The Anti-Lebron Bias Runs Strong.... But Why?

[Eja117]

Because he's not competitive

Huh? Guy's been to 7 straight finals. If he's not competitive, who is?

Reading through these posts, I've seen a lot of valid comments. This competitive one doesn't make sense to me. Lebron being a bum doesn't make sense to me either.

From my computer, I look down at my extra 20 pounds and realize that in no way could I criticize Lebron's work ethic or competitiveness with a straight face. The guy is a physical beast that has put a ton of work into both his body and his basketball game. To deny this would be foolish, in my opinion.

I think Lebron might be one of the more polarizing athletes in USA sports history. I've read a lot of these responses and I still haven't seen "I don't like him b/c he beat his wife and doesn't provide for his kids". Instead, its mostly smaller points like "I didn't like the way he pursued free agency".

I guess my point is that I think that Lebron is more heavily criticized for small infractions than guys like Kobe, Ben Roethlisberger, etc for actual crimes against humanity. In my opinion, this is weird.

He's a quitter that takes the easy way out.  He's a self made Scottie Pippen.

[LatterDayCelticsfan]

I have noticed that LeBron has been significantly more vocal and involved on social, cultural and political issues than Superstars of generations gone by. Could it be that some of the hostility is an outlet for people who are not comfortable with him bringing up, or taking up stances on issues they feel uncomfortable being confronted with.

[Celtics4ever]

He's a quitter that takes the easy way out.  He's a self made Scottie Pippen.

So True, TP

My question would be why do people consistently call him a GOAT?   He is productive and has improved a lot since he came into the league.   But he has a way of vanishing or failing in the great moments of a game.   To me, LeBron is a Jerry West or Wilt Chamberlain kind of great.  He dominates and scores and piles up a ton of stats.  He has won several titles but he is not a great champion like Jordan and often comes up short.   That in itself is an amazing accomplishment.

I don't like him because everything is about him and he is selfish.   Even stuff like the shoe protest was an activity he was getting paid for more than using his political capital.   Just look at the people he tried to campaign for, they lost.

Also, no one gets away with more from the refs.   He is also a whiner, who if treated like the rest of the league would get technical after technical. 

I think I am the unbiased one in this argument.   I concede he is a great player while admitting his flaws.   I just don't blindly drink the kool-aid that the league has dished out on him.    I think those with a pro-LeBron bias are more biased than me.

Could it be that some of the hostility is an outlet for people who are not comfortable with him bringing up, or taking up stances on issues they feel uncomfortable being confronted with.

Not in my case, still he was getting paid to do some of this bringing up of issues as part of a campaign by Nike.   LeBron cares about one person more than anyone else and he sees him everytime he looks in the mirror.  On social issues, he could do so much more but oddly doesn't.   No one was paying Bill Russell or Muhammad Ali when they were speaking out.

http://www.cleveland.com/cavs/index.ssf/2017/02/lebron_james_stars_in_nike_equ.html

Nice try, but at the end of the day this is more about money than social issues.

Nike uses cheap labor to make their shoes

You know what else is basic economics? Making your products overseas with cheap labor so you can maximize your profits when you ship that product back into the United States. What does it cost Nike to make a pair of LeBron’s shoes? Reports are that the latest Air Jordan’s total cost is around $16.25 — it costs $10.75 for materials, $2.43 for labor, overhead is $2.10, and factory profit is at $0.97. The most recent LeBron shoe costs $175 on FootLocker’s website. Assuming costs are roughly the same for those shoes this means the potential profit built into one of these shoes, profit that goes to Nike and the eventual retailers, is nearly $160.

How can Nike make that much money on a pair of shoes?

By making the shoes overseas and paying workers an average of $3 a day.

Since I’m a capitalist who believes in making as much money as you possibly can, I don’t begrudge Nike for taking advantage of virtual slave labor wages to produce its shoes overseas — the average Indonesian Nike worker makes 1/76th of what an American factory worker would make doing the same job. But don’t you think it’s a bit hypocritical for the company’s new tag line to be “If we can be equals in sport, we can be equals everywhere,” while treating the people who make your products unequally?

