On the Real World, Cleveland and the boy that would be King

A few points of information here

I'm a die-hard sports fan, which includes the NBA. I'm a Day One Lakers fan. As in, my biggest sports heartbreak moment ever was when Magic announced his first retirement due to HIV (which would be ahead of #2 Dennis Eckersley giving up a home run to Kirk Gibson in the 1988 World Series and the Colorado hail mary touchdown against Michigan in 1994). However, I was born in Akron, OH, the shared origin of one LeBron James. That means, when the Cavs play anybody but the Lakers, I root for them.

All that being said, I've got LeBron fatigue like a muthafucka right now. I understand the business of it and that he needs to take care of his family and their interests. But this isn't about taking care of his family (which has become such a canned response any time someone wants more money). He's stated he wants to be a global icon and one imagines Cleveland is not the launch pad to make kids in China buy your sneakers. Still, we here all the loyalty talk that comes out of Team LeBron (and that's his team of managers and agents, not the Cavs mind you). He's been twisting and churning Cleveland fans like a corkscrew to the kidney thru this whole process. A town that's never won an NBA Championship. A town that hasn't won a title of any type since 1964. All of that wore on me. But now, after things have started to sort themselves out, Team LeBron has decided to do a 1 hr TV special on ESPN Thursday Night. A one hour primetime special in what takes 10 seconds to do...I think I'm done. If he leaves that is. If it takes him an extra hour to rip Cleveland's heart out, he probably jumps Art Modell as the most hated man in Cleveland. If he does all this to stay in Cleveland, he just becomes that asshole that took two years (and another hour for good measure) to hold a tortured sports town hostage. Unless he wins another 3 titles (my bad, lol, another, that would imply that he has won some already), I don't see this damage really being undone.

I personally won't be watching. I just can't support the machine anymore. It makes sense for ESPN, they'll get a ton of viewers for it. And supposedly, Team LeBron is selling sponsorships for the event and giving the money to the Boys and Girls Club of America. You hear that? That's the sound of my heart saying I could give a shit. Do I want to know where he goes? Absolutely. I'll be logging onto espn.go.com about 20 minutes after its started to get the news, then I'll probably go back to some homework. My weakness (or rather one of my weaknesses is having the capacity to deal with egos. LeBron is just killing me now. At some point, you have to put your foot down. Even if its a 'hero' from your hometown.

Part wonders if this just more than egomania. Don't get me wrong, this cat is completely inside his own head. But LeBron is 25 years old (despite looking like he's 34). That means he probably doesn't remember too much entertainment before The Real World was created. Reality TV is the new black and even though many of us loathe it (or call our favorite reality shows guilty pleasures), a hell of a lot more people watch Real Housewives of Orange County than they do the History Channels' special on Henry the VIII. So I get it, I just don't like it. I certainly hopes he stays though. I'm married to a woman, born and raised in Cleveland that owns two 'Witness' T-Shirts. LeBron, keep your ass at the crib...for my sake