Great article on how Lebron changed the game VOL. Yes another Lebron thread

[poeticjays]

http://sports.espn.go.com...ry/news/story?id=5401981

Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert felt betrayed, but true kings don't serve. They can't be traitors because they demand the loyalty; they don't provide it. Gilbert and the fans realized, too late, that for LeBron James to truly be a king, they by definition had to be the subjects. James knew this. They did not.

Gilbert, unhinged, lashed out after enabling James' behavior. He could have given James a timetable to make his decision before the team moved on. He could have assumed that if James opted for free agency, he would likely change teams. He allowed the king to make him a subject -- the byproduct of seven years of deferential treatment by Gilbert and the Gunds -- and then was upset that he was treated like a serf. Gilbert thought he was showing loyalty to James by giving him everything he wanted without demanding accountability in return. But bowing like a sycophant is not loyalty. It is bribery.

James reminded the teams, leagues, fans and media that each has no one to blame but itself. His ex-team, the Cavaliers, treated him as though he were beyond them, undermining its own integrity as an organization, only to feel betrayed when he treated them like subjects. The NBA, chasing the short money created by Bird, Magic and Jordan, allowed players to become so powerful that a bitter lockout looms to restore balance. The fans, whose goals are often the most one-dimensional, wanted to see their team win no matter the cost, even though for the past three years James was telegraphing his distance from them.

James represents the ultimate victory for the player. He broke no rules. He merely exercised his rights. He articulated that the condescending paternalism that is such an odious part of pro sports (could we cease once and for all with calling owners "mister?") must now give way to full, even cold-blooded partnership. If teams can trade players without the players' consent, the players must then be able to utilize their power to manipulate the free agency process.



Put aside the emotions for a second, and think what LeBron's decision really meant, whether you agree with it or not, hate him or love him...


Ever since any of us have watched the NBA (or NFL/MLB/NHL..etc for that matter), there has been one business model:

The owner owns the team. Thus the buck stops here and he has ultimate power in any decision regarding the franchise.

The GM is in charge of making the roster, dealing and trading players as if they were stocks or commodities. As long as the athlete is producing/making the company money, then he's kept around. As soon as he starts to lose value, the GM 'fires' him by cutting/trading/letting him walk.

The players that make up the actual team, no matter how well paid they are, are still EMPLOYEES. Their fate is not controlled by them. They can play their hearts out and give the company everything they have, but at the end of the day, they have no say in whether the team wants them. They can have their lives change overnight and be shipped across the country and they'd have no control over it.

The NBA, and professional sports in general, is no different than any other corporation in America, except that in most corporations, star employees can move up the ladder and eventually move into the ownership roles, where they actually have authority to make the true power moves. Athletes have never had this power, until now.

Lebron represents the first time in the NBA that an athlete has true control over their own destiny. Before him, even the best athletes were essentially highly-paid employees. They go out and perform, if the owner sucks, or the GM is incompetant at putting together a team, well TOUGH. They're locked into their contract and the most they can do is whine to the media and request a trade, which they still have no power over.

Lebron is the first athlete to completely take his fate in his own hands. He took a shorter contract. He took less money. He didn't wait around for upper management to do what he asked. If they didn't hold up their end of the deal, then he left. This is similar to what most people in corporate america do if they have the option. If another company is offering better opportunities, better people to work with, a chance to grow your career that you can't do at your current company, wouldn't you leave? This isn't a foreign concept, just foreign when it comes to sports. Lebron just represents an extension of the American individualistic attitude..

Going forward, more and more star athletes will take a similar approach. Instead of wasting away one's career under an incompetant owner/GM, the new star athletes will take a similar route. The owner/GM will have less power in controlling their star 'employees'. of course the average players won't have this kind of leverage, just as the average employee doesn't have the same options a star employee does.

Whether this ends up being good or bad for sports, we shall see. The one thing that is certain is that the business model of sports has changed forever.

 

[poeticjays]

http://sports.espn.go.com...ry/news/story?id=5401981

Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert felt betrayed, but true kings don't serve. They can't be traitors because they demand the loyalty; they don't provide it. Gilbert and the fans realized, too late, that for LeBron James to truly be a king, they by definition had to be the subjects. James knew this. They did not.

