Kimbo Slice's One-Shot Knock-Out In His 2nd Pro Boxing Fight

Rajon Rondo No-Look Behind The Head Alley-Oop From The 3-Point Line

Can Tony Romo Pull A "Dirk"?

The largest criticism of Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo has been the fact that he hasn't been "clutch". He's Lebron in the 4th; Brad Lidge circa his Astros days. He hasn't stepped up in the big time situations when he's needed to. He hasn't been the leader, that a team that is practical breast feeding ESPN every season, needs. Which reminds us of another Dallas sports star, Dirk Nowitzki.

For the longest time many people (including myself) said Dirk didn't have what it takes to lead a team to an NBA Title. Even his former coach Avery Johnson wanted to have him traded, but Mark Cuban wouldn't allow it. But as we all know, Dirk proved all of us wrong this past NBA season by leading the Dallas Mavericks to an NBA Title.

HOWEVER, it wasn't as if the criticisms of Dirk weren't correct when they were made. He was passive, he was as soft as your grandmother's mattress, and he wasn't clutch. All things we've seen out of Tony Romo.

Recently Romo was interviewed about his critics and threw this nugget out there:

"This team is going to win a Super Bowl at some point. It’s going to be exciting when that time comes. And when we look back, we’ll know who was on what side of the fence during those tough moments. That’s exciting for us as competitors knowing that we get a chance to go out there and have a chance to win."

Look at the bold points....is Tony Romo chugging estrogen before he speaks? A competitor isn't satisfied with having a chance to win. A competitor is excited because they plan TO win, pissed when they don't, and more motivated than ever afterwards.

This quote is similar to something Dirk Nowitzki would have said two years ago. It's the "Oh, we'll win some day. We're good, and so at some point the tides will turn our way. Let's just go out there and play some football and have fun".

Michael Jordan would slap the piss out of one of his Bulls teammates if they made a comment like that. You go into the season HUNGRY, to prove doubters wrong, to say your goal is to win the Championship THIS SEASON. And that's what we saw out of Dirk this playoffs.

Dirk was making comments we'd never heard before such as "I hear the criticism. I'm going to prove them wrong" and things such as "The first time we loss in the NBA Finals to the Heat hurt, and I want revenge". And not only did he say these things, but he went out on the court, escorted everyone out of the building during the 4th quarter, and pretty much played basketball against himself as he dominated every single 4th quarter.

The issue with Dirk was never his talent level. Everyone agreed he had the talent to lead a team to a championship. The question was, will his mindset and attitude ever be right?

So Tony Romo, I'll tell you right now that you have every single ounce of talent to win a Superbowl. However, until you change your mindset and your attitude, that Superbowl you promised "at some point" is never coming.

Is The LSU Secondary Overrated?

As we all know, last week #1 LSU demolished #17 Florida 41-11 in Tiger Stadium. However, one Florida Wide Receiver (who clearly had to be drunk when he said these things) saw things differently. Here's a quote from Florida WR Trey Burton after the game:

Reporter: What can you say about LSU’s secondary today?
Burton: They’re not as good as advertised.

Really Trey Burton....really?

It's players like you, that in the words of Peter Griffin, grind my gears. YOU CAUGHT 3 BALLS FOR 14 YARDS AND THAT MADE YOU THE SECOND LEADING RECEIVER FOR YOUR TEAM IN THE GAME. Let's also point out that the leading receiver for your team that game, Andre Debose, only caught 1 pass which was a 65 yarder on a play in which it looked to many as if he stepped out of bounds and came back in bounds to catch the ball. Without that catch, your offense only passes for 35 total yards. Jamarcus Russel could lead a pee-wee football team on the field tomorrow against the New York Jets defense and throw for 35 yards.

Let's also note that your QB threw 2 picks. One of them an amazing snag by Tyrann "Honey Badger" Mathieu in one on one coverage against Andre Debose (who some Florida fans believe was apparently "burning" LSU all game) who has ATLEAST 3 inches on him. Here's the video since you a seem to have Alzheimer's Trey:



But yes Trey Burton....the LSU secondary is SO overrated. They just managed to bend you over and make you look like a small child.

