Anatomy of an Insult

Up until last week, it was very difficult to insult me. Sure, you could use racist, homophobic, or sexist comments and probably get my blood boiling. But I was generally pretty forgiving.

I've discovered this week that I am brutally offended by insensitive and/or uninformed comments about Cleveland sports.

For example,
1) "LeBron was 'stuck' in Cleveland."
2) "LeBron put Cleveland on the map."
3) "Cleveland fans shouldn't be this upset."

I cannot tell you how many times I have heard comments along these lines over the past few days. Comments like "He has the best chance of winning in Miami" just display ignorance toward the NBA, which I can tolerate. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. However, taking your ignorance out on the city of Cleveland is just plain low.

I was actually thinking about writing a blog entry a few months ago on how angry I was at NBA fans for bashing LeBron for not winning a title in Cleveland. Now, things have changed a little, but the sentiment is still there. Let's examine.

Comment #1 "LeBron was stuck in Cleveland."

I'm sorry, did I miss something? Last I checked, the Cavs have had the best record in the NBA for the past 2 seasons, have made multiple trips to the Eastern Conference Finals and one trip to the NBA finals.

When I think of someone being "stuck" on a bad team, I think of Alex Rodriguez on the Rangers, or Kevin Garnett on the Timberwolves, or basically anyone that plays for the Nationals. Or Chris Bosh on the Raptors. These guys don't even make the playoffs, and when they become free agents, they leave or demand trades because they want a shot at winning. It's not out of disrespect for the city or the small market, it's simply the nature of the game.

LeBron had a shot at winning. He led the Cavs to the NBA finals with a relatively bad team around him. Since then, they have been a title contender every season and came up short each time.

Jordan came up a little short in his first few years when he kept losing to the Pistons. No one said he was "stuck" in Chicago, and we know how that story wound up ending.

LeBron had every right to leave. He didn't choose to play for Cleveland, he was drafted there. He's 25, and he has a right to try out a new city and a new team. But for people to imply that the past 7 years were a waste... it's just plain insulting.

Comment #2: "LeBron put Cleveland on the map."

Corollary (and this one came from James himself): "Cleveland fans should be grateful for what LeBron gave them."

Maybe if you're a small-minded, casual fan. Okay, he gave Cleveland national media attention where maybe there had not been any. Cavs games were on TV, and I for one appreciate that.

However, Cleveland is not a 3rd world country in need of aid. Yes, it's championship starved and has been on the butt end of about 5 too many heartbreaks. But LeBron James is not the only good thing that has ever happened to Cleveland (as fans that are just now tuning in may assume). The Cavs and Browns were good in the late 80s, and the Indians were good in the 90s and nearly went to the World Series in 2007. Sure, they don't get national media attention, but Cleveland teams have come close to winning many times. Much like the dismantling of the late-90s Indians, the past few years will be added to the long list of times we came up short.

We've had other things to cheer for besides LBJ over the past 10 years, and we'll have other things to cheer for over the next 10 (although I'm willing to bet that Jake Delhomme won't be one of them).

Comment #3: "Cleveland fans shouldn't be this upset."

Are you kidding me? Seriously.

It's not that he left -- we all new that was a possibility. Maybe we were a little delusional, overlooking things like him showing up at an Indians game in a Yankees hat, or showing up at a Browns game in a Cowboys hat. Maybe we thought he was more loyal than he actually is (and we can blame the media for that).

But we knew there was a possibility that he would leave. Especially after the past month of media. What we didn't expect was him clowning out a 1-hour self-promotional special and essentially dumping the entire city on national television without even a hint of remorse.

Cleveland has seen athletes leave in the past. It's a relatively common occurrence, actually. Just last fall, two former Indian Cy Young winners faced off in game 1 of the World Series.

You can leave Cleveland amicably, or you can incur the wrath of fans for years to come.

Examples of revered athletes who left amicably: Jim Thome, Cliff Lee, Kenny Lofton

Examples of once-revered athletes who Clevelanders now hate with the fire of a thousand suns: Albert Belle, Manny Ramirez
... and LeBron James.

Maybe I'm naive, but I truly believe that LeBron could've had a place on the first list (or perhaps a middle-ground). It seems like he thinks he belongs on the first list, like he's been wronged in some way, or misunderstood in some way. But here's the deal.

If he had come out in May and said "hey, I want a change of pace. I've enjoyed the past 7 years but want a different experience and am going to move on," sure, people would've been upset, but they would've respected the honesty.

Hell, if he'd done so much as called anyone on the Cavs prior to 9pm on the night of his decision, maybe the owner wouldn't have written a scathing letter bashing him. I don't necessarily agree with Dan Gilbert's methods, but the content was spot on and James 100% deserved it.

By stringing the Cavs (and 4 other teams for that matter) along for months and turning his announcement into a frenzied spectacle, LeBron transformed himself from a hero into a villain in a matter of seconds. I wish I didn't have to vehemently root against him for the rest of his career, but he brought it on himself.