How soon is now? Lebron James Makes His Decision: The A-Rod
Route
8 Jul 2010
by Rick

Lebron James is an extremely talented basketball player. He's also a very astute
individual who understands how to use the media -- and various communication
channels -- to his advantage. He's also managed to surround himself with people
who understand business, but I'm starting to wonder if he's lost a bit of
understanding of American culture.
Lebron didn't play college basketball, he went straight from high school to the
pros, and since joining the Cleveland Cavaliers he's won exactly zero NBA
champions.  He's a free agent now and tonight he made his decision about which
team he's going to play for in a very public manner, with a live announcement on
ESPN.
Earlier this week Lebron jumped on Twitter and quickly gained a massive
following. This morning he announced:

Lebron James was of course a trending topic and that hashtag was burning as
well.
But I'm starting to wonder if Lebron isn't painting himself into a corner, and
has maybe misread how quickly sentiment can change.
Sure, Shaquille O'Neal once said,  "I've won
at every level but college and pro," but Shaq was always a larger than
life (literally) character who was outgoing and had a great relationship with
fans. That's one of the reasons 
Shaq's been a huge hit on Twitter . Lebron doesn't have that sort of
relationship with fans. I think an appropriate comparison might be Alex
Rodriguez. An incredibly talented player -- perhaps the best in the game -- who
went a very long time without winning a ring.
By making his announcement in this public way, Lebron has only heaped more
pressure on himself. Ask A-Rod how the media can turn on you when you put
yourself above your teammates, above the game.  James now finds himself in the
following position:
1. Winning a title is expected immediately wherever he goes
2. Not winning a title will be seen as a massive disappointment
3. Winning a title will result in some saying that he couldn't do it alone
4. He's put himself in a position where if he leaves Cleveland, every other city
(and Cleveland) will be rooting against him
Sounds just like Alex Rodriguez, doesn't it? I'm no longer the target demographic
for most of the products Lebron endorses, but you know what matters to me?
Winning championships. Not live prime time press conferences, not
self-aggrandizing twitter hashtags and not quitting on his teammates during the
playoffs.
Let's see what the future holds for Lebron. We know he'll be rich, but how will
he be viewed by fans across the country. Perhaps Lebron should have hired a 
Chief Culture Officer along with his coterie of other advisors. If I
were to fulfill that role for him, I would have told him to go low key with this
decision and let it be led by his new team. Make sure it's clear that the team
comes first and that he's looking forward to being part of the team. That the
only thing that matters is winning a championship.
That that was the main factor.
Update: 
Lebron chooses the Miami Heat and the similarities to A-Rod continue,
with Dwyane Wade playing the role of Derek Jeter.
Update 2: And so it begins...




One Comment

 Dan Winkler says: July 9, 2010 at 1:29 am

Heatenfreude?