We all got played. Have you ever seen a good Lebron Raymone James (“LRJ”) shot and turned to a friend, and just said, “Witness, dude. Witness.” Have you called him the “Chosen One?” How about “King James”? (I prefer Viscount James, but I disgress.) Well, you got played. In politics, business, and law, masters of language work hard to control the language, because when you control the words people use, you limit the choices available to those people.
A quick example. Politicians love the term “Tax Relief” when they’re for tax cuts. Why? Because “relief” implies a malady which needs a cure. How could anyone be against curing the tax “ills” of America? Boom. The language does exist to oppose that. But if you re-frame the argument in terms of fiscal responsibility, and dispute the very use of the term, “relief” as loaded and avoiding the real issues inherent to taxation you can argue effectively by supplying a new language for the discourse. Advertising does it all the time by using trademarks. Product X has the new “SafeClean” system. 1) The company brags that no other product has it, which is crazy, because the “it” is a trademark, thus no one else can have it; and 2) people just accept that this product is actually “safe” because it has that word in the product description, which, technically doesn’t mean shit, it’s a name. But people don’t look beyond the product name and how it’s packaged and are fooled. My basketball point? LRJ and his people are exactly those kinds of masters of language and we’ve all been clowned.
Art by Andre Moore
Bron-Bron tattoos himself with all his monikers and his publicity people put them out there, as ubiquitous as air and as often appearing as a bad Craig Seger suit: every time. Then Nike puts it out there. Then Vitamin Water puts it out there. But what’s really unforgivable is that the national media does it. This should be no different than when the news media was excoriated for using the term “Maverick” to describe John McCain, when his camp was the one to invent the term, and which was largely misleading because he voted with President Bush 90% of the time. (Can you imagine if so-called objective pundits had said “Yes We Can” cover Obama’s campaign? It was his slogan, so to have incorporated that language into anything other than the description of that slogan would have been ridiculous.) My point here is that sportswriters should never use the terms “Witness,” “Chosen One,” or the like in their articles.
Nonetheless, we get stuff like this, allowing the “Chosen One” metaphor to get out of control:
It changes the way we think of him, makes you want to proclaim, “He is ‘The One,’” as when Neo came back to life and made the bullets stop in “The Matrix.” From now on, anything and everything seems possible with LeBron. – J.A. Adande, ESPN.
Now to be clear, no beef against J.A., I like his work. But really? Does this mean LRJ is going to start shooting all his shots from the opposite baseline just because he can? Don’t hold your breath. LRJ is no messiah, just a good baller. Maybe he should just start with free throws.
Here’s another one:
As if once wasn’t enough, the Orlando Magic were forced to watch LeBron James’ amazing buzzer-beater all day yesterday. The Magic were witnesses all right. Again. And again. And again. – AP Report, Boston Herald.
Seriously, do journalists work for Nike? It’s crazy. We need to think about this, seriously. The Big Nickname himself, Shaq, has more names than he knows what to do with, but they’re not nearly as self-promoting. The Big Aristotle: trying to show he’s a thinker, not just a dumb giant. It means something. The Big Cactus: just a joke on the former nickname. Dwayne Wade? Shaq called him Flash to his Superman. Okay, Superman’s a little self-involved, but it’s also not selling anything. How about Kobe? Black Mamba. First of all, everyone made fun of it before it finally stuck. Second, it’s supposed to be a metaphor. He strikes fast and he’s deadly. Fine.
But consider also that Lebron and his billionaire-minded camp manufactured his names before even playing a single NBA game! At least the guys above earned their names. To further prove my point, compare “Chosen One” to the “Great One” in hockey, Wayne Gretzky. Gretz won eight consecutive MVPs and had more assists than any other player had points when he retired (in hockey points are a combination of both goals and assists). Yet, again, LRJ had the audacity to call himself “great” before he even played a game? Fuck, he could’ve ended up being Darko, there was no way to know. The whole thing is ludicrous.
The worst part? LRJ doesn’t even encourage you to think. He’s just the “Chosen One.” The “King.” No metaphor. Just accept that he’s the shit straight up. And as opposed to the inclusiveness of Michael Jordan–who, incidentally, didn’t need all these names because he let his play talk for him–whose corporate slogan was “Be Like Mike,” and invited us all to dream, all to share in his greatness, LRJ doesn’t want you near him. Instead, you can just sit back and “Witness” his glory. Sorry. Other than in the context of linguistic discourse like this, or maybe just plain sarcasm, I won’t be using those phrases.
