One year ago today, LeBron James announced to the world that he would be taking his talents to South Beach and the Miami Heat. He did so during an hour-long primetime special on ESPN titled The Decision. He wore a pretty low-key shirt. (Not this one.) He took a remarkable amount of heat for both the decision and The Decision, and frankly, things have only gotten worse for his reputation ever since, despite the fact that he remains the best player on the planet.
LeBron James’ Decision, One Year Later: Celebrating A Favored Self-Immolation
Athletes have lit themselves on fire before; so long as O.J. Simpson exists, no one can claim that LeBron’s Decision reigns atop the all-time Acts Of Self-Immolation Rankings in the sports world. But there was something truly captivating about LeBron last July 8, and our (inter)national obsession with the man’s psyche hasn’t and may never fade. Perhaps it is because LeBron is not only a breathtaking athlete, but also our nation’s first truly postmodern sports anti-hero. He’s very human -- to a fault, if that doesn’t sound too pessimistic about the human condition -- and, while inaccessible in many senses, ultimately relateable.
Also, he’s pretty easy to hate. Just ask Scott Raab, whose LeBron book is titled Whore Of Akron, which is notable because it is now available for pre-order if you’re into that sort of thing.
Happy Decision Day, everyone! May your decisions all be televised, endlessly analyzed and held against you for eternity!
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