LeBachelore, or How to Fail at Exiting Gracefully

Obviously we have all been witnesses to LeBron James' dramatic exit from Cleveland. Lost amidst the hue and cry by those either pro or con are the actual facts that should be up for debate.

Many columnists have done a fine job of stating their objections or support for Mr. James. What is disappointing is when African American writers of renown fail to articulate facts and instead fall into myopic and stilted language to justify an act that while wholly fitting the capitalist nature of our society, lacked any sort of semblance of class, dignity, and more over foresight.

We should not pillory Lebron James without first educating him and advising him how to better protect, promote, but more importantly present his global brand. A more fitting way for Mr. James to exit Cleveland would have been to call a simple press conference, state his desire, and let the Cleveland area and all of Ohio down easy. Instead Mr. Rhoden of The New York Times compares Lebron James to Muhammad Ali, and Curt Flood. It is in my opinion a most ill advised tack of reasoning and I found myself wondering whether Mr. Rhoden had truly lost the plot when he even inserted a distasteful slavery reference in his article.

Perhaps we would not be watching such ill conceived spectacle if we respected the legacy of slavery beyond utilizing it as a throwaway line in an article about a multimillionaire athlete exercising precisely the freedom so many of our forebears never experienced. Having never met Mr. Rhoden but having heard him speak on ESPN, and having read his column, this throwaway line was particularly disappointing. Mr. Rhoden makes valid points that athletes must place their interest in a primary position, however his point is lost because he fails to properly critique Mr. James for committing a major error in this age of media saturation.