Lebron might score 50 tonight or hit another buzzer beater. But it won’t change the fact that he’s a self-aggrandizing, arrogant man-boy who truly believes the world is Lebron-centric. Fuck that. We all have a choice over the words we use. So don’t let someone else, anyone else, put those words in your mouth. And national media? Please, think a bit before you succumb to the lazy cliches that make you just another mouthpieces for LRJ’s self-perpetuating myth.
UPDATE 5/25/09: The Orlando Sentinel is on board!
Rolling eyes
Fantastic post. Must-read for alleged journalists.
@ Courtside. Thank you. And thank you for giving me the heads up on the “LRJ” thing.
What I’m wondering is why people are acting as if they’ve never seen a buzzer beater before. LMAO!!!!
No end in sight: from the AP Recap of last night’s game, posted on ESPN: “From an unforgettable shot to a cheap one.” We all know what the allegedly unforgettable shot is, but the “cheap one”? Did the author think that? Nope. Lebron. But it made the article anyway: “…James felt the blow was a cheap shot. ‘I think it was,’ James said. “You see Mo’s face, it’s not a pretty sight. That’s not called for in this game.’” Um. Okay, report Lebron’s opinion as news, great journalism.
Item #2, as TT6 has argued repeatedly this Playoffs, it HAS to be intent and NOT result that determines the level of the foul, be it regular, technical, flagrant 1 or flagrant 2. Sure, a foul is a foul, even if unintentional, but to be worse than that, there has to be something more.
Taking AJ’s play last night, at worst, it looked like a frustrated Johnson was swinging his arms to get free as he was fouled in the lane (don’t forget Williams was called for a foul on the same play that Johnson got the Flagrant 1). Yet, because Mo had to have stitches it was a cheap shot? Can you be dumbfounded as an internet author and display it appropriately?
Sorry, Lebron, maybe you should have went to college. Stitches mean nothing. If you fall on your face, untouched, in the next game, and require stitches on your forehead, does that mean someone should be tossed? Well, okay, bad example, in the current League we live in, yes. And it’d be Ron Artest. But if it were anyone else? Of course not, it just happened. The result cannot dictate the “cheapness of the foul.” Go the other way. If Anthony Johnson had swung a cocked fist at Williams after the play, but Williams ducked, does anyone seriously think AJ isn’t gone for the Playoffs? Exactly. It’s not the results that matter. No matter what LRJ thinks.
It’s a shame the author, as an “objective” journalist, couldn’t tell the difference either.
[...] Hornets Hype: The Discourse of Lebron. [...]
I also love how the day after the shot magic johnson was interviewing him and said something how after making one shot he has become one of the best closers in basketball, among the ranks of bird and jordan. Last time i checked closing the game involved hitting free throws, especially when dwight “50% at best” howard is at the line knockin down what looked to be every free throw in the 4th quarter
The media are going to suck Lebron’s balls right off of his body.
@mW_ Your last comment deserves its own blog post. I can’t believe people are just contentedly swallowing everything the Nazi…er, Nike propaganda machine spews. Not only are they swallowing it whole, they are regurgitating the same shit as ‘fact.’
I really don’t understand how this post doesn’t have 100 comments.
Oh, and this is from a SLAM post by @russbengtson, but it applies here as well. “The question with Michael Jordan was: “Will a scoring leader ever win a title?” The question with Kobe Bryant is: “Will he ever win a title without Shaq?” The question with LeBron James is: “How many titles will he win, and will he win them all consecutively?” The presumption of his greatness-to-be—when he has yet to win a single Finals GAME in his career—is an insult to all of the great players who came before him. Wilt Chamberlain was the most dominant player in NBA history, and he won just two titles. Oscar Robertson averaged a triple-double over FIVE seasons and won one. Elgin Baylor forever changed the way the game is played, paving the way for Julius Erving, Michael Jordan, and yes, LeBron James, and he never won any. I’ll be as impressed as anyone if LeBron wins that first ring. But until then, I refuse to accept a King who has yet to take the throne.”
Once again, his words, not mine.
Keep writing, mW! Long live #PolishDemocracy and #FrenchRevolution!!!
[...] New Blog Rule: When your team of rooting interest is bounced from the playoffs, shift your “journalistic” focus towards hating those more successful than you. Start by refusing to spell crucial players’ names correctly, that’ll show ‘em! “Lebron might score 50 tonight or hit another buzzer beater. But it won’t change the fact that he’s a self-aggrandizing, arrogant man-boy who truly believes the world is Lebron-centric. ” [MW/Hornets Hype] [...]
