Anybody who does not think race is a factor in hatred for many people is disillusioned and out of touch with reality. Even if you personally don’t play race as a factor in your feelings and thoughts, you must recognize that many others do. Believe me, I used to get racially charged hate mail when I hosted my radio show and either spoke about race, or favorably about non-whites. As progressive as we fancy ourselves, there are still many people who lack the fairness and objectivity ideals.
Keeping that in mind, I will agree with LeBron James and his business manager Maverick Carter, who said on CNN that race was a factor in the negative backlash following his “The Decision” show to announce he was signing with the Miami Heat. However, race is only a small factor in the hatred following the show. The real reason for the negative sentiment was the incredulously self-serving nature of the show, the lack of taste in the concept, and the lack of regard for the hurt feelings of the spurned parties.
Clevelanders would have already been crushed if LeBron announced he was leaving the city to sign with the Heat. Regardless, LeBron could have spared many feelings without insulting the fans and city by making his announcement in a celebratory television program. People were already going to burn his jersey after the announcement, but maybe you wouldn’t have seen so many angry t-shirts made.
A lot of people are hating on LeBron because he joined a bunch of superstars in Miami to try and win titles. I’ve defended LeBron on that front, pointing out the hypocritical chumps like Charles Barkley who did the same thing. That hate is going to be there because great teams are going to be hated. But let’s get back to business.
Race probably plays a role in the negative backlash from “The Decision,” but it is only a small one. The real reason for the negativity is the show was an awful idea and incredibly selfish. That LeBron and his management team still doesn’t see what was wrong with the show explains the problem. How could we expect them to understand the root of the negative backlash when they don’t see what was wrong with the show in general?
