Thursday, July 15, 2010
An Open Letter to Dan Gilbert
Dear Mr. Gilbert,
I wonder if you were surprised, like I was, at the backlash over your letter to Cavs fans where you eviscerated LeBron James and guaranteed the Cavs would win a championship before he did.
As I say, I was surprised, and it seemed to erode the level of well-wishing that the country gave to us Cleveland fans in light of James' decision. They said this would hurt the Cavs standing with other free agents (I seriously doubt that) and make James less willing to leave for Miami via a helpful sign-and-trade maneuver (already shown to be untrue).
I'm a transplanted Akron native and when I hear the people around me talking about LeBron, and you, and the fans, they seemed to fundamentally misapprehend the whole situation almost regardless of the opinions they proffer. They don't understand why you "stooped to that level." They don't understand why Cavs fans are committing "classless" acts, like burning jerseys.
I'm going to use this space to try to make people understand.
First, everyone, if you are a fan of any given city's sports teams, they probably win you some championships every now and again. I'm in the shadows of Philadelphia, who since 1964 have won a major pro sports title in 1967, 1974, 1975, 1980, 1983, and 2008. Wipe all of those out. Pretend, as hard as you can, that they never happened.
Next, imagine your city, your region, is one almost universally made fun of and insulted. Joakim Noah takes his shots. People refer to you as "the mistake by the lake." Nothing flattering or even neutral is named after you. There's no Cleveland Cream Cheese or Cleveland Cheesesteaks. There's no Vegas casino called "Cleveland, Cleveland."
Did you just laugh? Because that's so preposterous? That's my point. People have learned I'm from Akron and then straightforwardly insulted the area and expressed lack of surprise that I moved away. Again, imagine all this about your city. Close your eyes tight if you have to.
Then, pretend your team drafted the most hyped athlete in the history of drafts, and that he lived up to the hype. In a city known for terrible sports teams, you now have the best of the best.
Then, on top of having the best player in the sport, imagine that guy is from there, too. He's from your region. And he represents it hard. He tells reporters, "I love Akron to death" and that if he had gone to college he would have gone to local, mid-level University of Akron and spurned the big programs.
And finally, on top of all this, imagine he's a nice, likable, intelligent man. He's never been in trouble. He's the kind of person you're not just proud of on the court, but off it. Considering how much hype and how many shady characters have surrounded him since he was 15, you're amazed at how grounded he seems to be.
Then he dumps your ass on a national television special of his own creation
The use of the word dump is very apt here, because the emotions that Cleveland fans are going through are very much like that of a non-mutual breakup. Here, more people can relate. If you've been dumped by someone you love and hoped to spend the rest of your life with, don't you get pretty emotional? Don't you say some nasty things and maybe even do nasty deeds, not just in spite of still seeing your ex's great qualities, but because of it?
Then you might understand why Cleveland fans are lashing out. And how disappointing are Jesse Jackson's comments about Clevelanders wanting LeBron to be a "slave?" As much as we hate to lose him, would a single Cavs fan want him here against his will? Of course not, that's the whole point of our anger and grief; he doesn't want us. I would expect better understanding from a man who has brokered the release of hostages in Syria and Serbia, but I suppose he, like every other non-local, just doesn't get it.
Well, one non-local gets it, and a Michigander, no less. That's where you come in, Dan. Your letter was an incredible antidote to the pain Northeast Ohioans are suffering. I think most of us had no idea what kind of person you were before this letter. Here now, we know we have an owner who cares as much as we do, is as angry as we are, and is driven to win championships for us without him. We lost LeBron James, but in doing, so we discovered we have the best damn owner in the NBA.
I understand that there were a lot of fans offering to send in money in a symbolic gesture to help pay the $100,000 fine David Stern levied against you. Your response, in part:
"I will pay this fine myself, but would be grateful and highly appreciative for any fan who redirects the dollars they kindly offered to contribute towards this fine to the Cavaliers Youth Fund, which will positively impact our region's kids through the numerous local charitable groups the Cavaliers Youth Fund supports."
Thank you, Dan, I will pass it along.
Kevin Beane
***
So, readers, if what I wrote here makes any sense to you, if you can empathize with our plight or understand the bitterness, if you want to strike back with us, then please, do just as Dan Gilbert asks and make a statement that will make an actual difference in a child's life.