Lebron – Truly Cavalier in the End

The Decision was an unfortunate 60 minute look into the uglier side of sports, entertainment and collaboration. For over 12 months the media has glorified and debated: “What would Lebron James (the King) decide as a free agent?” Would he remain loyal to his roots and stay in Cleveland until they were finally able to hoist a championship banner? Or would he move his stock — the endorsement economy that comes along with a star of his magnitude — and his all-star resume to a new city in search of his elusive first NBA championship. King James’s business manager, the Miami Heat and ESPN decided since the subject has been so hotly debated that what better way to announce the decision then on prime-time national television and donate all the proceeds to charity. I admire the charitable contributions and this exemplifies the Lebron Franchise, not to mention boost its competitive positioning. But I have to take a closer look at this move — an incredibly collaborated, arrogant, conceited, and unprofessional Decision unprecedented in sports.

All blame for the Decision can’t be placed solely on Lebron and his business team. ESPN, the national media and of course the Miami Heat GM, Pat Riley, are also to blame for what became a prime-time Debacle. This was a collaborative effort by ESPN to boost viewership and ratings, as well as Lebron to bask in the glory of his popularity while giving Pat Riley the chance to put arguably the best 3 options in the league together. In essence, Lebron announced his divorce by text messaging everyone in his phone address book. It wasn’t a decision announced behind closed doors with the personal touch and grace that I expected from someone who prides himself on maintaining a truly professional image. Instead, he had the collective mouths of thousands in Cleveland hanging on every syllable until the unthinkable was real and Miami would be his new home. This was the lowest of lows and an example of collaboration and influence marketing to an extremely negative degree.

How damaging was collaboration in this example? The Cavs owner was fined 50k for his response, the city of Cleveland is left to think what went wrong and what will happen to their franchise, while the Miami Heat are given a chance to win the NBA Championship and Lebron gets a new market to sell his image to. His image, though, has lost some credibility. Sure, Miami will embrace this move, but across the country and league the once self titled “King” has seen his stock and professional image drop nearly as quick as BP’s stock. The Cavalier organization deserved better, and even as a loyal Celtics fan, I hope they are able to overcome this major setback.