Signed,
A pissed off LSU fan (Geaux Tigers)

What Is The MLB Playoffs Missing?

The Major League Baseball playoffs are into their conference championships round and yet I'm hearing more talk about the NBA lockout and the upcoming NFL weekend. So what has us sports fan treating baseball like that girl who's the third option after two hotties reject your prom offer?

In my opinion, it's something I've talked about quite a bit on this blog when it comes to baseball....where are the storylines?

Let's not forget that the last night of the regular season had even a casual baseball fan such as myself jumping up and down like a 5 year old on a moon bounce and screaming out and proclaiming my love for the Rays. But let's be real here, it was less so the actual baseball that got me excited and more so the storyline of the Red Sox crumbling as the Rays made a comeback that no-one thought was plausible in a game where they were down 7 runs.

But as the heat from that legendary night died down, we began to see baseball slowly creep back into the spot it rested in before that night. It probably didn't help that The Rays were quickly eliminated in the first round.

But what about the other teams? The Tigers and Brewers are the closest we can get to a storyline. The small market team rising to glory, but past that there's no real "pizazz" to there team. It's not on the level of the Golden State Warriors taking down the number one seed Dallas Mavericks in the playoffs.

The Rangers are not the surprise they were last season, which kills their story. And the Cardinals are a staple in each years playoff.

Where are the Miami Heat? The Kurt Warner led Arizona Cardinals of 09? The heroes or the villains of the playoffs?

People hate the New York Yankees, but that's what DRIVES interest in the playoffs. The Yankees are good for baseball because we love to hate them, which is why it was awful for baseball to see them eliminated this year. Just like the Red Sox's Curse of the Bambino, the Cubs Curse of the Billy Goat, the Steve Bartman fiasco, and the home-run race of Sammy Sosa and Mark McGuire were/are stories that can drive baseball.

The die-hard passionate baseball fans will always be there. But until the MLB does something to make things more interesting and bring those storylines to the fore-front, they'll continue to lose the casual and undecided fans.

Fat Boy 100 Meter Dash Fail

Guy Soccer Freestyles On Top Of A Building Ledge

Stan Van Gundy Has...Handles?

Can The Eagle Win It All This Season?

Over the past week, the Philadelphia Eagles have been stirring up a lot of talk after making a few major signings in free agency. After Michael Vick sparked much talk last season with his phenomenal on the field play after much controversy with his dog fighting scandal, the Philadelphia Eagles became a team of intrigue. Now with the signings of Nnamdi Asomugha, Vince Young, Ronnie Brown, Cullen Jenkins, Jason Babin, and pulling in Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie through the trade of Kevin Kolb; the Philadelphia Eagles have pulled them into the front running as Superbowl favorites. But that begs the question....what could potentially stop them? I think there are 3 potential roadblocks:

1. Michael Vick getting injured

Since Michael Vick plays the game as a running quarterback, he is more susceptible to injury. However, this last season he showed HUGE improvement on playing in the pocket and avoiding injury in the fight for a few extra yards.

Let's also add that Vince Young has been a more than formidable QB in the NFL. Vince Young is 30-17 as an NFL starter. He had a 99 Passer Rating last season as well. Completing 60 percent of his passes and only throwing 3 interceptions. He also went 8-2 to finish the 2009-2010 season to save Jeff Fisher's job that season. Yes, Chris Johnson was also a big part of that, but a running back alone does not win 30 games. So if you think Vince Young can't help lead this team if called to the duty for a few games or more with as many offensive weapons as the Philadelphia Eagles have and THAT strong of an offensive scheme, then you are being unreasonable.


2. Poor RB play

Many people question Lesean McCoy because he doesn't score many touchdowns and he fumbles a lot, and Ronnie Brown has a history of injuries and hasn't had a 1,000 yard rushing season since 2006 (The only one of his career). But let's look at this deeper....

Lesean McCoy rushed for over a 1,000 yards and had 600 yards receiving in only his second season in the league last season and first full year as the starter. With the Eagles passing game being the 9th best in the league last year and having 3rd highest scoring total in Mike Vick's first year there, their passing game will only go upward in his second year as the starter with the same weapons around him and more chemistry. Therefore it will open more doors for Lesean McCoy running the ball and not to add he'll have a full year as a starter under his belt.

