Friday, July 2, 2010

More Than a Player...


More Than a Player…

July 1st has arrived...New York and New Jersey were the first two teams to arrive in Cleveland in an attempt to swoon our beloved LBJ. Next up are the Clippers and Heat…and finally Chicago and Cleveland. It's easy to become slightly obsessed with the national and local media attention that has surrounded the most amazing free agent class in history. It’s what people are talking about. It’s the office gossip, grocery store gossip, family gossip…it’s all the gossip! This daily talk serves as a reminder that while basketball is just a game, LeBron James in Cleveland is about more than basketball and more than a player.

Check out the official "More Than a Player" Web site:
http://www.morethanaplayer.org/

Lost in all of the hoopla is what LeBron truly means to Northeast Ohio. What his presence has done to revive the city and the people is remarkable. In a way nobody outside of Ohio can truly understand, LeBron James means more to us than winning an NBA Championship. We are blue collar, middle class, Midwest…and for us, it’s a way of life. If LeBron leaves Cleveland, the profound impact it will have on hundreds of thousands of people in Ohio will be devastating.

Cleveland has seen so many great players leave for greener pastures. Heck, we even watched an entire team pick up and move! I wouldn’t doubt that Dwayne Wade, Chris Bosh, Paul Pierce and Joe Johnson would all leave Cleveland as free agents, but LeBron is different. He is one of us. We watched him play throughout high school and crossed our fingers during the 2003 draft lottery. We watched in awe as he grew up and became a man, an amazing athlete, and the best player in franchise history.

So to lose LeBron James isn’t to just lose a basketball player. It runs deeper than that. LeBron has given us a lot over the last 7+ years and it might be unfair for us to ask more of him. But there is nothing unfair about having a desire to continue on this journey where we actually enjoy cheering for LeBron and the Cavaliers.

PLEASE STAY LBJ

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