If Larry Bird, in the summer of 1987, announced in an over-the-top ESPN production that he was taking his talents to another team — and didn’t appear at all sympathetic for leaving the fans of Boston — I’m pretty sure America would have thought that he was a jerk too.
Race isn’t why America is turned off by you, LeBron. Race isn’t why your Q-score rating has plummeted.
Tact is.
In an interview with CNN, LeBron James was asked if race played a role in the media backlash of “The Decision” show on ESPN.
“I think so, at times. It’s always, you know, a race factor,” Miami’s James said.
Maybe you were on to something, LeBron. Maybe you uncovered a sociological theme of American culture that had been overlooked. I asked his good friend, Carmelo Anthony, what he thought when he heard LeBron’s comment.
So what did Melo say?
“I laughed,” Anthony said. “It was just funny. I don’t know, man. I stay away from that situation. . . . He did what was best for that with his situation. And along with anything in life, you’ll have people who agree with you, and people who disagree with you.”
So I asked Nuggets coach George Karl. What did he say? At first, he didn’t say anything — he just rolled his eyes.
“I think LeBron is tremendous. He’s worth every penny he’s getting paid, but I don’t think it’s a race situation,” Karl said.
Asked about the Larry Bird example, and how the fans would have felt, Karl said, “It wouldn’t feel good.” And as for James, Karl said, “(There’s the emotional) power with Cleveland being a small-market team.”
Charles Barkley, arguably the most outspoken voice in sports, was asked by a Philadelphia radio station his thoughts on James’ claim that race led to criticism about his decision.
“The only criticism I’ve heard about LeBron, and it was my biggest criticism — that ‘Decision’ thing (on ESPN) was just stupid,” Barkley told WIP radio. “It was stupid. The second thing, when they all came out there dancing around on stage, that was silly. That’s the only thing I’ve heard LeBron get criticized about. That has nothing to do with race.”
Undoubtedly, race is a prevalent, poignant issue in sports. So let’s have healthy, progressive discussions about true race issues involving sports and sports fans — and dismiss LeBron, who is hiding his missteps behind an ill-conceived veil of racism.
Benjamin Hochman: 303-954-1294 or bhochman@denverpost.com, Twitter @nuggetsnews