Ronnie Brown has pretty much split carries with Ricky Williams over the last few years and has still put up respectable numbers yards wise (734, 648, 916). Coming from a system where he's split carries, it won't be uncomfortable for him to do this with Lesean McCoy. Not too add, the system he came from in Miami ran a lot of Wild Cat (and ran it pretty dang good), which the Eagles like to pull out every once and awhile with speedsters like Michael Vick, Jeremy Maclin, Desean Jackson, and Lesean McCoy.

3. Themselves

This one is by far the biggest threat. It's football folks. So no matter how great your team is on paper, you've got to go out and win the games still. Not too add with all this media hype, does it interfere with the teams play? Can Asante Samuel adjust to being the #3 corner Cromartie and Asomugha? Does Desean Jackson end his holdout? Will Vince Young start acting like....well....Vince Young? These are all internal questions that no one can answer or even begin to ponder until the season plays itself out.


So looking at all of this, I think the only very serious threat that could stop the Eagles from winning the Superbowl is themselves. They have to be a TEAM and they have to go out there and win the games. The future is in their hands.

Goalkeeper Drop Kicks A Player In The Back Of The Head

Is Chris Bosh Really The Heat's Problem?

Today I came across a quote from Shaquille O'neal during a telecast with NBA TV. He said The Heat only have a Big 2 (leaving out Chris Bosh).

This got me thinking....is Chris Bosh even the problem in Miami? My answer is...not at all.

From a team aspect, Chris Bosh isn't the problem. If I were to trade anyone in the Big 3, Bosh would be the untouchable one UNLESS you got an even better big man in return.

I would trade Lebron or Wade, not both, but one of them. Yes, Chris Bosh is the least talented of the three, but he's still a very good big man.

Having a very good big man and a deadly two guard is a VERY hard combination to beat. (Kobe/Shaq is a prime example of that)

The problem with the heat is, you throw ANOTHER superstar 2 guard/SF into the equation (Lebron or Wade) and your big man isn't getting the ball enough. Not too add, your back-court is fighting for the ball constantly because they need the ball in their hands.

Chris Bosh isn't the Heat's problem. Figuring out how to play Lebron and Wade together is the issue, and unless one of them commits to playing heavily off the ball, then that problem isn't getting solved without trading one of them.

Another Throwback Clip: Michael Jordan vs. Reggie Miller 1993 Fight

Cuttino Mobley Trying For A Comeback

MyFoxHouston is reporting that former Houston Rockets guard Cuttino Mobley is attempting to make a comeback to the NBA:

HOUSTON - Former NBA guard Cuttino Mobley, who retired in 2008 because of a heart ailment, would like another shot at playing in the NBA.

Mobley played for 11 years with four NBA teams, but was forced to leave the game after he was traded by the L.A. Clippers to the New York Knicks.

After a routine physical following the trade, Mobley was diagnosed with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

It is the same condition that led to the deaths of basketball players Hank Gathers and Reggie Lewis.

"It's a lot of different variations of HCM," Mobley said in an interview with FOX 26 Sports. "Me playing 40 minutes a game for 11 years straight at a very high level. Mine is not serious at all. As you can see 11 years of playing and still playing three years later after they said you shouldn't play. You shouldn't run. You shouldn't do this. You shouldn't play that. A lot of different things they said you shouldn't do."

This week Mobley was back on the court in Houston taking part in pick up games with NBA players like Washington Wizards forward Rashard Lewis, Indiana Pacers guard T.J. Ford and Houston Rockets guard Kyle Lowry.

However, Mobley wants more than that.

He wants to play with and against those guys again when the games matter and he said he and his agent, Andy Miller, have made the NBA aware of his situation.

"I've been trying to do that," Mobley said. "You have to get doctor's evaluations and all this other stuff, but you got to understand too what the Knicks put out there, the notion, nobody wants to take that chance now. I've been playing with it for so many years. You ask yourself was it genuine or did you do it for a reason?

"I'm not done. It depends on what the league says when the time comes. It's been a difficult process."

