely co-incidental. Lebron plays small forward, so they probably had them come out PG-SG-SF-PF-C, or 1-2-3-4-5. Even if it was the other way around (I'll admit I didn't watch the intros) he'd still be in the middle.

10. Go to sites like NBA.com or ESPN.com almost any day, and you will see Lebron James' name there multiple times.

You've got to give the people what they want. Maybe it is just a "marketing trap," as you say, but it's working. He'll have his haters β€” everyone does β€” but they will almost always be outnumbered by the people who want to see him.

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I am skeptical of anyone who receives an enormous amount of hype without having proven anything, so I will probably remain unimpressed by LeBron for years to come.

It's the world we live in...flash before talent, and you hear too much about people without actually seeing them perform first.

That's not to say LeBron wasn't worth the hype...stat-wise, it seems to be true. But I think it's just my nature to be unimpressed with the media stars.

And just for the record, I feel the same way about Sidney Crosby.

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Officeglenn, you seem to say a lot that they're giving people what they want. Well who said they wanted it? Back to the 2003 ROY, the East like they are now, was probably a lot worse except for the top 2 or 3 teams and Cleveland still couldn't make it. With Denver, sometimes who gotta give credit where credit is due. Denver was one of the worst, if not the worst, teams in the NBA a season before. You're acting like they added on some great players that would've made a difference elsewhere. Neither one team would've have made the playoffs without either Melo or Lebron. But you made my point with your comment about their teams. Melo average more on a better team. If Lebron would've done more, not would he deserve the ROY but his team would've made the playoffs. There was a poll before the gave the ROY out that year saying who deserved more and the fans indeed voted Melo only for him not to get the award. Regardless of all the comebacks who might have, who can't tell me that what I'm saying is true unless you're one of those people who has a media blindfold over their eyes.

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College sports as we know them are just about dead. The lid is off on all the corruption that taints just about every major program and every decision that the schools or the NCAA make is only about money, money, and more money. We'll have three 16+ team super-conferences sooner rather than later, killing much of the regional flair and traditional rivalries that make college sports unique and showing the door to any school that doesn't bring money to the table in the process. Pretty soon the smaller schools are going to have to consider forming their own sanctioning body to keep the true spirit of college sports alive because the NCAA will only get worse in it's excess from here
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Am I the only one who feels that LeBron, to somewhat of a small extent, saved the NBA? I mean, it's not like the NBA was going the NHL route, but it needed a player to market. Its best players were basically thugs and arguably the best one was a rapist.

I really think Bettman should take note of LeBron, and do with Sid and Ovie what the NBA did with LeBron.

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Am I the only one who feels that LeBron, to somewhat of a small extent, saved the NBA? I mean, it's not like the NBA was going the NHL route, but it needed a player to market. Its best players were basically thugs and arguably the best one was a rapist.

I really think Bettman should take note of LeBron, and do with Sid and Ovie what the NBA did with LeBron.

IMO, he didn't save a damn thing in the NBA. He may have exacerbated the existing problems.

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Am I the only one who feels that LeBron, to somewhat of a small extent, saved the NBA? I mean, it's not like the NBA was going the NHL route, but it needed a player to market. Its best players were basically thugs and arguably the best one was a rapist.

I really think Bettman should take note of LeBron, and do with Sid and Ovie what the NBA did with LeBron.

<_< I think you need to keep some of that though to yourself. Thugs??? Rapist?? Dude, how do you know Lebron James ain't thug? or rapist? Those kind of judgments of players are contributing to the NBA's decline now. Look Lebron is great for the league but so are many others like DWade or Melo, and perfect example Dwight Howard. If the NBA is improving, it's a joint mission not individual one.

MetsChiefsEspnSig.gif

College sports as we know them are just about dead. The lid is off on all the corruption that taints just about every major program and every decision that the schools or the NCAA make is only about money, money, and more money. We'll have three 16+ team super-conferences sooner rather than later, killing much of the regional flair and traditional rivalries that make college sports unique and showing the door to any school that doesn't bring money to the table in the process. Pretty soon the smaller schools are going to have to consider forming their own sanctioning body to keep the true spirit of college sports alive because the NCAA will only get worse in it's excess from here
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Am I the only one who feels that LeBron, to somewhat of a small extent, saved the NBA? I mean, it's not like the NBA was going the NHL route, but it needed a player to market. Its best players were basically thugs and arguably the best one was a rapist.

I really think Bettman should take note of LeBron, and do with Sid and Ovie what the NBA did with LeBron.

<_< I think you need to keep some of that though to yourself. Thugs??? Rapist?? Dude, how do you know Lebron James ain't thug? or rapist? Those kind of judgments of players are contributing to the NBA's decline now. Look Lebron is great for the league but so are many others like DWade or Melo, and perfect example Dwight Howard. If the NBA is improving, it's a joint mission not individual one.

Didn't 'Melo get into trouble over some things in Baltimore?

Anyway the NBA markets *most* of those young stars just fine. (And protects them just as well....as YET ANOTHER Maverick is whistled for fouling Wade. :rolleyes: )

On 8/1/2010 at 4:01 PM, winters in buffalo said:
You manage to balance agitation with just enough salient points to keep things interesting. Kind of a low-rent DG_Now.
On 1/2/2011 at 9:07 PM, Sodboy13 said:
Today, we are all otaku.

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I think LeBron's popularity comes from the fact that he was the most hyped high school athlete ever. We've all known or at least heard about him since he was 16. People like him and have known him for a while. I personally don't have a problem with him making money. I feel that he should if he can.

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to the thread starter,

i understand the sentiments towards lebron and the mass marketing. However, that is exactly what the NBA should do. Most of us knows who the Dirks, Shaqs, Kobes, Lebrons are, because of mass saturation of really what you articulated in your post. I remember a few years ago when Shaq, Jordan all got the same attention that LeBron got. I can't think of a single person who doesn't know who Shaq or Jordan is. Contrast that with the NHL who outside of the sports world, i can't think of a single person who knows who Sidney Crobsy even is. Save for residents in ontario, and pittsburgh, maybe philadelphia and patches around New England. outside that, go to a suburd outside of Fort Worth, Texas, and you'll be hard pressed to find people who know who sidney crosby is. However, in the same area, you are guarenteed to find people who know who Shaq, Kobe, Jordan, LeBron is. again why? because the NBA does mass saturation of marketing.

now why does ESPN continue to show him like he does. Remember this, the media by in large has hyped up LeBron. The media which dictates what we see and think has made LeBron this mega star. The media is a corporation, they are interested in Ratings which = money. Now ESPN which part of the ABC/Disney and god knows whoelse they own, is a media outlet, they feed off ratings which inturns turns in to revenue. If Lebron is the hottest star on america right now, then the media is going to feature the star so they can make the money.

That is why we knew who LeBron was at an early age because media outlets wanted someone to feature and get a jump start on the next best thing. You have to remember when Lebron sign that deal with nike, Nike was taking a risk. They damn well knew that LeBron had the potential to be a severly overrated piece of crap that nike would have no use for, but they took the game that he was worth the game and threw money at him, ASSUMING that he was worth there money and would perform.

I don't fault LeBraun, he was just a product of all the media hype. if that hype leads to a mega endorsement deal, then future is set. He isn't goign to turn that down. he isn't stupid, he's not turning down millions of dollars of endorsements. anybody in his position would do the same, anyone that says differently is lying and lying to themselves.

I personally am not a big fan of hyping with out playing a single minute in a pro league. I much rather a player come in and prove himself. then start in with the hype and mega endorsement deals. Again with the league and media being a business which is mainly a bottom line mentality, they want to start early.

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Spoilers!

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