Commentary…Stop Beating Up on ESPN and Lebron…for Now
This is all about hype and America loves it so this was a brilliant move by Lebron, his entourage and ESPN. What’s sad is everyone is beating up everyone on this and had it been Oprah or Larry King no one would have blinked. ESPN is about as close to journalism as TMZ and it was a smart move for them to forego cash for advertising and give the money to charity in exchange for the biggest cheesiest show on television. It was smart from a ratings perspective since they had the ability to reach out to many viewers who never turn on ESPN. Everyone needs to stop hating the player but hating the game. The game is entertainment. The game then becomes hype. Advertisers have bought in to it with the whole reality TV thing so what’s the big deal. Smart programming, smart process to get there. Now it’s all up to Lebron to win a championship. This from a sports perspective is questionable. Kobe, Larry Bird, Michael and Magic were superstars that stayed with their teams to build a winner. Lebron’s image as a pitch man could deteriorate rapidly if he doesn’t win a championship sooner than later. And when you buy a team around you like Miami has it could be a lot later and an image problem for The King.
Rick Thomas
