And Now For Some Slave Metaphors From Jesse Jackson on LeBron
Personally, I thought Cavs owner Dan Gilbert sounded a lot like Miss Celie in his now infamous Comic Sans "I just got dumped by LeBron" letter. He practically ripped off Alice Walker, telling LeBron that until he does right by him everything he does will fail. Jesse Jackson thought Glibert sounded like an angry slave owner. To-maaay-to. To-maaah-to. Both versions involve someone losing something they love! (Newsflash: Both those things are money.)
To recap: For many years Dan Gilbert loved a giant sack of money named LeBron and he thought that money would never leave him.
Why did you go, money? WHY DID YOU HAVE GOOOOO!!!!!
From Dan Gilbert's jilted lover letter to LeBron:
This shocking act of disloyalty from our home grown "chosen one" sends the exact opposite lesson of what we would want our children to learn. And "who" we would want them to grow-up to become.
But the good news is that this heartless and callous action can only serve as the antidote to the so-called "curse" on Cleveland, Ohio.The self-declared former "King" will be taking the "curse" with him down south. And until he does "right" by Cleveland and Ohio, James (and the town where he plays) will unfortunately own this dreaded spell and bad karma.
Fine, money! Fine! Leave Dan Gilbert! He'll be fine without you! He never needed your green greedy goodness anyway! You dirty, dirty money that's so damn good at playing basketball!
My favorite part of the letter to the money is when Gilbert tells the money that "Some people think they should go to heaven but NOT have to die to get there." Um. OK. That doesn't have a creepy, stalker, "If I can't have you, no one else will" vibe to it at all.
Poor fella.
But while I half expect Dan Gilbert to change his mind and stand outside of LeBron's house holding up a boombox playing Mariah Carey's "We Belong Together," Rev. Jesse Jackson thought this had more of a "Reconstruction" feel to it. He read the lament of the former slave owner who just couldn't get over how "uppity" John Boy had become since the emancipation.
From Jackson's Web site:
Mr. Dan Gilbert's accusations, expressed in an open letter to LeBron James after his announcement that he will play next year’s NBA season for the Miami Heat, have legal and social implications for the league, its union and the character of LeBron James. By saying that he has gotten a free pass and that people have covered for him way too long, Gilbert suggests that LeBron has done something illegal or illicit.
He speaks as an owner of LeBron and not the owner of the Cleveland Cavaliers. His feelings of betrayal personify a slave master mentality. He sees LeBron as a runaway slave. This is an owner employee relationship--between business partners--and LeBron honored his contract.
If you can get pass the money quote (that Jackson helpfully puts in the second paragraph of the letter), the ol' Reverend actually makes some good points. He name dropped some Curt Flood. Pointed out that if LeBron was so terrible why was Gilbert working so hard to get James to stay? Jackson says the backlash against LeBron is really an affront on all professional ballers as Gilbert is defaming LeBron in his accusation that James "quit" on the team during the playoffs.
But Jackson's statement chastizing Gilbert is just part of the on-going pushback on the behalf of players, that originated with Curt Flood. While I'm not a LeBron fan, it's pretty obvious that Gilbert's lament and some of the criticism has more to do with shaming pro-players who are exercising their right to get the best job, deal, team possible. You can argue that LeBron handled his exit from Cleveland in the tackiest way possible, but he didn't actually do anything wrong. After all, owners recruit, trade, fine and fire players all the time. Owners move teams. Owners chase sweeter deals with other cities even if the team has a storied history in their hometown. (*COUGH* Art Modell *COUGH!*)
While the pain of Cleveland fans is more than understandable, some of the anger (OMG! SPORTS WRITERS!) is really about control and how some people don't want pro-athletes to exercise it so nakedly. And really, that's what most people are mad about. That LeBron put the ego out there in full and didn't even bother to dress it up in some guise of fealty and humility. That it was about the individual and was always about the individual and he didn't have the common graces to lie to everyone and say that it wasn't.
Growing up I often knew people who would repeatedly say they preferred college football and basketball because "it's not about the money there" and I had to resist the urge to laugh long and hard in their faces. The only difference between the millions of dollars flying around in the pros and the millions of dollars flying around in the college programs is that the players don't have a voice (and technically aren't supposed to partake in any of those millions ... but c'mon.) Anyone watching college because they think the game is more "pure" needs to take a long hard look at coach salaries, team revenues, college recruiting, endorsements, lucrative merchandising contracts, television contracts and ESPN's advertising dollars. Notice how no one cares when a tennis player goes pro at 16, but tons of sports writers cry bloody murder when basketball players go pro out of high school because ... DEAR GOD! THE COLLEGE/ESPN NEEDS THAT MONEY!!!! If the best of the best go pro after high school how are they supposed to market the game? Screw "purity!" That new stadium isn't going to build itself!