"What the Knicks did kind of putting a stomp in it and giving people that fear about me, something I was born with."

Mobley said he is not happy with the way the Knicks handled his situation in 2008.
"At first I was cool with it because I didn't do research on it, but then doing research and getting different opinions, then I became upset because the corporation, the big company trying to get as much money as they can and do different things like that, for me I don't think that was right," Mobley said.
"You either waive me, you don't take me in, you let me go somewhere else, let me create my own destiny like I did in 1999 when I came to the Rockets. Let me create my own decisions. Don't make the decisions for me, clogging my heads with different things.

"I'm not upset now because I know it's a business and that's how they treat it as a business, but it's two and a half, three years I haven't played. It's been a waste."
Mobley, who was drafted in the second round by the Houston Rockets in 1999, also played for the Orlando Magic and the Sacramento Kings.

He got a chance to get some work in with the Boston Celtics last September.
"(Celtics president of basketball operations) Danny Ainge is unbelievable," Mobley said. "Great dude."

"The Celtics, I went in and played with Paul (Pierce) and Ray (Allen) and those guys. It was a three-day thing. I signed a waiver.

"I went up there not to get picked. I went up there just to let them know I'm fine. I can still play and this was just last September. So hopefully things will change and somebody will give me a shot and let me play or just help out. It'd be fun. If not, it's fine. It's all good."

Mobley's agent, Andy Miller, was able to find two jobs for him last year.

Mobley turned down an opportunity to play for a team in Poland.

He also had a shot to play for a team in the NBA Development League, but the two sides were not able to make it happen.

"They gave a laundry list of things that we needed to do, protocol, of things that needed to be done to put him in a position that they would be willing to offer him a contract and the list and the demand within the list, they were too cumbersome," Miller said in an interview with FOX 26 Sports.

"It had to do more with I think the league trying to protect themselves with regard to exposure, if God forbid something should ever happen to Cat."
Miller didn't want to identify the NBA D-League team that expressed an interest in Mobley.

"There is a herd-like mentality in our business that when a player has been labeled under a certain category, there is a tendency for that to be the label regardless of change of scenery," Miller said.

Miller has continued to check out every possibility for his client.

"Last time I spoke with every team in the (NBA) league," Miller said. "I treated him as a free agent in the hopes of finding him a job regardless of the economic package that would have been put together.

"I looked for jobs across the board and came up with the one with the Euro-League team in Poland and we are looking for opportunities. That hasn't changed at all.
Mobley understands his dream of returning to the NBA may end up being just that.
"Three years not playing, maybe it is a pipe dream, but it's just fun to play

.......

It's great to hear that he's healthy, but let's be real here. He hasn't played in 3 years, and he already has 11 seasons of mileage on him. Add the potential season ending lockout to that, and he hasn't played in 4 years. For him to think that a comeback is legit at this point is foolish.

If I'm an owner and I know that potentially cap room could be a lot smaller after all this lockout foolishness is over with, I'm not dropping a dime on an old 2 guard with a medical condition who hasn't played at the NBA Level in 3-4 years.

Best of luck to Cuttino however.

Throwback Clip: Shaq Dunks on Bynum and Bynum Returns The Favor

10 Best Beards In Sports Today (Part 2)

I’m back with Part 2 of the Top 10 Beards in Sports. Let’s finish things off starting with number 5:

5. Dave Martinez

The former Rays outfielder is now a bench coach for Tampa Bay Rays, and his beard is an easy indication as to why any team would want to hire him to their staff. Combine that with the fact that the beard makes him look like a Cuban drug dealer (especially when his shades are in full effect) and you’ve got the perfect argument to put him at number 5 on our list

4. Brett Keisel

This Pittsburgh Steelers’ beard speaks for itself. I mean literally….I would not be surprised if his beard started talking. It’s phenomenal. It has its own Facebook page and Twitter page, so go Google it and start following right now.

3. Paul Mara

You know your beard is bad-a when you can’t even see your mouth anymore. This Canadiens’ defenseman has a beard that men across the globe dream about. It legitimately looks like there is a wig on his face, which puts him at number 3 on our list.

2. Brian Wilson

Ah, Brian Wilson. Not only is he a former LSU Tiger, but he’s grown to national fame not only for his amazing performance in last years MLB playoffs, but for a beard that makes him look like a man among boys. The legend of Brian Wilson’s beard puts him at number 2.

And finally…..

1. Kimbo Slice

First, if you have not seen Kimbo Slice’s street fight YouTube videos than stop reading this right now and go watch them. You will have your life changed. This street fighter/MMA wanna-be has a beard that is known around the world. At one point he was homeless (if you couldn’t tell by his beard) and through popping a guys eyeball like a grape in a fight, he became a YouTube legend (and eventually rich). This beard is not only full, bushy, and mean-looking but it’s got a history/legend to it that no one else can touch. This is the meanest beard in sports my friends.

That’s all for today folks. Thanks for reading, and go subscribe via email on the right hand side to keep up with us.

Please Subscribe via email on the right hand side.

10 Best Beards In Sports Today (Part 1)

A beard is like a bar mitzvah; it’s a man’s passageway to manhood. So rightfully so, the sporting world is filled with more beards than a strip club. But only the beardiest of beards stand above all others, and that’s what this list will pay homage too. Let’s start out with #10:



10. Drew Gooden

Drew Gooden has bounced around more locker rooms than a Kardashian, but through it all his beard has stayed strong enough to put him at number 10. I mean….look at the picture.


9. Johnny Damon

Oh good ole’ Johnny Appleseed (Yes, I just made up that nickname for him). Famous for his days as a Red Sox All-Star, Johnny Damon has a beard that most lumberjacks dream about which puts him at number 9 on our list. Bravo Johnny….bravo.


8. Jose Bautista

Jose Bautista has a beard that makes his Dominican countrymen screaming “ole!”. Could it be steroids not only giving him the power to bang out homeruns like a frat boy at his little sisters high school graduation party, but also the power to grow such a bodacious beard? Maybe, but who cares, because it’s tight as crap.


7. Baron Davis

I think what puts Baron Davis ahead of the others on this list is the fact that he’s kinda chubby and round like a marshmallow, and we all know from watching Rick Ross live life, that the bigger you are, the tighter your beard is. This puts Baron Davis at number 7 on our list.


6. James Harden

Somewhat of a new face to the bearding world, James Harden makes his beard lovable purely by playing next to Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant who faces are barer than a Janet Jackson breast at the Super Bowl. His beard brings a thickness and aura that puts him at #6 on our list.


That’s it for our list today. Check back in soon to see who gets crowned “Best Beard in Sports”.

Please Subscribe via email on the right hand side.

A Year Later.....Should We Have Seen The Decision Coming?

With the words “I’ll be taking my talents to South Beach” Lebron James’ image was forever changed. The Decision was a one hour self absorbed special that left a city ruthlessly scorned, with a charity aspect poorly put in to try and mask one man’s arrogance. Now a year later, Lebron James’ image is worst than it’s ever been before. But we have to ask ourselves, how did we not see this coming like a Brad Lidge blown save?

I’ll be the first to admit, I was a HUGE Lebron James fan when he came into the league. I had the Lebron James high school jersey in the days when you weren’t a hipster or complete loser if you wore a jersey, and my email to this day is still “KingJames2004”. But with that said, the season before The Decision I started to notice things about Lebron James that negatively impacted my opinion of him.

First, I started to notice a lot of theatrics during his games with Cleveland. I have no problem with the powder toss, but then he would lead his teammates in dancing like Chris Brown on acid during the middle games, and the theatrics became classless. He even was doing the over-the-top jumping over fans in the stands when running for a loose ball, and add to that the pre-game antics of pretending to shoot a photograph while the team posed like they were at their high school prom and it made you start to wonder about who Lebron James REALLY was.

Secondly, I began to notice a bit of arrogance to Lebron. He started talking about himself in 3^rd person like he was The Rock (Which he isn’t even close to, and if you’re not already following The Rock on twitter then stop reading this right now and go do it). You also began to see the media start to question his performance/his legacy so to say, and you could see in his reactions that it was the first time in his career (I’d go as far to say his whole sporting life) that he had his talents challenged. He got very defensive and had a look of shock and anger that could rival that of Cubs fans during the Bartman incident. Then he got dunked on by Wizards Guard and at that time Xavier player Jordan Crawford at his Nike Camp, and had the tape confiscated like it was a celebrity sex tape scandal.

Lastly, and I think the memory everyone remembers, is his collapse during the 2010 Eastern Conference Finals against the Celtics. Everyone who was watching that series was more confident that Lebron quit than people were that OJ Simpson was guilty. It was like he was a ghost out there on the court. Yeah, there were rumors of off the court issues, but how can you quit on your team like that? It was this moment that solidified to me that there was a huge part of Lebron we had yet to see.

I can say I’m about as surprised as when I found out that Ricky Martin was gay, that the Public Relations disaster that was “The Decision” happened, because Lebron had been giving us bits and pieces of that character for a while. Now a year later he has another decision to make….continue down this PR disaster path or change people’s perception of “The King”.

Please Subscribe via email on the right hand side.

Kobe 360 Dunk At His Academy (What knee injury??)

Please Subscribe via email on the right hand side.

Louisiana High School Football Brawl

Please Subscribe via email on the right hand side.

Does Matt Kemp Have Star Potential?

When I turn on ESPN every morning as of late all I see is Women’s World Cup, Women’s Tennis, and as much as it pains me to say it…. I even saw Women’s Golf on SportsCenter. Besides thinking “Why in the name of Antoine Walker is the world ending so soon?”, I had to ask myself why is a major sport like baseball not in the sports television equation more than a bunch of short haired women with calves more muscular than Adrian Peterson? I think the answer to that question is that Major League Baseball doesn’t have a “face”. They don’t have interesting characters, personalities, and storylines that drive leagues like the NBA and the NFL; The Lebron James’ or the Rex Ryans of the MLB so to say. So I began to examine what MLB player could potentially get the sports world talking more than a blonde housewife during her husband’s favorite football game. I immediately jumped to Matt Kemp of the Los Angeles Dodgers. The 26 year old Kemp is one of the quickly rising stars in Major League Baseball, and so he has the perfect potential to be that spark that baseball needs.

There’s a formula when determining a players star potential. It goes:

Personal Brand = Personality + Performance x Visibility

So let’s first look at Personality

Personality

Matt Kemp’s personality could beat Anne Frank in a hide and go seek contest. It’s nowhere to be found. To be honest, I couldn’t tell you the difference between Matt Kemp’s voice and the governor of Ohio’s . We need to see more of Matt Kemp’s personality. He’s in the city of Los Angeles where outspoken, bright, lovable personalities shine. Take advantage of that. Do a few major interviews and let your personality shine.

Performance

Now performance is a different subject. Since he came into the league in 2006, Kemp has increased his at bats and games played each season. Only 88 games into this current season, Kemp has the 6^th best batting average in the league, 9^th in Hits, 6^th in RBIs, the 5^th best on base percentage, and the 3^rd best slugging percentage. Needless to say, he’s dominating the league and is a clear contender in the NL MVP race. Not too add, he's an NL All-Star and will be participating in the leagues Homerun Derby. But the only problem is, his team makes the Astros look like they deserve to be in the Majors. They’re last in their division, and haven’t been a contender since Manny Ramirez left the team (and were they even a TOP contender then?).

Visibility

Matt Kemp had a recent romance with R&B singer Rhianna (Yes, the I got my a** whooped by Chris Brown and turned into a goth Rhianna) which put him into the limelight and made his name a bit more well known than it was before. But that being said, he still doesn’t have the endorsement deals and media coverage that he needs to get that visibility. If he’s ever going to become a star, he needs to become more visible to the public’s eye. And again, he’s in LA so he has the prime opportunity and potential to do that. A break out performance at the Homerun Derby might help give him some visibility as well.

So with all this said Matt Kemp has the POTENTIAL to be a star that puts baseball in the forefront again. He’s had a taste of the Hollywood limelight dating Rhianna, he’s got the performance to back it up, and he’s in the right environment in Los Angeles. Now we just need to see WHO Matt Kemp is, a better team placed around him, and see him start to build on his brand.

