Take that, Mssrs. Woods, Roethlisberger, and Vick!

I like to think I have few delusions about sports any more. I know loyalty is an antiquated concept, and that money drives decision-making. I know that athletes grow up being told how great they are, that they surround themselves with "yes men" who never supply healthy questions. To an extent, we can't completely blame athletes when they make dumb choices. Everyone screws up sometimes, but when an athlete does it the stage is a bit bigger and our reactions tend to be a bit more pronounced. Again, this reality has nothing to do with the actions of an athlete. Well, that is no longer true. I have witnessed, for the first time, something so stupefying that finding an adequate explanation has taken much longer than normal. LeBron James' prime-time special, "The Decision," has taken the concept of the modern athlete down a new and downright horrifying path.
Thursday night's event, at its heart, was a disgusting act of self-aggrandizement. Never in the history of sports have we seen an athlete think so highly of himself as to spend his own money on a one hour television slot so we can watch him think. I'm almost glad, in a way, that John Wooden was not alive to see it. As someone who epitomized the notion of winning going hand in hand with class both on and off the court, imagine trying to explain to him how this spectacle was good for the game of basketball. In an NBA where the most talented players tend to cluster on a few teams, players rarely stay in one place long, and money is always #1, LeBron's decision makes sense on paper. In fact, it doesn't really bother me at all. What 25-year-old wouldn't want to move from frigid Cleveland to vibrant Miami, make essentially the same amount of money on a much better team, and get to play with two of his best friends? No, it's the way in which he did it that has me pondering a number of things that, two weeks ago, I would never had believed I was capable of thinking.
My initial reaction to LeBron's decision to have the TV special was that there was no possible way he would put this entire show on if he was leaving Cleveland. No, he would go on and say something to the effect of, "In the end, I knew that I had to stay here in my home town and finish what I started. I promised a championship, and that's what I'm going to deliver. I'm looking forward to playing my entire career right here in Cleveland and bringing home multiple championships for my incredibly loyal fans." I scrambled to find any website that was offering odds on his possible destinations so I could lay my life's savings on the line that he'd stay in Cleveland. Easy money, I thought. I was so sure about the outcome that I didn't bother thinking about it or discussing it again until Thursday morning, when I saw this article from US Weekly of all places detailing LeBron's weekend party plans. All of a sudden, it seemed like a real possibility he would do the unthinkable and publicly humiliate his home town. He was so clearly everything there; you don't exactly see a lot of Mo Williams and Zydrunas Ilgauskas jerseys in the crowd at the Cavaliers' home games. That his decision to flee to Miami has caused such a raw, visceral reaction from his former fans only further proves just how much he meant to Cleveland, and how far to the other side he has swung. The Decision now goes down in Cleveland Sports Infamy alongside Jose Mesa, The Drive, and The Fumble; LeBron stands right next to Art Modell as something beyond public enemy #1. There is, however, a bright side for us as fans in all this.
We now know what LeBron is made of. Even at the tender age of 25, he has cemented his legacy. He will never be in the same class as Michael Jordan, Bill Russell, or even (I can't believe I'm writing this) Kobe Bryant. These guys all took teams on their backs and carried them to championships. They were killers in pivotal games. They wanted the ball when it mattered most. As for LeBron? He fled south to join a guy who already has a ring and a finals MVP trophy in Dwyane Wade. I'd be shocked if Wade weren't the one with the ball in his hands and the game on the line. He's done it before on the big stage and by himself; LeBron never has and never will. LeBron is by far the most unique physical specimen in the NBA, and has all the ability necessary to become one of the best of all time. He simply doesn't want the responsibility that comes with greatness. It's too much for him to handle, as he has shown multiple times: getting swept in the '07 Finals, vanishing against the Celtics this year, and now eschewing his undisputed team-leading superstar status in favor of being the second option in a cushier situation. Some guys have the desire to be the best and to destroy anyone who gets in their way. Everyone, from the Nike and TV executives to Cavaliers fans, wanted it to be LeBron. What we all missed was that LeBron himself never wanted it.
I could go on and on, but this is enough for now. The discussion and evaluation of this decision will go on, and on, and on, and on. Every week, another twist will emerge. There is one thing we know at this moment, which to me is more shocking than any other part of this story: LeBron James is, without question, the most hated man in professional sports right now. And on a personal note, I'm still adjusting to the fact that, when they meet for the first time this season, I will be openly rooting for Kobe to destroy LeBron. Yikes.