The main message of the new Nike ad, which you can watch here, is “Equality should have no

https://www.outkickthecoverage.com/nike-is-for-equality-unless-you-make-its-shoes-021217/

Does LeBron does not speak about that?  Nope, he is only woke when it profits him.

For instance, he has not spoke out about the tax bill has he?  Because he wins from it

https://zoefin.com/2017/12/20/how-much-will-lebrons-taxes-be-under-the-new-plan/

https://www.forbes.com/sites/kurtbadenhausen/2016/11/10/trump-tax-plan-could-save-lebron-james-over-15-million-per-year/#645f7dd8442c

Silence, looks like he is not the social crusader you present.

I am a Celtics fan also, not a closet cav fan like quite a few here.   Those that are have every right to be just don't expect everyone to share your man crush.

[Rosco917]

I fully realize that Lebron James is one of the most talented basketball players in NBA history.

What annoys me is the continual hunt for championship rings to bolster the above fact, and enhance his own personal legacy. He doesn't care about teammates or fans.

In short...the guy is a carpetbagger. He can't simply allow himself time to "build a team" for any one organization for one single season.

For Lebron, it's off to the next championship opportunity where he injects himself so he can someday say, I have more rings that Mike. 

[hwangjini_1]

I fully realize that Lebron James is one of the most talented basketball players in NBA history.

What annoys me is the continual hunt for championship rings to bolster the above fact, and enhance his own personal legacy. He doesn't care about teammates or fans.

In short...the guy is a carpetbagger. He can't simply allow himself time to "build a team" for any one organization for one single season.

For Lebron, it's off to the next championship opportunity where he injects himself so he can someday say, I have more rings that Mike.

which, as we all know, is not going to happen. jordan has six. lebron has 3. asking him to win 4 more is asking a heck of a lot, even of him.

if you want to see more on the lebron versus jordan debate, this is a good article.

http://blog.minitab.com/blog/the-statistics-game/lebron-vs-jordan-is-there-a-comparison-yet

[Donoghus]

If they think its a trash league now, what the heck did they think of it 10-12 years ago? 

The anti-Lebron thing is somewhat easy.  He has been the main guy standing in the way of the Celtics for a decade now.  Their single biggest rival has a been a man, not a team. It's Lebron.  That obviously leads to a ton of hate.  That's sports fandom. 

Bigger picture, there is a significant amount of slightly older sports fans who grew up with Jordan as the greatest player in the world and he has become deified over the years.  Lebron is the one is who often compared again him and the older segment will side with Jordan.   There are also grating elements to Lebron's personality. "The Decision" was a horrible decision on his part and that turned a lot of people off him for good.

The funny part about the Decision is that they raised $6m for the Boys and Girls Club. This is almost never discussed.

They did but the Decision was as much as about brand building for himself as it was for the Boys & Girls Club.

what brand building would come out of the decision?  James was already by far the largest brand in basketball and there really is no good that could have come from the decision from a brand perspective.  James has said multiple times that the only reason he did the decision was to raise money and awareness for the boys and girls club.  He wouldn't have done it without the charity aspect.

His own branding, of course.  You really think professional athletes & their reps stop worrying about personal branding at 25?  Jordan continued to grow his brand throughout his career. 

Plenty of athletes do stuff for charity with little or no fanfare.  Certainly not with a nationally televised television special.

Plenty of athletes have been free agents and signed elsewhere with far, far, far less spectacle than a nationally televised special. 

Sure, he might not have done the special without the charity aspect but let's not kid ourselves into thinking that was the driving force behind it.  Because it almost certainly wasn't.

[Moranis]

If they think its a trash league now, what the heck did they think of it 10-12 years ago? 

The anti-Lebron thing is somewhat easy.  He has been the main guy standing in the way of the Celtics for a decade now.  Their single biggest rival has a been a man, not a team. It's Lebron.  That obviously leads to a ton of hate.  That's sports fandom. 