The only difference between the NBA and NCAA is that the mask of innocence is taken off and you see everyone at their true competitive, aggressive, ego-filled, money-lusting potential -- from the front office to the bench warmers. Dan Gilbert wasn't screaming like an angry slave owner to me. He just put into ugly words his own part of this dance of dollars.
Cleveland, Dan Gilbert, LeBron James, NBA, jesse jackson, sports 
Reader Comments (18)
The smartest, most insightful and certainly the funniest piece I've read on LeBron so far.
At least Gilbert had Lebron on the plantation at one point. Much of New York media is acting like he was recruited to come here and find the cure for cancer (for New Yorkers only of course) and now he should be horsewhipped. because FINE, we didn't want you anyways!!! Some of the most childish shit ever.
Hey, you there. Mind not pointing out inconvenient truths?
In all seriousness, I'm actually in favor of what LBJ did. I just wish he had more tact about it. Then again, this was a once in a generation type thing, where he not only got to hold and flex the proverbial hammer, he used it to great effect.
LeBron had every right to do what he did (no matter how anyone feels about it), but how he went about it might have damaged his image and hurt his legacy (with general basketball fans) forever.
In the words of Mr. Gilbert, "Miami Heat! Whatchutalkin'bout LeBron?"
Yes, Dan Gilbert is a bitter kitten.
But I think that the points Jackson brings up aren't that great. Gilbert wanted to keep LeBron because LeBron made the Cavs a profitable franchise. And the fact of the matter is that Gilbert gave LeBron everything he wanted - including firing Coach Brown.
I'm tired of punditry trying to make this about something it's not. This is about a billionaire employer being pissed off that his millionaire employee said "fuck you, I quit" on national television without giving notice.
JESSE JACKSON...."NINJA PLEASE!!!!!!!!
I'm sorry but you can't compare wealthy folks being pissed at each other with a slave analogy.
I think the real issue is where is Gilberts' fine from David Stern?? Players get fined for things so much more minor than this. Whether it is players or owners, they are all under the NBA brand and should have their conduct evaluated the same.
Ordinarily Jesse says things that get on my LAST nerve but this time I think he put that nail squarely on the head who is ANYONE to tell this man he can't do whats best for him and his life and that he has to be 'humble' please esepcially coming from the sports media. Some of the MOST arrogant bunch of dipwads you will ever have the misfortune of meeting so I say right on Jesse because the whining has 'uppity Negro' written all over it. You should have heard some of the nasty comments from the losers in Chicago after Micheal quit those 2 years well god freaking FORBID Micheal or Lebron or any black male athlete make a personal decision regarding their live and liliehood and NOT have everyone from Wolf Blitzer to Snooki from Jersey Shore commenting on it. FUCK THEM it's his life and he can do what he damn well pleases with it!
@conni3: That's a good question.
Actually, just saw that the owner was fined $100,000. They should have thrown in an extra penalty for him typing in Comic Sans.
Foolishness, and people wondered why I said Jesse Jackson should not be representing nobody.
Lebron is who the media and basketball fans have made him out to be. The same folks who have hyped him, referred to him as "King James" and added to all of the suspense surrounding this decision are now mad because he acted like a BOSS complete with pomp and circumstance???? Reeeaaallly?
Why all the fuss about LeBron??? Corporate hotshots jump ship all the time, and you don't hear their former bosses carping about it (at least not in the media, anyway). In fact, in the corporate world (and the NBA is a corporation), it's almost always EXPECTED that after a hotshot does something great for one company, he or she is pursued by the headhunters of rival companies hoping to tap the hotshot's talent and expertise for their clients--especially if the new company (like the Miami Heat) needs what the hotshot can bring.
There's nothing new here. Dan Gilbert, move on!!!
The you The Rev. Jesse L. Jackson......this man Mr. Gilbert the slave master is a nut, and feels because he is the "majority owner" of the Cavs, the house nigs s/keep quite and obey, not true Mr. Slave Master, not true.
Excellent analysis.
In the corporate world, when the employer decides he no longer needs your services, you are "let go" with no notice. Unless, of course, you are astute enough to see the handwriiting on the wall. When you get the jump on the employer, in his eyes, you are the bad guy because you got him before he could get you. LeBron made a business decision about his life. He has goals. He wants to wear a championship ring. Nothing wrong with that. The NBA is a business much like the corporate world. So let his ass rant, rave and scream like a two year old child that couldn't have his way. I'm glad Mr. Gilbert was fined. How unprofessional.
During the time of the Lebron hoopla, the city of Oakland was experiencing a riot due to a cop shooting an unarmed black youth. And the only comment Jesse can make is Lebron being treated like a slave? What is wrong with us when our main concern was what is Lebron going to do? He was the distraction while our brothers and sisters in Oakland were rioting. This too is slave mentality.