| No "I" in Team |
3 November 2003
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LeBron James Dazzles, Cleveland Loses Anyway
The marketing people at the NBA, and their corporate allies at the shoe and soft drink companies, think they have found a replacement for Michael Jordan. Young LeBron James, a man who went from high school straight to the NBA without pretending to be a college student, has them drooling. They've given him around $100 million in endorsements, his face is selling magazine, but there's just one problem -- his team can't win.
Perhaps this is what it has come to in American sports: losing is just one facet of a bigger marketing picture. Yes, it would be nice if the Cleveland Cavaliers had not lost 106-92 against Sacramento or 95-86 against Phoenix. Far more important is the possibility that the companies that have spent way too much money on an unproven teenager might still turn a profit on him.
Mr. James, to be fair, has played exceedingly well. Against Phoenix, he scored 21, had 12 rebounds and 8 assists (and in the further pursuit of fairness, 7 turnovers). In the Sacramento game, he had 25 points and only 2 turnovers. He's a star, and those who claimed he needed 4 years of college ball to season himself were plain wrong.
Yet, there is something wrong in measuring Mr. James performance in personal statistics and profits. Vince Lombardi was wrong when he said that winning was the only thing. Sportsmanship, team work and the rewards from hard work are values that are encapsulated in sport but reverberate throughout a society. At the same time, winning is why men and women engage in sports of all kinds. Triumph is the reward for success in the struggle.
When Mr. James is at retirement age, and one hopes for his sake that that is a couple of decades off yet, admission to the Basketball Hall of Fame is possible, billionaire status is likely, and fame is assured already. How much better will all that be if he can turn Cleveland into a team that wins. It will make marketing him easier.
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