LeBron James understands the anger felt by Clevelanders
LeBron James went from being one of the most beloved athletes in the world to one of the most hated seemingly overnight.
After booking an hour of prime-time TV on ESPN to announce his decision to leave the Cleveland Cavaliers and join the Miami Heat, a move labeled by many observers as throwing salt on the
wound, James has finally expressed some empathy for the Cleveland fans that he humiliated on national television. But he also said Clevelanders should put the issue behind them.
"If I was a fan and I was on the outside looking in, I could be upset a little bit if one of my favorite players left," James said yesterday. "Or if I felt like he betrayed us or whatever
the case may be. But you have to get over it."
James’ one-hour special, entitled “The Decision,” rubbed a lot of people the wrong way, especially Clevelanders. James, born in Akron, Ohio, chose to go with the nationally-televised broadcast,
in which he famously said he would be “taking his talents to South Beach.”
Shorty after making the comments yesterday, James clarified that he was not specifically asking Cleveland fans to get over it.
"Let's clear this up!” he wrote on his Twitter feed. “I never said to the Cavs fans to get over it. I've never and will never say anything bad about them. 7 years of joy!"
James is an avid sports fan and yesterday's comments came about while talking about the recent struggles of some of his favourite sports teams. James supports the New York Yankees, the
Dallas Cowboys, and the Ohio State basketball team, all of whom have underachieved this past week.
"Sports are very emotional and fans are very emotional," he said. "At times they really believe you may be related to them you and you sleep in their house. When you do something wrong
and you leave their house they can become very emotional. I've understood that over the years. But at the same time, you have to understand you have to do what is best yourself."
Tags: