The Decision: 1 Year Later

Enough is enough. And by that I mean the easy pot shots and elbows we throw at LeBron James have been enough. Today marks the one year anniversary of the decision when LeBron went on national TV and dumped his hometown team, dissed his former teammates and didn’t acknowledge his former boss at all. LeBron threw away 7 years equity of love, adoration and protection. What made this feat worse was his complete lack of remorse for Cleveland fans. In a city where for most fans all they’ve experienced is heart ache LeBron not only broke hearts but wiped his shoes on it after walking out the door. But even through all of this LeBron trudged on as if none of this faded him one bit. While they were throwing a pep rally celebrating their arrival in Miami, Cleveland fans were left to pick of the pieces of a broken team now destined for lottery dreams as ESPN depicted two fans burning a jersey and a few shirts like it was the L.A. riots. All year people took shots at LeBron when they could, it was easy, but just because we can do something doesn’t mean we do it. Did LeBron deserve criticism in the way he left? Yes, but to the vitriol and hatred we saw? Probably not. Let’s get this straight, most fans weren’t mad that he left (some were) but were mad in the manner in which he left. He didn’t have to wait so long to make the decision, virtually leaving the Cavs with no other options. This is where the anger comes from. He had Cavs management so attached to his moves that they couldn’t do anything until they knew what his moves were. But, let this day be the day were we all let it go. Not just Cleveland fans, but all fans. I’m not saying you can never criticize LeBron, but to keep ragging on him for ‘The Decision’ is enough. He took a risk, left his hometown area to team up with two other guys to try and win rings. It’s no different than a stock broker taking a chance on an investment, sometimes you hit, and sometimes you miss. This year his team came up short, but it looks like in the end the reward may have been worth the risk. And for those who say his popularity took a hit, his jersey finished number one in sales. For as far as love will take you, there is nothing that turns heads and draws attention like a fender bender and LeBron orchestrated a 15 car pileup during rush hour traffic. And for all the flack LeBron gets for his speaking abilities, lack of tact and level of sensitivity, he and his crew hijacked one of the largest TV networks for an entire hour, and had them talk about him for the entire day, almost abandoning anything else in sports. Raised a couple million dollars for charity and had billionaires come talk to him in his office. Say what you want about LeBron, but he’s got this supply and demand concept down. So let this be the end of the LeBron bashing for no reason, let’s make the decision to let ‘the decision’ rest in peace.