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.
July 15, 2010
Alberto Rodriguez:
Very well writte and to the point. Let me give you my point of view as someone from Miami and who has cheered for the Heat since they came to the NBA. I feel Cleveland fans have every right to feel the way they do about Lebron’s departure; I also agree that the way he handled his “desicion” was absurd, and an insult to those who faithfully cheered for him during his time with the cavaliers. Now as far as Mr. Gilbert, we (the rest of the world) would have been fine with it, if not for all of the “quitter” “coward”, etc hate the threw in there. How did he expect anyone to react differently when just weeks prior, he was trying his best to get LBJ to stay? If he really felt that way about Lebron, then how come none of this came before the “desicion”? I am not going to hide the fact that your loss is my team’s gain, and I don’t feel an ounce of regret for Lebron comming to Miami. Any simphathy I might have felt for Cleveland was taken away by Gilbert’s ignorant, ill adviced letter.
July 15, 2010
Anthony Brancato:
Oops, you forgot about the Rock ‘n Roll Hall of Fame! Plus Huey Lewis mentioned Cleveland in his 1984 hit “The Heart Of Rock & Roll,” as did Chubby Checker in “Twistin’ U.S.A.” more than two decades earlier - and not pejoratively, in either case.
And until Dan Gilbert puts out a line of Fathead posters of UFC fighters, Gilbert is, well, a fathead.
July 16, 2010
Mick:
I dont know why people are so upset about LeBron getting out of OH-HIGH-OH and going to the much better Miami. Hell be on a better team, in a better city, with better fans, and way better management.
Anyone else would have made the same move!
July 16, 2010
Fortune Cookies:
I am from Nashville. We have a relatively good reputation, as far as cities and regions go, but the betrayal Ohioans and specifically Clevelanders feel over Lebron’s pious and pompous departure, in my opinion, is absolutely justified. I’m not a sports fan. I didn’t even know who Lebron James was until last winter when my father in law took my wife to a game and she was glowing with excitement over seeing him play. But I have to tell you, I was in Cleveland visiting my in-laws when the announcement was made. I witnessed the city shut down, actually shut down to tune in and listen for the news. I saw the shock, the pain, the anger on the faces…It was reminiscent to me of last 4th of July, when in Nashville, we awoke to the news of Steve McNair’s murder. Only this time, the offender was your own, and the crime was committed by his own free will. I remember that night, after Cleveland found out Lebron would go to Miami, we were on the way home from my brother in law’s house, and I said to my wife, “Cleveland is like the jilted lover of the sports arena.” and that sentiment is exactly what you have expressed here. Cleveland, Cavs fans, you have my empathy, my sympathy and my condolences.
July 16, 2010
BT:
I knew LeChoke wasn’t going back to Cleveland after watching the series against Boston. He did give up. The Cavs lost by 30+ pts like three times in that series, two of them at home! Something was up there. 30+ pts at home? Come on!! I was hoping he’d go some place else, so I wasn’t surprised. I am surprised at all the gerrymandering to get all this ridiculousness in Miami. I thought Chicago. When you think basketball…a few cities come to mind and Miami aint one of them. All that comes to mind; when I think of Miami…its pastels and Cubans and that’s it. Oh wait! And Thug U. Almost forgot about them as did the rest of the country when they lost to The Ohio State University in a NC game a little while back. The hour long special was classless. They way he did all this was classless. There’s more to the story than what’s out there. So Miami got the deposed one…good for y’all. One more crooked thing about Miami…enjoy your three way (possibly more) bromance that’s cooking up in South Beach there. They still got to play the games to get the rings and we’ll see. You got to be joking about the fans, Mick, or you’re a homer…either way that made me laugh. Though you are right about the management….so you at least have that going for you.
July 16, 2010
Paul:
Your analysis is dead on. I am a Northeast Ohio native and resident who is very familiar with the Cavs organization and Mr. James. We learned on national TV that someone who seemed to love the area and his team had made plans two years ago to leave, but didn’t even respect us enough to give any warning. It reminded me of the movie scene we a guy dumps several girlfriends simultaneously via conference call. No one here ever would have guessed he could be so caloused. Some of us still can hardly believe it.
July 16, 2010
Joe:
This is ridiculous.
Because Lebron was Ohio born and raised, and brought your ball club from the gutter to the lime light, he owes you something? Is it Lebron’s fault that your city is referred to, as you put it, as a joke?
To you and your city, Lebron may have been a savior or a saint, but in reality, he’s a man. Nothing more, nothing less. He can’t end poverty, he can’t cure cancer, and he decided that if he were to stay in Cleveland he wouldn’t have the best chance to win a championship.
You want to talk about Cleveland’s “sports” history, how you haven’t won a championship in any sport since the 60’s, how your football team walked out on your city, etc etc….Well guess what, none of that has anything to do with Lebron. The acts that were displayed by Mr. Gilbert and the fans, are nothing more than temper tantrums and whining.
As the old saying goes, “Don’t put all your eggs in one basket”, and sorry to say it, but Cleveland did.
