Apart from just not liking a rival, there is no reason not to like LBJ

[Dchuck]

. It is nice he raised them the money, but to say that is "why he did it" is so beyond ludicrous I have to come back to this comment a few times throughout the day for a good chuckle.

One could argue that he included the charity to mitigate the fallout that his image conscious PR team knew that THE DECISION would cause.

Yes. Clearly. I have honestly never heard anyone say that he did the event FOR charity. Again, it was awesome he raised money, and a lot, but if he wanted to raise money he could any sort of event anywhere at any time. It is not like this was his only chance to ever be in spotlight.

of course he could hold an event but not one that would draw a 13 rating and earn 2.5 million for Boys and Girls club and 3.5 million for other charities.  It had to be something that people would actually want to watch not some random event.  Jim Gray actually pitched the idea to James' team and the reason James was sold on  doing it was the money for charity it would generate.  Without that money James doesn't do it.  Now sure maybe he thought other things positive would come out of it but charity absolutely was James' driving factor in the show.  He clearly underestimated the negative impact on jilting Cleveland on national tv and Gray dragging the interview out for over 30 minutes before the announcement didn't help.  He then followed that up with the oress conference in Miami which further tarnished his image.  All of which he clearly learned from on his return to Cleveland.

And I'm curious from all you marketing experts, best case scenario for James what exactly do you think the Decision would have done for James.  He was already the best player i  the world, had as many sponsorship deals than he could use, was a top if not the top seller in jerseys, etc. What exactly was James' best case on the Decision.  It really could only go badly for him so it clearly had to be about charity or he wouldn't have done it.

"Clearly had to be about charity", are u serious?

So many people, celebrity/non-celebrities, donate without the pomp and circumstance.  In fact, I just read an article about Popovich going to great lengths to ensure his generous donations remain anonymous.  He's not the only one, either.

Let's not get it twisted.  It was and always will be about him.

[bdm860]

And I'm curious from all you marketing experts, best case scenario for James what exactly do you think the Decision would have done for James.  He was already the best player i  the world, had as many sponsorship deals than he could use, was a top if not the top seller in jerseys, etc. What exactly was James' best case on the Decision.  It really could only go badly for him so it clearly had to be about charity or he wouldn't have done it.

I think going in you could hope for a lot of best case scenarios with The Decision.

1. Ratings.  Whether or not there's any money involved, I think most people would love to say that show based solely on them drew huge numbers, and it did.  Best cable draw of the night.  Good but not great, as going in you probably hope to draw better than other sports oddities (Hulk Hogan vs Andre the Giant on free TV drew 33m viewers in '88, Mike Tyson on free TV drew 43m viewers in '95).  Absolute best case scenario you draw more than the Super Bowl (usually 80m+), then you hope to make top 10 shows of the year (#10 was 28.5m in 2015).  All in all, in 2010 it wasn't even in the Top 100 sports broadcasts of the year, but was #19 for sports on cable, highest rated cable NBA program of the year (broadcast list, cable list)

2. Money.  Even though LeBron took no money from The Decision, it could still make him money (if it was a ratings hit), as all sponsorship and marketing deals aren't created equal.  Contracts expire and new ones are formed.  A quick google search says LeBron makes $42m in endorsements (as of 2014), and that he has said he hopes to reach billionaire status.  If The Decision drew 100m viewers, that $2m per year he was getting from Coke at the time maybe becomes $20m when he re-ups.  Instead of McDonald's offering LeBron $4m per year, maybe they offer him $15m per.  That distribution deal for his media company that's making Space Jam 2 maybe becomes a lot more lucrative for James.  Best case though, you hope the $40m+ LeBron is making now in endorsements could have been increased to $60m, $80m, or even $100m+ after he proved how much of a draw he was.

3.  Being a pioneer/trendsetter.  I think there's unlimited value being the first to do something successfully.  On the high end you get to be forever immortalized like Jackie Robinson or Neil Armstrong, on the low end you might get something named after you like the "Larry Bird exception" or the "Derrick Rose rule" or an "Arnold Palmer."  I think it's reasonable to think LeBron maybe thought he was being a pioneer and was changing the way major free agency decisions were announced.  I believe he was the first guy to sign for less than the max term and instead sign short term contracts with opt outs, something I've now heard referred to as a "LeBron deal."  I think part of him hoped that whenever a big free agency announcement was made (like him going back to Cleveland, or Durant singing with GS) across every sport, they'd now do it through a "LeBron" by doing a half hour TV special.

So in summary, if The Decision was a huge success, it would greatly stroke LeBron's ego, help him make even more money off the court, and once again remind the world he's a trendsetter and pioneer (further stroking his ego and probably making him even more money), and to top it all off you get to say "wow, and he donated all that money to charity!"

All in all, I think it was a moderate ratings success, probably didn't impact his endorsements in any significant way but did solidified his drawing power, whole raising $6m for charity but causing him some criticism and embarrassment.  It could have gone better (higher ratings earning him more endorsement money), it could have gone even worse (terrible ratings leading companies to decide he's worth less than we thought).  Probably a wash overall, but the potential upside far outweighs the potential downside.


