Like a man bored in a marriage, LeBron tormented his “wife” by comparing her to a sexier city and making Clevelanders nothing but jesters in his court.

by Teddy Fikre.  Posted:  Thursday, July 7, 2010


What is it about Cleveland that leads to so many sports heartbreaks?  The agony of the Elway drive to rob Cleveland a chance to reach the Super Bowl in the 1980s is a part of the local trail of tears.  The memorable shot that led to Jordan exulting in the air while Craig Ehlo was bent over in anguish is emblematic of an embattled town.  Art Modell stowing away the Cleveland Browns to Baltimore and leaving the Dawg Pound without a bark was a cruel parting shot to a love that loves football the way the British love futball.  To this ritual of pain and torment arrived the supposed savior, a man who would call himself “King James” before winning a crown was supposed to erase the suffering of the past.  Instead, LeBron has just heaped on Cleveland the heartbreak of all heartbreaks—by breaking up with them live on ESPN.

I have lost a lot of respect for LeBron in the past year.  A mature teenager who entered the NBA with humility and recognition of the game’s history has regressed into a teenager upon reaching manhood.  Maybe LeBron has always been a self promoter, but the events of the past couple of months has shown him to be all about self—the king of narcissism n a league full or narcissists.  Over the years, he has continuously jabbed at the pride of Cleveland and Ohio at large—his home state—by wearing needless gratuitous acts.  He once showed up to a Cleveland Indians game wearing a New York Yankees hat.  He continuously flirted with the idea of leaving for New York while playing under contract for the Cavaliers.  Like a man bored in a marriage, LeBron tormented his “wife” by comparing her to a sexier city and making Clevelanders nothing but jesters in his court.

So here we are, at this very moment, LeBron is about to pull the equivalent of a breakup on a post it note.  He will join Dwayne Wade’s team in Miami and leave countless fans in Cleveland heartbroken once again.  This is the way of LeBron, no need for sentiments when you are trying to be a conglomerate.  Thus, he will host a one hour live show on ESPN to announce his team of choice.  People despise Kobe due to his “arrogance”, but I will take Kobe any day.  Kobe has a heart of a champion and a relentless pursuit of perfection.  LeBron, on the other hand, has nothing more but a relentless pursuit of self-aggrandizement.  A pursuit that will leave Cleveland bent over in anguish once again.