December 2nd, 2010. The goods and evils of free agency and anti-trust will come together for one event in Cleveland, Ohio: Lebron James' return to the basketball court he called home for seven seasons for the first time since his scripted, less than noble live announcement on ESPN he would play for a team other than the Cavaliers.
If you are a regular reader of CB4, then you know I wrote about Lebron and The Cavaliers before. Feel free to check out my earlier posts for some background...
If there is laughter in Toronto about Miami's newest bench warmer, then there will be unrestrained furor in Cleveland for Miami's newest star player. Even with Bosh and Lebron respectively, the Heat are anything but on fire, and the fact Miami is less than stellar adds to the palpable fear and spectacle surrounding this game. Nevertheless, it begs the question of how long is too long to hold a grudge?
The boos Browns fans give the Baltimore Ravens are just as loud for the Pittsburgh Steelers, Arizona Cardinals, and any other NFL team that comes to town. When asked on a local telecast about where Lebron's exit ranks in Cleveland sports history, a fan paused and answered "right up there" with the departure of the old Browns franchise to Baltimore. As time passed, fans linked the new Browns with the old Browns in the name and the colours. Players are unknown until they show talent, and then they are no longer trusted (ie. Lebron James, Braylon Edwards, Josh Cribbs (?)). Should we assume that fans trust the franchise more than the players who play on the team? I hope not (ie. Baltimore Colts to Indianapolis, Winnipeg Jets to Phoenix, Los Angeles Rams to St. Louis).
I suppose there is a balance between favouring player and team, in particular in the current information age of WikiLeaks and thousands of blogs and credible "sources". Amidst all the fear and trembling, I would hope someone in Cleveland on Thursday, December 2nd, will find "decorum" or use discretion that night.
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