I've actually come around on LeBron.  I used to hate him, but now I kind of like him and definitely appreciate his talent.  Just glad I'm not judged by poor decisions me and my friends made when we were 18-25.

[celticsclay]

. It is nice he raised them the money, but to say that is "why he did it" is so beyond ludicrous I have to come back to this comment a few times throughout the day for a good chuckle.

One could argue that he included the charity to mitigate the fallout that his image conscious PR team knew that THE DECISION would cause.

Yes. Clearly. I have honestly never heard anyone say that he did the event FOR charity. Again, it was awesome he raised money, and a lot, but if he wanted to raise money he could any sort of event anywhere at any time. It is not like this was his only chance to ever be in spotlight.

of course he could hold an event but not one that would draw a 13 rating and earn 2.5 million for Boys and Girls club and 3.5 million for other charities.  It had to be something that people would actually want to watch not some random event.  Jim Gray actually pitched the idea to James' team and the reason James was sold on  doing it was the money for charity it would generate.  Without that money James doesn't do it.  Now sure maybe he thought other things positive would come out of it but charity absolutely was James' driving factor in the show.  He clearly underestimated the negative impact on jilting Cleveland on national tv and Gray dragging the interview out for over 30 minutes before the announcement didn't help.  He then followed that up with the oress conference in Miami which further tarnished his image.  All of which he clearly learned from on his return to Cleveland.

And I'm curious from all you marketing experts, best case scenario for James what exactly do you think the Decision would have done for James.  He was already the best player i  the world, had as many sponsorship deals than he could use, was a top if not the top seller in jerseys, etc. What exactly was James' best case on the Decision.  It really could only go badly for him so it clearly had to be about charity or he wouldn't have done it.

just keep digging moranis. This is enjoyable.

I take it from this childish response you have no real response and are now doing nothing more than usual trolling

I'm just sitting back and letting every other poster point out why this is ridiculous. TBH most people would think you saying the decision was all about charity was an attempt at trolling because it is hard to believe that anyone would seriously believe that

[celticsclay]

And I'm curious from all you marketing experts, best case scenario for James what exactly do you think the Decision would have done for James.  He was already the best player i  the world, had as many sponsorship deals than he could use, was a top if not the top seller in jerseys, etc. What exactly was James' best case on the Decision.  It really could only go badly for him so it clearly had to be about charity or he wouldn't have done it.

I think going in you could hope for a lot of best case scenarios with The Decision.

1. Ratings.  Whether or not there's any money involved, I think most people would love to say that show based solely on them drew huge numbers, and it did.  Best cable draw of the night.  Good but not great, as going in you probably hope to draw better than other sports oddities (Hulk Hogan vs Andre the Giant on free TV drew 33m viewers in '88, Mike Tyson on free TV drew 43m viewers in '95).  Absolute best case scenario you draw more than the Super Bowl (usually 80m+), then you hope to make top 10 shows of the year (#10 was 28.5m in 2015).  All in all, in 2010 it wasn't even in the Top 100 sports broadcasts of the year, but was #19 for sports on cable, highest rated cable NBA program of the year (broadcast list, cable list)

2. Money.  Even though LeBron took no money from The Decision, it could still make him money (if it was a ratings hit), as all sponsorship and marketing dollars aren't created equal.  Contracts expire and new ones are formed.  A quick google search says LeBron makes $42m in endorsements (as of 2014), and that he has said he hopes to reach billionaire status.  If The Decision drew 100m viewers, that $2m per year he was getting from Coke at the time maybe becomes $20m when he re-ups.  Instead of McDonald's offering LeBron $4m per year, maybe they offer him $15m per.  That distribution deal for his media company that's making Space Jam 2 maybe becomes a lot more lucrative for James.  Best case though, you hope the $40m+ LeBron is making now in endorsements could have been increased to $60m, $80m, or even $100m+ after he proved how much of a draw he was.

3.  Being a pioneer/trendsetter.  I think there's unlimited value being the first to do something successfully.  On the high end you get to be forever immortalized like Jackie Robinson or Neil Armstrong, on the low end you might get something named after you like the "Larry Bird exception" or the "Derrick Rose rule" or an "Arnold Palmer."  I think it's reasonable to think LeBron maybe thought he was being a pioneer and was changing the way major free agency decisions were announced.  I believe he was the first guy to sign for less than the max term and instead sign short term contracts with opt outs, something I've now heard referred to as a "LeBron deal."  I think part of him hoped that whenever a big free agency announcement was made (like him going back to Cleveland, or Durant singing with GS) across every sport, they'd now do it through a "LeBron" by doing a half hour TV special.

So in summary, if The Decision was a huge success, it would greatly stroke LeBron's ego, help him make even more money off the court, and once again remind the world he's a trendsetter and pioneer (further stroking his ego and probably making him even more money), and to top it all off you get to say "wow, and he donated all that money to charity!"

