I get it, Woj. You don't like Lebron.
You clearly have an axe to grind. We all get it.
Now, move on to something else already.
i think if lbj stopped with his antics, wojo would stop. how can he not rip him for this publicity stunt on espn?!
Lebron and his people are actually being extremely smart about this. They are totally playing into the "strike when the iron is hot" mentality. From a PR standpoint, that's brillant. Its summertime; hockey & basketball season is over, football training camps are still a few weeks away, and the MLB all-star game isn't until next week. He has the of most of American sports fans right now (besides the soccer diehards).
If ESPN is dumb enough to play into it, then good for Lebron. The NBA marketing gurus surely aren't going to back off the "star-driven" stance the league has been pushing since the Jordan days. This approach has gotten the big time television contracts from the ESPNs of the world.
What Lebron does have to realize is that all this face-time is only going to cause the spotlight to burn even brighter comes the 2010-11 season because he is expected to come up with results. He knows very well that his legacy is hurting due to the zero rings. If he somehow delivers a championship after this "Summer of Lebron" fuss, he is going to be HUGE with the casual sports fan and the public light which will only bring him more $$$.
That's the reality of the American athlete these days, especially in a sport like basetball, marketing & exposure off the court is nearly as big as on-court play.
thats fine an well is you are a fan of the nba being individualized and enjoy the marketing that they do. there are many, myself included, that dont like it. if anything it has pushed me away from the nba so much that i havent watched a single nba game with two team other than the celts in a few yrs. for people like myself, this solidifies the crap lbj has done over the last few yrs to make him so egotistical and narcissistic. from his financial, marketing, and financial standpoint....it might be a good move. but he leaves himself more than open for criticism of presenting himself in a narcissistic manner.
so, yes lbj can do this and it might be a good move for him for the aforementioned reasons, but wojo and other have every right to call him out each and everytime. you called for wojo to basically stop bc it is understood he cant stand lbj....but the way in which lbj can do this crap, wojo can and should call him out each and everytime.
Sure, there are plenty of people out there like yourself that don't like the way that the NBA has drifted towards the individual. That's fine but the fact of the matter is that this stance by the league isn't changing anytime soon. Its brought them billions upon billions of dollars over the years and helped them become a much more worldwide game in the past 25 years. Until a large amount of people start turning their backs on this approach and it actually hurts the league in the pocketbook, nothing is going to change. The league will continue to push the Lebrons, Wades, and Kobes of the world. Television is certainly to play at fault for this too. Guys like Lebron are making millions upon millions on it and his marketing peeps are right on for doing this even if its runs the risk of over-exposure.
Woj has the same right to complain just like any other media columnist. He's certainly entitled to it and the anti-Lebron people are gonna love it. To me, Woj v. Lebron has started to turn into beating a dead horse. Its clearly established that he's one of the media types who doesn't like Lebron and will repeatedly take shots when necessary.
do u criticize and think the likes of stuart scott and others who salivate with their mancrush for lbj?
I'm not a huge fan of this approach. I think ESPN, in particular, has turned into a joke with coverage of sports it covers. The Spygate fascination, the Brett Favre lovefest, the Bonds stuff.... the list goes on & one with them. I will also tell you that I absolutely can't stand Stuart Scott.
Vividly recall mentioning in one game thread that Stuart Scott was trying his hardest to become Lebron's "Ahmad Rashad".
ABC/ESPN's coverage of the NBA is the worst done NBA network/cable partner in the past 25 years. CBS & NBC were light-years ahead of it.
so what is your stance? we are to accept the marketing and hype bc that is what benefits the nba and its players, financially....and if people should criticize lbj, even when he gives them good reason to (and that they are in the VERY small minority, nationally), they shouldnt bc people will roll their eyes and say "here they go again"? i understand your point about an agenda, but wojo repeatedly makes valid points and provides examples to support his stance.
I never said that we should all be lemmings and accept this marketing but its the reality of the NBA and sports in general in 2010. Lebron isn't being the exception here, he's been closer to the norm. I'm not entirely enamored of it but I love professional basketball to get too incited about it. The goods of the sport still outweigh the cons, IMO. I'd take it over college basketball in a heartbeat any day of the week.
Sure, I think Woj has some valid points in his article. I also think he's spewing serious venom at some points, also. If it was Michael Wilbon writing this piece, its certainly drawn me in and make me think long & hard about it.
With Woj to me, its just the mentality of "Ho-hum, Woj is going after Lebron again" and I know what to expect without reading it. He's drifted into that Borges/Belichick & Shags/Schilling territory with it.