Bigger picture, there is a significant amount of slightly older sports fans who grew up with Jordan as the greatest player in the world and he has become deified over the years.  Lebron is the one is who often compared again him and the older segment will side with Jordan.   There are also grating elements to Lebron's personality. "The Decision" was a horrible decision on his part and that turned a lot of people off him for good.

The funny part about the Decision is that they raised $6m for the Boys and Girls Club. This is almost never discussed.

They did but the Decision was as much as about brand building for himself as it was for the Boys & Girls Club.

what brand building would come out of the decision?  James was already by far the largest brand in basketball and there really is no good that could have come from the decision from a brand perspective.  James has said multiple times that the only reason he did the decision was to raise money and awareness for the boys and girls club.  He wouldn't have done it without the charity aspect.

His own branding, of course.  You really think professional athletes & their reps stop worrying about personal branding at 25?  Jordan continued to grow his brand throughout his career. 

Plenty of athletes do stuff for charity with little or no fanfare.  Certainly not with a nationally televised television special.

Plenty of athletes have been free agents and signed elsewhere with far, far, far less spectacle than a nationally televised special. 

Sure, he might not have done the special without the charity aspect but let's not kid ourselves into thinking that was the driving force behind it.  Because it almost certainly wasn't.

Sure, but how was the Decision going to grow Lebron's brand?  At that time, he was already the biggest basketball star in the world, with countless national endorsements, etc.  Assuming the best case scenario, what exactly was the Decision going to do for his brand?  i.e. How would the Decision improve his personal brand?

Here is an article published before the Decision actually aired which shows how it came about.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/entertainmentnewsbuzz/2010/07/usually-when-an-agent-scores-a-big-deal-they-like-to-boast-about-itbut-creative-artists-agency-has-been-curiously-mum-about.html

[Eja117]

I fully realize that Lebron James is one of the most talented basketball players in NBA history.

What annoys me is the continual hunt for championship rings to bolster the above fact, and enhance his own personal legacy. He doesn't care about teammates or fans.

In short...the guy is a carpetbagger. He can't simply allow himself time to "build a team" for any one organization for one single season.

For Lebron, it's off to the next championship opportunity where he injects himself so he can someday say, I have more rings that Mike.

Not only is he a carpet bagger....he has ushered in the era of the carprt bagger.  Kevin Durant is a Pippen too

[celticsclay]

He's a quitter that takes the easy way out.  He's a self made Scottie Pippen.

So True, TP

My question would be why do people consistently call him a GOAT?   He is productive and has improved a lot since he came into the league.   But he has a way of vanishing or failing in the great moments of a game.   To me, LeBron is a Jerry West or Wilt Chamberlain kind of great.  He dominates and scores and piles up a ton of stats.  He has won several titles but he is not a great champion like Jordan and often comes up short.   That in itself is an amazing accomplishment.

I don't like him because everything is about him and he is selfish.   Even stuff like the shoe protest was an activity he was getting paid for more than using his political capital.   Just look at the people he tried to campaign for, they lost.

Also, no one gets away with more from the refs.   He is also a whiner, who if treated like the rest of the league would get technical after technical. 

I think I am the unbiased one in this argument.   I concede he is a great player while admitting his flaws.   I just don't blindly drink the kool-aid that the league has dished out on him.    I think those with a pro-LeBron bias are more biased than me.

Could it be that some of the hostility is an outlet for people who are not comfortable with him bringing up, or taking up stances on issues they feel uncomfortable being confronted with.

Not in my case, still he was getting paid to do some of this bringing up of issues as part of a campaign by Nike.   LeBron cares about one person more than anyone else and he sees him everytime he looks in the mirror.  On social issues, he could do so much more but oddly doesn't.   No one was paying Bill Russell or Muhammad Ali when they were speaking out.

http://www.cleveland.com/cavs/index.ssf/2017/02/lebron_james_stars_in_nike_equ.html

Nice try, but at the end of the day this is more about money than social issues.