All in all, I think it was a moderate ratings success, probably didn't impact his endorsements in any significant way but did solidified his drawing power, whole raising $6m for charity but causing him some criticism and embarrassment.  It could have gone better (higher ratings earning him more endorsement money), it could have gone even worse (terrible ratings leading companies to decide he's worth less than we thought).  Probably a wash overall, but the potential upside far outweighs the potential downside.


I've actually come around on LeBron.  I used to hate him, but now I kind of like him and definitely appreciate his talent.  Just glad I'm not judged by poor decisions me and my friends made when were 18-25.

Some good thoughts here. It obviously had huge potential to advance the Lebron brand which has the potential to make him much more than the few million dollars he could have made off this event. You actually seem to get it. This doing it all for charity line of thinking feels like something you would have to explain to a 12 year old much like you would why Trump giving up his president salary was not some amazing selfless act.

[Moranis]

And I'm curious from all you marketing experts, best case scenario for James what exactly do you think the Decision would have done for James.  He was already the best player i  the world, had as many sponsorship deals than he could use, was a top if not the top seller in jerseys, etc. What exactly was James' best case on the Decision.  It really could only go badly for him so it clearly had to be about charity or he wouldn't have done it.

I think going in you could hope for a lot of best case scenarios with The Decision.

1. Ratings.  Whether or not there's any money involved, I think most people would love to say that show based solely on them drew huge numbers, and it did.  Best cable draw of the night.  Good but not great, as going in you probably hope to draw better than other sports oddities (Hulk Hogan vs Andre the Giant on free TV drew 33m viewers in '88, Mike Tyson on free TV drew 43m viewers in '95).  Absolute best case scenario you draw more than the Super Bowl (usually 80m+), then you hope to make top 10 shows of the year (#10 was 28.5m in 2015).  All in all, in 2010 it wasn't even in the Top 100 sports broadcasts of the year, but was #19 for sports on cable, highest rated cable NBA program of the year (broadcast list, cable list)

2. Money.  Even though LeBron took no money from The Decision, it could still make him money (if it was a ratings hit), as all sponsorship and marketing deals aren't created equal.  Contracts expire and new ones are formed.  A quick google search says LeBron makes $42m in endorsements (as of 2014), and that he has said he hopes to reach billionaire status.  If The Decision drew 100m viewers, that $2m per year he was getting from Coke at the time maybe becomes $20m when he re-ups.  Instead of McDonald's offering LeBron $4m per year, maybe they offer him $15m per.  That distribution deal for his media company that's making Space Jam 2 maybe becomes a lot more lucrative for James.  Best case though, you hope the $40m+ LeBron is making now in endorsements could have been increased to $60m, $80m, or even $100m+ after he proved how much of a draw he was.

3.  Being a pioneer/trendsetter.  I think there's unlimited value being the first to do something successfully.  On the high end you get to be forever immortalized like Jackie Robinson or Neil Armstrong, on the low end you might get something named after you like the "Larry Bird exception" or the "Derrick Rose rule" or an "Arnold Palmer."  I think it's reasonable to think LeBron maybe thought he was being a pioneer and was changing the way major free agency decisions were announced.  I believe he was the first guy to sign for less than the max term and instead sign short term contracts with opt outs, something I've now heard referred to as a "LeBron deal."  I think part of him hoped that whenever a big free agency announcement was made (like him going back to Cleveland, or Durant singing with GS) across every sport, they'd now do it through a "LeBron" by doing a half hour TV special.

So in summary, if The Decision was a huge success, it would greatly stroke LeBron's ego, help him make even more money off the court, and once again remind the world he's a trendsetter and pioneer (further stroking his ego and probably making him even more money), and to top it all off you get to say "wow, and he donated all that money to charity!"

All in all, I think it was a moderate ratings success, probably didn't impact his endorsements in any significant way but did solidified his drawing power, whole raising $6m for charity but causing him some criticism and embarrassment.  It could have gone better (higher ratings earning him more endorsement money), it could have gone even worse (terrible ratings leading companies to decide he's worth less than we thought).  Probably a wash overall, but the potential upside far outweighs the potential downside.


I've actually come around on LeBron.  I used to hate him, but now I kind of like him and definitely appreciate his talent.  Just glad I'm not judged by poor decisions me and my friends made when we were 18-25.

fair enough but at the time James was the largest draw in the sport.  It went badly because it was dragged out and James came off as an uncaring pompous jackass.  Had he answered the questions better and seemed like he actually cared about the Cavs it wouldn't have been as bad but I still don't see any real positive that comes out of it aside from charity..  I mean come on making a televised decision on free agency is nothing more than the high school kid in the gym picking a school this isn't some new territory or the first even bringing up Jackie RobinsonNeal Armstrong is just ridiculous. And it wasn't a sporting event like Tyson or WWF so event that stuff is just silky..im sure their was some who involved as there always is with tip level athletes and you know his team didn't expect the backlash but really the only good you could ever really expect from the best player in the world and the biggest draw in the sport doing this sort of thing was the donation to charity.