I think it’s adorable that the Hornets have bloggers and that they’re still blogging.
I think you’re adorable!
Oh wait, check that. I don’t. It’s a legitimate media criticism that has nothing to do with whose team is in the playoffs and whose isn’t.
just to clarify, i dont think lebron gave himself the nickname “chosen one”, sports illustrated gave it to him when they did this:
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41ybeXgWdFL._SL500_AA280_.jpg
and at least he doesnt give himself nicknames like “black mamba”.
See, and I get that in some cases it’s his “people” that are running rampant with this stuff. And I’m not sure what he could do to stop it at this point. Of course he doesn’t want to. But then, I don’t know him personally. So I hate to speak to his motivations. On the other hand, though, the whole “am I going to New York?” thing was very self-aggrandizing to me. It speaks to someone who doesn’t care what people think about him so long as they’re paying attention to him. In both cities.
Edited to Add: I forgot the tats. It’s not like SI or Nike tied him down and forced him to tattoo their campaign/nickname on himself, did they?
no, but have you seen the tattoos that 90% of the rest of the NBA has? just as self-aggrandizing.
I reserve the right to mercilessly hate on anyone who has HIS OWN NIKE CAMPAIGN inked on himself. There may be people who don’t feel that way, fine. But I reserve that right.
its a free world.
“My range? It’s pretty much unlimited.”
Sorry, Lebron, maybe you should have went to college.
Sounds to me like someone should have “gone” to college also. Brilliant.
@college prof: Unbeknownst to you, the person of whom you speak has 2 post-baccalaureate degrees and is simply guilty of typing too fast. But that’s a great argument in refutation of his post. Thanks for your contribution.
OMG, I’m trolling my own comment thread now. I’m going, I’m going.
“We all have a choice over the words we use.”
Typos are generally misspellings.
That’s not a misspelling. It’s a grammatical error. Snark FAIL.
Let’s just be honest about this entire thing, everybody. LeBron is an egocentric, completely self-involved person. He loves himself. He wants you to love him too. There’s nothing wrong with admitting this. He’s in basketball for a business. It’s his job to market himself.
It’s okay to realize that what MW is saying here is pretty much true. Is it a bit harsh? Yes. Is the message valid? Also, yes. But that doesn’t mean that if you’re a fan of him, you aren’t allowed to like him. But until you put him up there with the all-time greats and call him hands down the best in the league, he has to PROVE it. You can still like him. But let’s have him earn his spot in the NBA landscape instead of having the media and sponsors give it to him.
That seems like a compromise we should all be able to agree on.
Had to come here and see what all the brouhaha was about. Now I’m waiting for Magic fans to show up on my blog and tell me I can’t say anything bad about Dwight Howard because the Celtics are out of the playoffs. Lol. People are just too sensitive. I read blog posts all year long about what a jackass KG was being on the sidelines and it’s not like I assumed they were saying it because they cheered for the Grizzlies. What difference does it make? Everybody can share their opinion at any time. It’s the U-S-of-A for godsake.
I can agree with the argument that LeBron is all about himself. I can agree with the fact that it’s silly to get marketing taglines tattooed on yourself, especially when they’re about… yourself. (I wonder if LeBron does the powder toss after changing his kid’s diapers, and if he looks at himself in the mirror, a la Dirk Diggler and says “We are all Witnesses” every morning).
I can also agree to a certain point that the media overblows things. At the same time, they gloss over the amazing things that other players are doing (I’m a HUGE Deron Williams fan and think he’s definitely at the same level of CP3, without getting the same fanfare). But, that’s what ESPN has become at this point – flash and no substance (did you know, they’re in LA now!!!!). If you want better sports coverage, start here. It’s what you can do to improve the sports journalism world.
I feel extremely blessed to have LeBron James on the team that I cheer for. He’s a filthy basketball player. He seems to have a decent head on his shoulders (he’s driven fast, and that’s about it in terms of getting in trouble). He’s working to position himself as not only a basketball giant, but also a business giant. Yes, ESPN, SI, etc. are helping him accomplis this. But to discount all of this and say “I don’t need LDJ, I have CP3″ comes off as jealous and bitter.
Yes, people from our site came over here and started flinging poo without really backing it up. But comon, bitching about it via Twitter and declaring how people are a bunch of losers because they don’t like what you have to say is silly.