Nike uses cheap labor to make their shoes

You know what else is basic economics? Making your products overseas with cheap labor so you can maximize your profits when you ship that product back into the United States. What does it cost Nike to make a pair of LeBron’s shoes? Reports are that the latest Air Jordan’s total cost is around $16.25 — it costs $10.75 for materials, $2.43 for labor, overhead is $2.10, and factory profit is at $0.97. The most recent LeBron shoe costs $175 on FootLocker’s website. Assuming costs are roughly the same for those shoes this means the potential profit built into one of these shoes, profit that goes to Nike and the eventual retailers, is nearly $160.

How can Nike make that much money on a pair of shoes?

By making the shoes overseas and paying workers an average of $3 a day.

Since I’m a capitalist who believes in making as much money as you possibly can, I don’t begrudge Nike for taking advantage of virtual slave labor wages to produce its shoes overseas — the average Indonesian Nike worker makes 1/76th of what an American factory worker would make doing the same job. But don’t you think it’s a bit hypocritical for the company’s new tag line to be “If we can be equals in sport, we can be equals everywhere,” while treating the people who make your products unequally?

The main message of the new Nike ad, which you can watch here, is “Equality should have no

https://www.outkickthecoverage.com/nike-is-for-equality-unless-you-make-its-shoes-021217/

Does LeBron does not speak about that?  Nope, he is only woke when it profits him.

For instance, he has not spoke out about the tax bill has he?  Because he wins from it

https://zoefin.com/2017/12/20/how-much-will-lebrons-taxes-be-under-the-new-plan/

https://www.forbes.com/sites/kurtbadenhausen/2016/11/10/trump-tax-plan-could-save-lebron-james-over-15-million-per-year/#645f7dd8442c

Silence, looks like he is not the social crusader you present.

I am a Celtics fan also, not a closet cav fan like quite a few here.   Those that are have every right to be just don't expect everyone to share your man crush.

Excellent post. There are a lot of reasons to not think Lebron is the greatest person (not that he is bad by any stretch, just not great). He definitely is and always has been a business man first that speaks out on many things that are convenient and safe for him. The people that act like he is Bill Russell or Muhammad Ali in confronting these issues really come off as painfully ignorant about history. When people try to lump him in with people like that it is frankly offensive and I think it makes people recoil a bit and like him even less.

I do also think he is a complete diva that whines about everything under the sun (His teammates, his coaches, his place in in history, his owners, he isn't on superteams, the refs <--- yes all thing he has actually whined about). This really rubs some people the wrong way, and probably some older people a bit more than younger people.

You add it all up and he isn't as easy to admire and like as someone like Leonard or Antonio Davis (or heck as Shaq, who just felt more genuine and loveable to many).

Then I think his superfans make everything worse. Sometimes they even argue out supporting "the decision" which Lebron himself has said he regrets.

[chilidawg]

I have noticed that LeBron has been significantly more vocal and involved on social, cultural and political issues than Superstars of generations gone by. Could it be that some of the hostility is an outlet for people who are not comfortable with him bringing up, or taking up stances on issues they feel uncomfortable being confronted with.

Just the opposite for me.  I fully respect what he does off-court, but can't stand the on court persona.  The whining, the whole decision process, and the fact that he's our rival all combine into a package.  If he goes to the Lakers that'll ramp it up further.

[nickagneta]

If they think its a trash league now, what the heck did they think of it 10-12 years ago? 

The anti-Lebron thing is somewhat easy.  He has been the main guy standing in the way of the Celtics for a decade now.  Their single biggest rival has a been a man, not a team. It's Lebron.  That obviously leads to a ton of hate.  That's sports fandom. 

Bigger picture, there is a significant amount of slightly older sports fans who grew up with Jordan as the greatest player in the world and he has become deified over the years.  Lebron is the one is who often compared again him and the older segment will side with Jordan.   There are also grating elements to Lebron's personality. "The Decision" was a horrible decision on his part and that turned a lot of people off him for good.

The funny part about the Decision is that they raised $6m for the Boys and Girls Club. This is almost never discussed.

They did but the Decision was as much as about brand building for himself as it was for the Boys & Girls Club.

what brand building would come out of the decision?  James was already by far the largest brand in basketball and there really is no good that could have come from the decision from a brand perspective.  James has said multiple times that the only reason he did the decision was to raise money and awareness for the boys and girls club.  He wouldn't have done it without the charity aspect.

