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LeBron Taught Us What Friendship Means In Modern-Day Sports

He may have signed with Miami, but LeBron seems to be everywhere. “Can we propose a moratorium on criticizing LeBron James’ move to the Heat?” suggests Kyle Munzenrieder in the Miami New Times. “Somebody wake me when it’s over,” requests Johnette Howard at NBC Sports. But it doesn’t seem to be going away any time soon, not with high-profile ex-players like Michael Jordan sharing their thoughts on the decision and the move. The discussion has quickly warped into overload for many onlookers.

“How about we take a break from the LeBron bashing,” agrees Jeffrey Tomik at the Washington Examiner. But not for the reason you might expect: “[T]he superstar took less money for the sole reason of winning. Isn’t that the kind of sacrifices we look for in star athletes?” It’s the question that we should be asking now, shifting the debate from a question of LeBron’s wisdom and commitment to one over what we demand from our star players.

LeBron was straightforward and upfront about his desire to win a championship; yet, he couldn’t have expected the kind of backlash he’s faced in recent weeks after he announced his plans to go after a title. Although he could have handled himself better in the public eye, ultimately he had the right thing in mind when he made his selection.

So why doesn’t that sit well with us? Some bloggers have weighed in with a theory: It’s about the meaning of friendship. We are recovering from the harsh reality that “the rules of friendship and the logic of business have become interchangeable” in this “Facebook age,” says Hua Hsu at The Atlantic.  How fitting for “a media entity” like LeBron “to be—the center of a network”; After all, “there’s nothing profitable about having enemies.” LeBron awakened us to an era of sports marketing that has supplanted the traditional, ordinary importance of winning. Still, the response is not entirely about LeBron.

Fox Sports’ Mark Kriegel notes a quote from A-Rod last week that outlines athletes’ altered views of their fellow professionals. They actually like one another, no longer seeing opponents as bitter rivals. Looking at this “age of Fraternization,” Kriegel longs for the past:

Still, when it comes to team sports, I mourn the death of hate. It affects more than just the All-Star Game. The Kumbaya-ness of the superstar classes is part of a larger, more insidious phenomenon. And it brings me back to Wade, Bosh and their suddenly silent colleague, LeBron James, who is reportedly purchasing a $49.5 million estate previously owned by Heat president Pat Riley. Apparently, the players had been talking about this deal amongst themselves for at least three years. And while no one in his or her right mind would begrudge them their rights as free agents — or even the opportunity to, God help us, build their brands — there’s something unseemly about their fungible allegiances.

The culture of sports – and accordingly the burdens of being the top players – has drastically shifted. However, Jason Gay says in The Wall Street Journal that “outside of sports, the world is changing,” too. LeBron may just be one of the many Americans who have had to “reassess their careers and priorities” during the economic downturn “to wonder how much of the rat race is actually worth it.” Times have changed – “accumulation is passe. Quality of life is in.”

So maybe that’s what led LeBron out of Cleveland. He had grown tired of trying to win there, sensing that the sacrifices he was making weren’t paying off with big enough results. Even if most fans would have stood by him had he stayed in Cleveland, that support isn’t worth anything tangible, anything real. LeBron made a personal, business decision that promises him everything he’s ever wanted in Miami, beneath the veil of a championship pursuit.

AP photo, via