You’re making my argument for me. You claimed using the word “went” instead of “gone” was a typo. I called you out for that lie by pointing out that typos are generally misspellings, not grammatical errors.
Next time I’ll be more clear.
Sorry the LeBron Hype is getting under your skin. You’d think somebody with a blog called Hornets Hype would understand hype.
OK, OK, I get it now. I thought your comment meant you were SAYING it was a misspelling. And so I said it wasn’t.
Either way, it’s totally irrelevant and doesn’t really belong in this comment thread. (Though interestingly enough, someone just pointed out on Twitter that they thought mW had purposely said “Should have went” because that’s what LeBron would have said. I don’t think that was what he was doing–how snarky! but definitely mean– but I am not mW so I have no clue what the motivation for his TINY GRAMMATICAL ERROR was.)
“LIES!” How dramatic.
@Denny — If the first 6 people who said something had said something remotely like what you said, it would have negated me bitching about it on Twitter. I didn’t say they were losers because they didn’t like what I said. I said they were losers because they said my site was lame, and I was lame, and my team lost. Did we ever declare “bag on Cavs fans” day? No. If you don’t like what we blogged, fine. But questioning our right to blog it, I will goddamn well take as a personal insult or at least as being dismissive. It was meant to be.
And come on. There are only 5 or so really great stars in the league. I think we have one of them. NO ONE has two. I said, “We don’t need LeBron. We have CP.” How is that not accurate? Would I say no to having both? Of course not. NO ONE’S going to have both. Except when they’re like 30 maybe. Maybe.
But Jesus Christ. It’s not exactly like we’re the Clippers here. The Hornets are already one of the few teams lucky enough to have a historically good player. So why exactly is it bitter of me to not want yours? If I said I wanted him, it’d be greedy. There are 24-25 other teams who don’t have a player as good as either. Maybe they’re jealous or bitter. I’m not. We have a guy as good as, or at the very least, just a rung below LeBron James, and we like him.
P.S. Twitter for me is pretty much a running stream of my thoughts. So if something pisses me off, I’ll say it. Questioning my qualifications to publish what I want on my own site pisses me off. —> “Just a tired topic that has nothing to do with Hornets basketball…” Do y’all own my site? Do you READ my site? We often post about stuff that’s not related to Hornets basketball. We’ve certainly posted about LeBron James several times in the past, and not just because we’re bitter and bored to be out of the playoffs.
I don’t dislike Lebron, but I don’t need him force fed to me.
wow this has gotten completely out of hand. touchy touchy on both sides of this.
The nickname “King James” wasn’t given to him by Nike and it didn’t come “before he ever played a game.” It was given to him by his friends/teammates in high school, where he dominated. Those guys are now part of the company that promotes him. No surprise there.
And, I’m sorry, the “inclusiveness of Michael Jordan”???? Are you kidding me? Dude was the most egocentric, me-first player on the planet until his second tour with the Bulls when he realized he could win easier with teamwork. You pretty much blow all credibility right there.
Add to all this that, as the “LeBron to NY” hype was an example, LeBron has always loved the attention. Even in high school. He wore Reeboks in a game when he knew Nike and Adidas reps were in the crowd, then switched it up when the Reebok guys were there. He KNOWS everyone is watching and loves it. Doesn’t make him a bad guy and if you have a problem with the words the “media” is using to talk about him, isn’t it hypocritical to say “fuck that” regarding LeBron’s complicity in that coverage? What, you want him to tell SI not to call him the Chosen One? I thought “we all have a choice over the words we use.” The media is no exception, so get over it. It’s their choice. Read the hype, don’t read the hype. That’s YOUR choice.
All of this is beside the fact that if he was a Hornet you would freaking LOVE him. That goes for fans of every team in the NBA, too.
I’m never sleeping on this blog again. Awesome post, and even awesomer comments.
I’ve said much the same before over at h247.
LeBron has a statue of himself in his house’s entry hall. That’s all I needed to know about him.
Don’t get me wrong. If I was a Cavs fan, I’d want him to play well. But I’m not talking about that. I’m talking about the representation of Lebron and how it’s an entirely manufactured package, which the media, public, and even the League accept as truth when it’s just image based upon solely itself. Lebron’s myth is self-perpetuating. As Russ Bengston and Courtside point out, the man has yet to win anything. And to that, the best retort some can offer is a single grammatical critique? Touché.