His own branding, of course.  You really think professional athletes & their reps stop worrying about personal branding at 25?  Jordan continued to grow his brand throughout his career. 

Plenty of athletes do stuff for charity with little or no fanfare.  Certainly not with a nationally televised television special.

Plenty of athletes have been free agents and signed elsewhere with far, far, far less spectacle than a nationally televised special. 

Sure, he might not have done the special without the charity aspect but let's not kid ourselves into thinking that was the driving force behind it.  Because it almost certainly wasn't.

Sure, but how was the Decision going to grow Lebron's brand?  At that time, he was already the biggest basketball star in the world, with countless national endorsements, etc.  Assuming the best case scenario, what exactly was the Decision going to do for his brand?  i.e. How would the Decision improve his personal brand?

Here is an article published before the Decision actually aired which shows how it came about.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/entertainmentnewsbuzz/2010/07/usually-when-an-agent-scores-a-big-deal-they-like-to-boast-about-itbut-creative-artists-agency-has-been-curiously-mum-about.html

You really believe that Lebron had maximized his branding and share of the shoe, shirt, and peripherals market? You really think that the increased exposure didn't open even more commercial endorsements or possibilities in Hollywood? The same way Lavar Ball gets free advertising from his exposure because of his big mouth, Lebron got free advertising for his brand to expand. And that doesn't even consider the exposure he built amongst the players to promote Rich Paul and help to build and expand his player representation agency.

[Moranis]

If they think its a trash league now, what the heck did they think of it 10-12 years ago? 

The anti-Lebron thing is somewhat easy.  He has been the main guy standing in the way of the Celtics for a decade now.  Their single biggest rival has a been a man, not a team. It's Lebron.  That obviously leads to a ton of hate.  That's sports fandom. 

Bigger picture, there is a significant amount of slightly older sports fans who grew up with Jordan as the greatest player in the world and he has become deified over the years.  Lebron is the one is who often compared again him and the older segment will side with Jordan.   There are also grating elements to Lebron's personality. "The Decision" was a horrible decision on his part and that turned a lot of people off him for good.

The funny part about the Decision is that they raised $6m for the Boys and Girls Club. This is almost never discussed.

They did but the Decision was as much as about brand building for himself as it was for the Boys & Girls Club.

what brand building would come out of the decision?  James was already by far the largest brand in basketball and there really is no good that could have come from the decision from a brand perspective.  James has said multiple times that the only reason he did the decision was to raise money and awareness for the boys and girls club.  He wouldn't have done it without the charity aspect.

His own branding, of course.  You really think professional athletes & their reps stop worrying about personal branding at 25?  Jordan continued to grow his brand throughout his career. 

Plenty of athletes do stuff for charity with little or no fanfare.  Certainly not with a nationally televised television special.

Plenty of athletes have been free agents and signed elsewhere with far, far, far less spectacle than a nationally televised special. 

Sure, he might not have done the special without the charity aspect but let's not kid ourselves into thinking that was the driving force behind it.  Because it almost certainly wasn't.

Sure, but how was the Decision going to grow Lebron's brand?  At that time, he was already the biggest basketball star in the world, with countless national endorsements, etc.  Assuming the best case scenario, what exactly was the Decision going to do for his brand?  i.e. How would the Decision improve his personal brand?

Here is an article published before the Decision actually aired which shows how it came about.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/entertainmentnewsbuzz/2010/07/usually-when-an-agent-scores-a-big-deal-they-like-to-boast-about-itbut-creative-artists-agency-has-been-curiously-mum-about.html

You really believe that Lebron had maximized his branding and share of the shoe, shirt, and peripherals market? You really think that the increased exposure didn't open even more commercial endorsements or possibilities in Hollywood? The same way Lavar Ball gets free advertising from his exposure because of his big mouth, Lebron got free advertising for his brand to expand. And that doesn't even consider the exposure he built amongst the players to promote Rich Paul and help to build and expand his player representation agency.

ah but he did all that with the Decision being a disaster, so the Decision had absolutely nothing to do with it.  That is the point.  The Decision in its absolute best case wouldn't have done much of anything for Lebron James.  A Hollywood producer isn't sitting down with Lebron James because of a one-off television show.  A Hollywood producer is sitting down with Lebron James because he is a champion and best player in the world.  A major company isn't signing the Decision's Lebron James to a massive marketing deal, though they would for Lebron James 4 time MVP. etc.

