Former Member
Banned
I have a question that I would like to pose. Am I the only one that is getting ridiculously sick and tired of this forced narrative that ESPN and the NBA shoves down our throats?
There was an article by Rick Reilly last week that was more or less a love letter to LeBron James. And today there was another article written by Israel Guitterrez that is more or less forcing the “Hey everybody you need to love Lebron, now.”
Here is a link, and here is an small sampling of the article.
https://espn.go.com/nba/playoffs/2012/story/_/id/8040884/nba-playoffs-lebron-james-ready-shed-negative-labels-once-all
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“There really would seem to be only one step left before LeBron can turn that public perception around entirely.
He has to close.
He needs to close out a tight, important game, possibly even with a buzzer-beater, possibly even in these Finals. He has done that before, yes, but he has had so many failures since that it has become the top criticism of him, the source of so many jokes that coming up with fresh ones is a challenge even for actual comedians.
And more importantly, he needs to close out a championship run. Ideally this one, of course, to avoid another year of tired jokes and building pressures, but any one will do.
Because once that's done, what would be left to hate?
Of course, anyone could choose to still dislike James no matter how stellar his play or how many rings he collects. But once he has shed those final holes in his résumé/reputation, any hatred directed toward him would be viewed as simple jealousy by fans of other teams -- teams James would very likely be stepping over.
The criticism of James would carry very little weight, if any at all, once he's able to do that.
And he appears well on his way.”
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So let me get this straight. It is okay for spectators to “Hate” someone because they can’t win a championship. However, if he wins a championship all of the other reasons that fans “Hate” Lebron converts into jealousy. (e.g. “Chosen One” tattoo, Speaks in the Third Person,“The Decision + Aftermath, Flops like a Rainbow trout out of water, etc)
I don’t understand this narrative or the reason for it. Why is ESPN so interested in making Lebron James win a popularity contest? Personally, I’ve never been to fond of James. Namely, “The Chosen One” tattoo and his attitude have always rubbed me wrong; however, I’ve never shied away from admitting that he’s an amazingly skilled basketball player.
The Fact that ESPN constantly begs for everyone to love Lebron or calls anyone that doesn’t like him “simply jealous,” only drives me to root against him anymore.
Am I the only one that feels this way?
<sigh> I shouldn’t click on these articles when all I want is some Euro Cup info.
Note: If you like Lebron, good for you, I’m more venting against the forced narrative of ESPN.
There was an article by Rick Reilly last week that was more or less a love letter to LeBron James. And today there was another article written by Israel Guitterrez that is more or less forcing the “Hey everybody you need to love Lebron, now.”
Here is a link, and here is an small sampling of the article.
https://espn.go.com/nba/playoffs/2012/story/_/id/8040884/nba-playoffs-lebron-james-ready-shed-negative-labels-once-all
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“There really would seem to be only one step left before LeBron can turn that public perception around entirely.
He has to close.
He needs to close out a tight, important game, possibly even with a buzzer-beater, possibly even in these Finals. He has done that before, yes, but he has had so many failures since that it has become the top criticism of him, the source of so many jokes that coming up with fresh ones is a challenge even for actual comedians.
And more importantly, he needs to close out a championship run. Ideally this one, of course, to avoid another year of tired jokes and building pressures, but any one will do.
Because once that's done, what would be left to hate?
Of course, anyone could choose to still dislike James no matter how stellar his play or how many rings he collects. But once he has shed those final holes in his résumé/reputation, any hatred directed toward him would be viewed as simple jealousy by fans of other teams -- teams James would very likely be stepping over.
The criticism of James would carry very little weight, if any at all, once he's able to do that.
And he appears well on his way.”
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
So let me get this straight. It is okay for spectators to “Hate” someone because they can’t win a championship. However, if he wins a championship all of the other reasons that fans “Hate” Lebron converts into jealousy. (e.g. “Chosen One” tattoo, Speaks in the Third Person,“The Decision + Aftermath, Flops like a Rainbow trout out of water, etc)
I don’t understand this narrative or the reason for it. Why is ESPN so interested in making Lebron James win a popularity contest? Personally, I’ve never been to fond of James. Namely, “The Chosen One” tattoo and his attitude have always rubbed me wrong; however, I’ve never shied away from admitting that he’s an amazingly skilled basketball player.
The Fact that ESPN constantly begs for everyone to love Lebron or calls anyone that doesn’t like him “simply jealous,” only drives me to root against him anymore.
Am I the only one that feels this way?
<sigh> I shouldn’t click on these articles when all I want is some Euro Cup info.
Note: If you like Lebron, good for you, I’m more venting against the forced narrative of ESPN.