Gilbert, unhinged, lashed out after enabling James' behavior. He could have given James a timetable to make his decision before the team moved on. He could have assumed that if James opted for free agency, he would likely change teams. He allowed the king to make him a subject -- the byproduct of seven years of deferential treatment by Gilbert and the Gunds -- and then was upset that he was treated like a serf. Gilbert thought he was showing loyalty to James by giving him everything he wanted without demanding accountability in return. But bowing like a sycophant is not loyalty. It is bribery.

James reminded the teams, leagues, fans and media that each has no one to blame but itself. His ex-team, the Cavaliers, treated him as though he were beyond them, undermining its own integrity as an organization, only to feel betrayed when he treated them like subjects. The NBA, chasing the short money created by Bird, Magic and Jordan, allowed players to become so powerful that a bitter lockout looms to restore balance. The fans, whose goals are often the most one-dimensional, wanted to see their team win no matter the cost, even though for the past three years James was telegraphing his distance from them.

James represents the ultimate victory for the player. He broke no rules. He merely exercised his rights. He articulated that the condescending paternalism that is such an odious part of pro sports (could we cease once and for all with calling owners "mister?") must now give way to full, even cold-blooded partnership. If teams can trade players without the players' consent, the players must then be able to utilize their power to manipulate the free agency process.



Put aside the emotions for a second, and think what LeBron's decision really meant, whether you agree with it or not, hate him or love him...


Ever since any of us have watched the NBA (or NFL/MLB/NHL..etc for that matter), there has been one business model:

The owner owns the team. Thus the buck stops here and he has ultimate power in any decision regarding the franchise.

The GM is in charge of making the roster, dealing and trading players as if they were stocks or commodities. As long as the athlete is producing/making the company money, then he's kept around. As soon as he starts to lose value, the GM 'fires' him by cutting/trading/letting him walk.

The players that make up the actual team, no matter how well paid they are, are still EMPLOYEES. Their fate is not controlled by them. They can play their hearts out and give the company everything they have, but at the end of the day, they have no say in whether the team wants them. They can have their lives change overnight and be shipped across the country and they'd have no control over it.

The NBA, and professional sports in general, is no different than any other corporation in America, except that in most corporations, star employees can move up the ladder and eventually move into the ownership roles, where they actually have authority to make the true power moves. Athletes have never had this power, until now.

Lebron represents the first time in the NBA that an athlete has true control over their own destiny. Before him, even the best athletes were essentially highly-paid employees. They go out and perform, if the owner sucks, or the GM is incompetant at putting together a team, well TOUGH. They're locked into their contract and the most they can do is whine to the media and request a trade, which they still have no power over.

Lebron is the first athlete to completely take his fate in his own hands. He took a shorter contract. He took less money. He didn't wait around for upper management to do what he asked. If they didn't hold up their end of the deal, then he left. This is similar to what most people in corporate america do if they have the option. If another company is offering better opportunities, better people to work with, a chance to grow your career that you can't do at your current company, wouldn't you leave? This isn't a foreign concept, just foreign when it comes to sports. Lebron just represents an extension of the American individualistic attitude..

Going forward, more and more star athletes will take a similar approach. Instead of wasting away one's career under an incompetant owner/GM, the new star athletes will take a similar route. The owner/GM will have less power in controlling their star 'employees'. of course the average players won't have this kind of leverage, just as the average employee doesn't have the same options a star employee does.

Whether this ends up being good or bad for sports, we shall see. The one thing that is certain is that the business model of sports has changed forever.

 

[bigtimejerky]

he has revolutionized another front: a fundamental change in language. When James speaks of his "team" and his "brand," he is sending the open letter that he is not an athlete first. Basketball may be his calling card, but it is the financial engine of a larger enterprise -- the main piece of his portfolio, but it is still just a piece, nonetheless.


good article... I feel as though he is the first "businessman" in sports.

whether it be the early exposure or acquiescence with Buffet and Jay, hes putting a whole new spin on player/organization relations as business partners.

edit:

it still puts a dent on his legacy as an athlete... but once again he opens a door for younger athletes to succeed just as he did with high school scouting

 

[bigtimejerky]

he has revolutionized another front: a fundamental change in language. When James speaks of his "team" and his "brand," he is sending the open letter that he is not an athlete first. Basketball may be his calling card, but it is the financial engine of a larger enterprise -- the main piece of his portfolio, but it is still just a piece, nonetheless.


good article... I feel as though he is the first "businessman" in sports.

whether it be the early exposure or acquiescence with Buffet and Jay, hes putting a whole new spin on player/organization relations as business partners.

edit:

it still puts a dent on his legacy as an athlete... but once again he opens a door for younger athletes to succeed just as he did with high school scouting

 

[chiaravanond]

I like this lebron thread

best lebron thread EVERRR

 

[chiaravanond]

I like this lebron thread

best lebron thread EVERRR

 

[drunken cow]

You my friend make sense.