The Decision had very little upside and a lot of downside for Lebron James.  The only real benefit was the 6 million dollars for charity and the attention he brought to the Boys and Girls Club.  He doesn't do the Decision without the charity because there just wasn't any real benefit outside of the charity.

[Eja117]

There are so many reasons to dislike Lebron.

Not one. Not two. Not three. Not four. Not five. Not six.

[celticsclay]

If they think its a trash league now, what the heck did they think of it 10-12 years ago? 

The anti-Lebron thing is somewhat easy.  He has been the main guy standing in the way of the Celtics for a decade now.  Their single biggest rival has a been a man, not a team. It's Lebron.  That obviously leads to a ton of hate.  That's sports fandom. 

Bigger picture, there is a significant amount of slightly older sports fans who grew up with Jordan as the greatest player in the world and he has become deified over the years.  Lebron is the one is who often compared again him and the older segment will side with Jordan.   There are also grating elements to Lebron's personality. "The Decision" was a horrible decision on his part and that turned a lot of people off him for good.

The funny part about the Decision is that they raised $6m for the Boys and Girls Club. This is almost never discussed.

They did but the Decision was as much as about brand building for himself as it was for the Boys & Girls Club.

what brand building would come out of the decision?  James was already by far the largest brand in basketball and there really is no good that could have come from the decision from a brand perspective.  James has said multiple times that the only reason he did the decision was to raise money and awareness for the boys and girls club.  He wouldn't have done it without the charity aspect.

His own branding, of course.  You really think professional athletes & their reps stop worrying about personal branding at 25?  Jordan continued to grow his brand throughout his career. 

Plenty of athletes do stuff for charity with little or no fanfare.  Certainly not with a nationally televised television special.

Plenty of athletes have been free agents and signed elsewhere with far, far, far less spectacle than a nationally televised special. 

Sure, he might not have done the special without the charity aspect but let's not kid ourselves into thinking that was the driving force behind it.  Because it almost certainly wasn't.

Sure, but how was the Decision going to grow Lebron's brand?  At that time, he was already the biggest basketball star in the world, with countless national endorsements, etc.  Assuming the best case scenario, what exactly was the Decision going to do for his brand?  i.e. How would the Decision improve his personal brand?

Here is an article published before the Decision actually aired which shows how it came about.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/entertainmentnewsbuzz/2010/07/usually-when-an-agent-scores-a-big-deal-they-like-to-boast-about-itbut-creative-artists-agency-has-been-curiously-mum-about.html

You really believe that Lebron had maximized his branding and share of the shoe, shirt, and peripherals market? You really think that the increased exposure didn't open even more commercial endorsements or possibilities in Hollywood? The same way Lavar Ball gets free advertising from his exposure because of his big mouth, Lebron got free advertising for his brand to expand. And that doesn't even consider the exposure he built amongst the players to promote Rich Paul and help to build and expand his player representation agency.

ah but he did all that with the Decision being a disaster, so the Decision had absolutely nothing to do with it.  That is the point.  The Decision in its absolute best case wouldn't have done much of anything for Lebron James.  A Hollywood producer isn't sitting down with Lebron James because of a one-off television show.  A Hollywood producer is sitting down with Lebron James because he is a champion and best player in the world.  A major company isn't signing the Decision's Lebron James to a massive marketing deal, though they would for Lebron James 4 time MVP. etc.

The Decision had very little upside and a lot of downside for Lebron James.  The only real benefit was the 6 million dollars for charity and the attention he brought to the Boys and Girls Club.  He doesn't do the Decision without the charity because there just wasn't any real benefit outside of the charity.