Please Subscribe via email on the right hand side.

Maurkice Pouncey Loves Him Some Big Girls

You already know Maurkice Pouncey be walking into plus size lingerie stores looking like...

Please Subscribe via email on the right hand side.

Guy Gets LIT-UP In a Preseason Football Game

Please Subscribe via email on the right hand side.

Al Horford's Girl....is a dime?

Please Subscribe via email on the right hand side.

The Demonization Of Lebron James

Here's an article on Lebron James from Forbes:

“If LeBron were an IPO, I’d buy it … At 21, I wasn’t remotely as mature as LeBron.” — Warren Buffett

Now that the NBA season is over, I have taken a moment to reflect. The lasting memory is not of the glorious success of the Mavs. It is of LeBron James and the season-long media/fan obsession with seeing him and the Heat fail. As one weary sportscaster put it, “We discuss LeBron as if he was our media Facebook status.”

It occurred to me that if all I knew about someone is that he announced a job move and staged it so that $2 million in cash would be donated to the Boys and Girls Club of America, my first reaction would probably be, “Now there’s a person with media savvy who is also a good person at heart.” Add the fact that the donated cash was virtually all the advertising revenue from that single event and I would feel reassured it was not just a ploy for disguised greed. If I further discovered that another $1 million in computers and Nike equipment was spread among eight Boys and Girls clubs – most notably Akron, and Cleveland, I would feel even better about the donor who gave back something significant – not just empty words and a wave – to the cities he was raised and was employed.

But if I knew nothing more, I would probably scratch my head about why the network that aired the announcement only made a minor footnote of the $3 million chartable aspect of the event. And I would scratch my head again if the donor is primarily blamed for the event, when the worst part about it was the publicity, controlled by the network. If I took a moment to reflect, I would say, “Wait a minute. ESPN controlled the sickening number of promotional ploys leading up to the decision. Only ESPN could create the hype because only ESPN controls the airspace.” Then I would say, “For all I know ‘The Decision’ was ESPN’s title.” Clearly, ESPN made the decision to announce the upcoming decision over and over again, day and night as if it was the second coming of Jesus Christ, instead of the second team for King James. Yet, the demon as crowned by the media was James, not the media itself. This was the beginning of the demonization of LeBron James.

So let’s add a few other facts. The City of Cleveland and the donor’s prior employer had the benefit of his services for seven years. During that time the employer’s product (a team) went from mediocre-at-best with a half empty arena to a team on the verge of being the best in the world with a frenzied sold-out arena. The owner made millions. The local economy grew by millions per year. Yet the employee who is leaving didn’t say anything bad about the City before he left. In fact, he said he loved them and he understood their frustration. His kind words came despite knowing they were burning his uniform in effigy and creating as much venom as their imagination could muster.

In response to the employee’s resignation, the employer’s principal owner called him a “coward”, who was “selfish” and one who committed an act of “betrayal” for exercising his lawful right to pick a new employer. Objectively, on those facts, I hope we would all conclude that if the employee gave up millions of dollars in pursuit of a championship, that kind of selfishness is not so bad. The reprehensible selfishness would have been demanding all the money he could get even if it hurt the teams salary cap – financial stability.

Here's my take on Lebron James...

This is what happens when you tell a kid his whole life that he's untouchable and give him special treatment.

If you're shown the world in one light your whole life, then that's how you're going to begin to view it. You can see it in his comments and his demeanor.

The "Chosen One" and "King James" tattoos, and just the way he caries himself. All a product of what he's been fed since he was a middle school phenom.

I blame the people around him just as much as I do him. They didn't help keep him humble, grounded, and show him the right view on life.

Oh, and don't get me wrong, he needs to take ALOT of responsibility for his action himself as well.

As well, the media definitely has taken advantage of this flaw in him and put it center stage in order to get ratings. But being in the lime light is apart of being a big time gifted athlete. You have to know AND accept that if you want to pursue a career in sports.

Hopefully all of this negative criticism will eventually be a wake up call for him, and he can take a look in the mirror and do some personal growth.

Please Subscribe via email on the right hand side.