The biggest winner in the LeBron James "decision" saga has to be the folks at ESPN. After playing a significant role in the 26 year old basketball superstar's decision to host an hour long special in order to announce his move to the Miami Heat, ESPN tried to fuel ratings at its 2011 ESPY awards at James' expense.
James, who wisely decided not to grace the 2011 ESPY awards with his presence, was the focal point of the entire event. Being a fan of "Saturday Night Live," and 2011 ESPY awards host Seth Meyers, I was disappointed with the lack of originality in the jokes.
Viewers were bombarded with the same old jokes LeBron critics have used for over a year now for a good portion of the event.
"Did it really need to be an hour?" Meyers said during the 2011 ESPY awards. "Somebody time me. Miami. How long did that take? A second."
With punch lines like that, the ESPY awards would have been better off getting their jokes from anti-LeBron comments on the internet.
The "hate LeBron James" fad has definitely been very good for those who work closely with sports. The NBA is coming off a very successful season thanks to LeBron James and the Miami Heat, and the media has definitely taken advantage of the current trend.
It will be interesting to see how the same so-called fans that refuse to let go of LeBron James' decision to move to South Beach, react to NBA owners if the current lockout remains in effect for a prolonged period of time. After all, LeBron didn't hurt anyone with his decision to play for the Heat, but the NBA owners' decision to go after a bigger portion of the revenue generated by the league, will leave many everyday people (ticket booth attendants, concession workers, janitors etc.) without a source of income in a recovering economy.
David is a Miami Heat fan that has followed the team for 15 years. Follow him on twitter @davidkingwriter.
Sources:
Ann Oldenburg, "ESPY awards: Seth Meyers targets LeBron James" USAToday.com
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