Come on Moranis, this is a bit ridiculous. Very few people in the world do things that only have downside for themselves. This guy isn't exactly known as Ghandi for the suffering he does to better the world. He also regrets the decision himself:

"If I could look back on it I would probably change a lot of it,” he said. “The fact of having a whole TV special, and people getting the opportunity to watch me make a decision on where I wanted to play, I probably would change that. Because I can now look and see if the shoe was on the other foot and I was a fan, and I was very passionate about one player, and he decided to leave, I would be upset too about the way he handled it."

He thought it would bring him positive attention and adoration and ut didn't work out that way.
Nothing to really argue beyond that...

[wayupnorth]

If they think its a trash league now, what the heck did they think of it 10-12 years ago? 

The anti-Lebron thing is somewhat easy.  He has been the main guy standing in the way of the Celtics for a decade now.  Their single biggest rival has a been a man, not a team. It's Lebron.  That obviously leads to a ton of hate.  That's sports fandom. 

Bigger picture, there is a significant amount of slightly older sports fans who grew up with Jordan as the greatest player in the world and he has become deified over the years.  Lebron is the one is who often compared again him and the older segment will side with Jordan.   There are also grating elements to Lebron's personality. "The Decision" was a horrible decision on his part and that turned a lot of people off him for good.

The funny part about the Decision is that they raised $6m for the Boys and Girls Club. This is almost never discussed.

They did but the Decision was as much as about brand building for himself as it was for the Boys & Girls Club.

what brand building would come out of the decision?  James was already by far the largest brand in basketball and there really is no good that could have come from the decision from a brand perspective.  James has said multiple times that the only reason he did the decision was to raise money and awareness for the boys and girls club.  He wouldn't have done it without the charity aspect.

His own branding, of course.  You really think professional athletes & their reps stop worrying about personal branding at 25?  Jordan continued to grow his brand throughout his career. 

Plenty of athletes do stuff for charity with little or no fanfare.  Certainly not with a nationally televised television special.

Plenty of athletes have been free agents and signed elsewhere with far, far, far less spectacle than a nationally televised special. 

Sure, he might not have done the special without the charity aspect but let's not kid ourselves into thinking that was the driving force behind it.  Because it almost certainly wasn't.

Sure, but how was the Decision going to grow Lebron's brand?  At that time, he was already the biggest basketball star in the world, with countless national endorsements, etc.  Assuming the best case scenario, what exactly was the Decision going to do for his brand?  i.e. How would the Decision improve his personal brand?

Here is an article published before the Decision actually aired which shows how it came about.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/entertainmentnewsbuzz/2010/07/usually-when-an-agent-scores-a-big-deal-they-like-to-boast-about-itbut-creative-artists-agency-has-been-curiously-mum-about.html

You really believe that Lebron had maximized his branding and share of the shoe, shirt, and peripherals market? You really think that the increased exposure didn't open even more commercial endorsements or possibilities in Hollywood? The same way Lavar Ball gets free advertising from his exposure because of his big mouth, Lebron got free advertising for his brand to expand. And that doesn't even consider the exposure he built amongst the players to promote Rich Paul and help to build and expand his player representation agency.

ah but he did all that with the Decision being a disaster, so the Decision had absolutely nothing to do with it.  That is the point.  The Decision in its absolute best case wouldn't have done much of anything for Lebron James.  A Hollywood producer isn't sitting down with Lebron James because of a one-off television show.  A Hollywood producer is sitting down with Lebron James because he is a champion and best player in the world.  A major company isn't signing the Decision's Lebron James to a massive marketing deal, though they would for Lebron James 4 time MVP. etc.

The Decision had very little upside and a lot of downside for Lebron James.  The only real benefit was the 6 million dollars for charity and the attention he brought to the Boys and Girls Club.  He doesn't do the Decision without the charity because there just wasn't any real benefit outside of the charity.

If you really believe the only reason LeBron did that was for charity, I have this really fabulous bridge in San Francisco that could be all yours.

Your constant defending of LeBron, even bending over backwards to do so, is perplexing.