 

[drunken cow]

You my friend make sense.

 

[elderwatsondiggs]

Another excerpt from the article that I thought stood out. I am starting to believe that Lebron isn't really too concerned about the hit his legacy took by making this decision.

...and to think James merely wanted to be another great player is misreading the map completely. James is not the ruler of the hardwood; he is a two-time MVP but as of yet has never been the league's best, most reliable championship performer. But he is the king and revolutionary of a movement that has finally and completely broken from the Age of Jordan.

Dang that dude was huge even in H.S.

 

[elderwatsondiggs]

Another excerpt from the article that I thought stood out. I am starting to believe that Lebron isn't really too concerned about the hit his legacy took by making this decision.

...and to think James merely wanted to be another great player is misreading the map completely. James is not the ruler of the hardwood; he is a two-time MVP but as of yet has never been the league's best, most reliable championship performer. But he is the king and revolutionary of a movement that has finally and completely broken from the Age of Jordan.

Dang that dude was huge even in H.S.

 

[duba169]

PoeticJays wrote:

James represents the ultimate victory for the player. He broke no rules. He merely exercised his rights. He articulated that the condescending paternalism that is such an odious part of pro sports (could we cease once and for all with calling owners "mister?") must now give way to full, even cold-blooded partnership.




lebron doesn't even understand half of the words in that paragraph but they wanna credit him for having some master plan. He wanted to play with his all star friends on a beach. That's it. If he was good enough to win with the cavs than he wouldn't articulate a thing.

 

[duba169]

PoeticJays wrote:

James represents the ultimate victory for the player. He broke no rules. He merely exercised his rights. He articulated that the condescending paternalism that is such an odious part of pro sports (could we cease once and for all with calling owners "mister?") must now give way to full, even cold-blooded partnership.




lebron doesn't even understand half of the words in that paragraph but they wanna credit him for having some master plan. He wanted to play with his all star friends on a beach. That's it. If he was good enough to win with the cavs than he wouldn't articulate a thing.

 

[raptors29]

I never understood why everyone was upset he left. I would have left too.

 

[raptors29]

I never understood why everyone was upset he left. I would have left too.

 

[ldj]

Originally Posted by bigtimejerky

he has revolutionized another front: a fundamental change in language. When James speaks of his "team" and his "brand," he is sending the open letter that he is not an athlete first. Basketball may be his calling card, but it is the financial engine of a larger enterprise -- the main piece of his portfolio, but it is still just a piece, nonetheless.

good article... I feel as though he is the first "businessman" in sports.

whether it be the early exposure or acquiescence with Buffet and Jay, hes putting a whole new spin on player/organization relations as business partners.

edit:

it still puts a dent on his legacy as an athlete... but once again he opens a door for younger athletes to succeed just as he did with high school scouting



I think thats why he is down and patterns himself around the likes of Jay-Z. He didnt come into the game to be the best rapper or even really cares about his legacy or what back-packers and so caled true hip-hop fans say. He used his skills on the mic to open much more doors and opportunities in his business world.

I mean Lebron did say his set goal is to be a mogul and be the first/and or a billionaire athlete. And also to have total control of his life/career. I can respect that. I mean Jay done it, 50 done it, Master P did it and did it big. Why is it such a horrid thing when an athlete does it? True some may so called it distastefull and tacky. But i see it as he is upfront, knows what he wants in his life/career and is positioning himself to do so.