Lebron gave you 7 years, and in those 7 years he did everything that was asked of him. Now that your savior has left, you find it best to devalue everything that he did for the club.
As for the sob story about the Cavs not winning a championship, I am both a Cubs fan and a Pacers fan. The Cubs haven’t won a championship in almost 10 decades, and the Pacers haven’t even seen the playoffs in the past decade. In fact, the Pacers were prepared to leave Indianapolis until they signed the new agreement on their stadium.
You talk about Lebron being an Ohio native and talking about loving the state and the area, and going to a different team means he’s a liar? Let’s discuss Larry Bird for a moment. Born and raised in French Lick, Indiana, went to both IU and ISU, and spent his entire NBA career in Boston. Quite often you would hear Bird state in a press conference that he loved French Lick and Indiana as a whole. It was nothing to see him mowing his own grass, chopping his own wood, or making his own driveway at his rural Indiana home. When the Celtics won their first championship, who was the title dedicated to?? Terre Haute, home of ISU. I guess that by your statements above, that Larry really didn’t care about Indiana because he didn’t play for the Pacers…
The way this whole free-agent lottery has been handled, is the most immature thing I can recall in sports history. The rules are what they are, and Lebron was a free-agent, an unrestricted free-agent. Why is it so hard to accept the fact that he somewhere he felt would be able to offer him more in return than what Cleveland could?
At the end of the day, it’s a business. Are people tied to their organizations based on how many years they have worked there, the accomplishments they achieved while there, or the position they hold? The answer is no. People constantly change jobs, companies, and positions based on how the change benefits them. Lebron leaving Cleveland is no different.
I applaud Lebron for making his decision and holding to it. Even though he is catching much flack, and losing an immense number of fans, he is still being mature and not bad mouthing anyone. Maybe the problem is that Cleveland didn’t learn enough from Lebron when he was there. Maybe part of the reason he decided to leave was the lack of professionalism and tact. Handle the decision like the adults you are, and move on. There is nothing more that can be said or done to change the outcome.
July 16, 2010
Nick:
I went to middle school with LeBron, and this whole thing brings back memories of how he used to act back then. He would always say one thing, while knowing he’d do another. He’d treat you like a friend, but ignore your existance when around certain people. He’d borrow money, tell me he’d get me back, but conveniently forget the debt and never delivered.. I know this sounds like many kids, but it just seems like he never changed.
July 16, 2010
Anna:
Forget the sports, the business, and the politics involved in this decision, and the preceding hooplah.
Just take one moment, one single moment, and put yourself in a Cleveland/Akron native’s shoes. Feel that pain of being jilted, of being told: “You’re not good enough. goodbye.”
This article isn’t arguing the sports logic, the politics, the business end of the decision. It’s laying out, in raw, open detail, what it feels like to be one of these jilted “lovers.”
Take the article for what it is, and stop criticizing it for what it’s not. Take a minute and try to work up a teensy ounce of sympathy, or empathy, for the Cavs fan.
Life will go on, true. Even for those closest and dearest LeBron fans…their lives will go on, but there will always be a hole. And if you don’t get that, if you can’t truly put yourself in that position, then you must not have a team/player/organization that you really are devoted to, that you love.
I’m sorry for you.
July 17, 2010
Timothy:
Could Lebron have handled the situation better? Yes. Could Dan Gilbert have conducted himself with class and shown that leaving the Cleveland organization in the manner Lebron did was classless? Yes. But if we get down to it, this is a business and more than that a JOB. I question whether anyone who has the opportunity to get more satisfying and better paying job with a better company would turn it down. What would you do?
July 18, 2010
Anna:
Well, Timothy, considering LeBron already makes millions of dollars, and will no matter where he plays, I would probably not consider only just money when making my decision.
It didn’t come down to money anyways, because the Cavs were able and willing to pay him more or as much as anyone else in the league. So your argument is faulty.
Also, read my earlier comment. That’s not what this article is about.
July 26, 2010
Matt Sorensen:
It is not just the public humiliation by a self-important player, it is the realization that this was planned, beginning in the summer of 2008. When you look at the tapes from the 2009 playoffs, you see the same behavior by LBJ. When it seemed they could win it, he became almost invisible in the 3rd & 4th quarter, and missed everything. He threw those playoffs. Then the playoffs of 2010, they were ahead 2-1 against the Celtics and it seemed they could win it. The same thing happened, even being ahead, he quit and made sure the Cavs lost. Why? In his mind, because he’s been saying he wants to win, but he already made a deal with his 2 buddies to play together in the 2010-2011 season when they all became free agents, he felt he could not be believable winning and then leaving. So he his team had to lose. It is not just his leaving, and the humiliating spectacle he made of it, showing Cleveland, Akron and the rest of Northeast Ohio his giant middle finger, it is the betrayal that runs deeper than just leaving. For his sake, I hope it is worth it, because he will not be able to show his face in his hometown again, and will be treated to the biggest booing concert when he and his buddies enter the Quicken Loans arena this coming season.