Random Thoughts

Everybody is up in arms over James (formerly Lebron "King" James/ formerly Queen James...now just James) bringing up the race card on a recent interview on CNN & his views on African American basketball athletes being treated more harshly by the general public than other athletes. Think about what he said & ask yourself is he wrong.

When James and his Business Manager Maverick Carter decided to go forward with The Decision aired on ESPN they knew they were going to receive some flack from it, but they weren't prepared for the all out assault that took place on James's image in the public. The idea was to do something innovative & captivating that would be considered trendsetting. Maverick Carter who is probably a little in over his head, angered more than just the Cleveland fan base. He rocked the solid foundation around which the LeBron James brand is built. OK chalk it up to youthful exuberance, but everybody makes mistakes. Only a wise man with his clients best interest at heart wouldn't have made this mistake.

Maverick Carter & James are guilty of poor judgement & bad taste, but nothing else. To rake them over the coals for anything else would be considered unfair treatment & yes in their eyes...a little racist.
I am the first to say I was disappointed at the way James (formerly King James) handled things, but more importantly I thought he was robbing the public of seeing something truly spectacular happening in the city of Cleveland. A talent like his doesn't come along too often & I thought he took the easy way out. Nothing more nothing less.
If anything I think the city of Cleveland & its fan base should have been the ones most upset. But some of the criticism that I read / hear seems to stem from anger over young African American millionaires bucking tradition & taking ownership over their careers & money making opportunities.

Suppose Maverick Carter was named Jonathan Steinberg. He just happened to be a white male with a graduate degree from Harvard. He represented Stephen Lowenstein (All Star goalie for the Philadelphia Flyers) & they did the same exact thing. What would the public outcry be like?
Unfortunately in our society race factors into everything & if you don't think so you are living in an alternate universe. People look at James & Carter and act like they are seeing Stringer Bell & Avon Barksdale. This isn't The Wire that we are talking about. It is an African American basketball player and his manager making some bad judgement decisions, but in the end not breaking any laws except for human decency & business protocol.

Ask yourself why there is a dress code & age limit in basketball but no such rules in less say.....tennis. I see teenage millionaires who play tennis recieve no public outcry or drop in their Q ratings when they make a mistake. The NBA is a league where over 90% of the players are African American, but 90% of the buying public is white. If you don't thing race factors in to A PIMP NAMED STERN'S decision making process, then you are about as smart as Jamarcus Russell admitting to sipping on CYSURP & thinking he will quarterback again in the NFL.
The NBA has a reputation for having thugs & punks as their leaders/ public spokesman. Lebron James, Dwyane Wade, Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett, Kevin Durant, & Dwight Howard just to name a few, don't strike fear into the hearts of any thugs I know. But yet...some want to classify them as such. Does Ray Allen or Derek Fisher look like tough guys to you?
If Kenyon Martin played football his behavior would be acceptable. If he played hockey it would be encouraged. But only in basketball is it seen as thug-like. The only thing thug-like about Kenyon Martin is his tattoos & even that is called into question because of those lips on his neck.

Be mad at James for bad taste, for questionable judgement & for taking bad advice. But don't let his skin color affect how you view him as a person or athlete. The first time he takes the court & produces like we know he can, hopefully all this will be put to rest & we can enjoy basketball for the incredible game that it is. Not for the divisive race conqueror that it could be.



I'm out like Trevor Pryce to the Jets.