 

[ldj]

Originally Posted by bigtimejerky

he has revolutionized another front: a fundamental change in language. When James speaks of his "team" and his "brand," he is sending the open letter that he is not an athlete first. Basketball may be his calling card, but it is the financial engine of a larger enterprise -- the main piece of his portfolio, but it is still just a piece, nonetheless.

good article... I feel as though he is the first "businessman" in sports.

whether it be the early exposure or acquiescence with Buffet and Jay, hes putting a whole new spin on player/organization relations as business partners.

edit:

it still puts a dent on his legacy as an athlete... but once again he opens a door for younger athletes to succeed just as he did with high school scouting



I think thats why he is down and patterns himself around the likes of Jay-Z. He didnt come into the game to be the best rapper or even really cares about his legacy or what back-packers and so caled true hip-hop fans say. He used his skills on the mic to open much more doors and opportunities in his business world.

I mean Lebron did say his set goal is to be a mogul and be the first/and or a billionaire athlete. And also to have total control of his life/career. I can respect that. I mean Jay done it, 50 done it, Master P did it and did it big. Why is it such a horrid thing when an athlete does it? True some may so called it distastefull and tacky. But i see it as he is upfront, knows what he wants in his life/career and is positioning himself to do so.

 

[onetrust]

EXACTLY...Lebron is changing the game like Jordan did, except in his OWN way because he's a trend setter.

 

[onetrust]

EXACTLY...Lebron is changing the game like Jordan did, except in his OWN way because he's a trend setter.

 

[tommykairaa]

he aint change %#@#

 

[tommykairaa]

he aint change %#@#

 

[onetrust]

Originally Posted by tommykairaa

he aint change %#@#

Oh really?...CP3, the league's best PG, already wants to form a 3 headed monster.  Just wait in a few years...We'll see.

  

 

[onetrust]

Originally Posted by tommykairaa

he aint change %#@#

Oh really?...CP3, the league's best PG, already wants to form a 3 headed monster.  Just wait in a few years...We'll see.

  

 

[ldj]

Originally Posted by raptors29

I never understood why everyone was upset he left. I would have left too.

Which brings up the point of everyone being mad he left w/o notice. Technically he gave notice before he was even in the nba. Like stated earlier he said in h.s. his goal was to be a billionaire, a mogul, control his on destiny, and do whatever it takes to be a champion. So he stated his aspirations and desires before he was eligible to play in the nba. They didnt make his dream into fruitition so he exercised his right to potentially make them come true.

 

[ldj]

Originally Posted by raptors29

I never understood why everyone was upset he left. I would have left too.

Which brings up the point of everyone being mad he left w/o notice. Technically he gave notice before he was even in the nba. Like stated earlier he said in h.s. his goal was to be a billionaire, a mogul, control his on destiny, and do whatever it takes to be a champion. So he stated his aspirations and desires before he was eligible to play in the nba. They didnt make his dream into fruitition so he exercised his right to potentially make them come true.

 

[poeticjays]

Originally Posted by LDJ

bigtimejerky wrote:

---

he has revolutionized another front: a fundamental change in language. When James speaks of his "team" and his "brand," he is sending the open letter that he is not an athlete first. Basketball may be his calling card, but it is the financial engine of a larger enterprise -- the main piece of his portfolio, but it is still just a piece, nonetheless.

good article... I feel as though he is the first "businessman" in sports.

whether it be the early exposure or acquiescence with Buffet and Jay, hes putting a whole new spin on player/organization relations as business partners.

edit:

it still puts a dent on his legacy as an athlete... but once again he opens a door for younger athletes to succeed just as he did with high school scouting



I think thats why he is down and patterns himself around the likes of Jay-Z. He didnt come into the game to be the best rapper or even really cares about his legacy or what back-packers and so caled true hip-hop fans say. He used his skills on the mic to open much more doors and opportunities in his business world.

I mean Lebron did say his set goal is to be a mogul and be the first/and or a billionaire athlete. And also to have total control of his life/career. I can respect that. I mean Jay done it, 50 done it, Master P did it and did it big. Why is it such a horrid thing when an athlete does it? True some may so called it distastefull and tacky. But i see it as he is upfront, knows what he wants in his life/career and is positioning himself to do so.




Yup. He's using basketball to achieve his true intentions, not letting basketball use him. Its clear that he's not wired like kobe/jordan who have a single goal in life and that's to be the best basketball player that they can be. Lebron obviously has other goals, and in that respect he is more like 50/Jay than say Nas.