Just because the NBA players are locked out by the owners and the season has been delayed does not mean we won’t be subjected to LeBron James hate. I thought it was bad when 99 cent stores were mocking LeBron and when the Cavs put LeBron dolls into urinals. But this? This is even worse.
Esquire writer Scott Raab, who has been denied credentials to cover NBA games because of his LeBron hatred, is at it again. He’s written a book called The Whore of Akron, and an excerpt was published at Esquire. Eye on Basketball isolated one of the more disturbing paragraphs, where Raab says he wished for LeBron to suffer a career-ending injury. The setting is Raab attending the Heat’s 96-70 October win over the Magic in Miami.
This is where LeBron James wants to play basketball, in front of sun-dried cretins who must be bribed to act as if they care about the game and the team. Where another superstar already is the Man in the locker room and on the court; where nobody in the media will ever mention his collapse against Boston, his phantom elbow pain, and his steadfast refusal to hold himself accountable for his team’s big-game failures.
For as long as I’ve been a fan, I’ve rooted hard against certain teams and players, but never have I hoped to see a career-ending injury — until tonight.
It’s bad enough for a writer to be biased against LeBron and influence public perception of the Heat star. But wishing for a player to suffer a career-ending injury? That’s the sort of morbid sentiment reserved for the most deranged fans. I can understand people making anti-LeBron t-shirts. That really does no harm. But burning jerseys? Wishing for career-ending injury? You need to examine yourself if you’re harboring that much hate. Sadly, there’s such a large community of LeBron James haters, this book will probably sell well.
