of course, i'm kidding, and am glad to contribute to the bi-montnly "Lebron is coming/Lebron is not coming" post series...

anyway, Knickerblogger wrote a piece the other day about how winning a title may not keep lebron put that was pretty good, and almost hit on a factor that seems to be overlooked by some as to why I think he may still come, and disagree with the notion that we have to feel that there is ZERO chance he comes if Cleveland remains good. He mentioned that Shaq and Kareem both forced trades not because their teams were bad, but because they wanted to pursue different LIFESTYLES that neither Orlando nor Milwakee could provide.

here's an edited version of what i wrote in response to someone saying he won't come because he can market himself just as well in cleveland as nyc being in a more "wired" world:

http://www.knickerblogger.net/?p=1647


d-mar’s comments about how “marketability” can be less of an issue if in a city like cleveland because being in a more “wired” world reminds me of thomas friedman’s idea that the world is flattening…

however…

there is a highly regarded sociologist, richard florida, who has written books about what he calls the “creative class” and how important the creative economy is, and will be in the future. florida might strongly disagree with d-mar’s beliefs, as he did with friedman’s.

his contention is that the world is actually spikey, not flat.

cities like cleveland and other midwestern former industrial cities have and will continue to lose their young people and others to regions/cities that fit their needs.

tolerance has been found to be a key factor for attracting creative, smart, ambitious people, and the reality is that cleveland isn't even in the same room with nyc in this area.

in essence, the point is that where we live is more important than many of us think. places like cleveland will not provide lebron the constant daily access to madison ave & music industry execs, tv/film producers, celebrities, appearances at other big events/nightclubs of which NYC provides on a constant basis amongst other things. nyc has a bobo (bohemian bourgeoisie) urban paradise lifestyle lebron seems to enjoy (high fashion, nightlife, celebrities, etc.) of which cleveland can also not provide.

personality often determines where we want to live, and it seems that lebron is less conscientious than an average mid-westerner (a region filled with many of this type…as i would argue as are many hardcore sports fans, btw) which for lebron would mean less attachment to one's local culture and region. florida calls folks who are like this the "open to experience" personality. the fact that he is a yankee fan and wears yankee caps says quite a bit to me. no “true” conscientious person would have much affinity for anything outside of their local teams. it isn’t like the indians have been a bad team either.

in fact, studies even show that it is not money that makes most of us happy, it is where we live, who we are connected with, and if we are doing what we love. maybe for lebron, while he may not be unhappy on the cavs, he may feel he would be THAT much happier if he were in new york.

my point is, that while i would not say we know for sure he will come to the knicks or not, i think the notion that there is no chance he will come because of the ability to market himself in a more wired world has far less weight to it than we might suspect.

[Edited by - PresIke on 05-08-2009 10:21 AM]

[Edited by - PresIke on 05-08-2009 10:22 AM]

yea i reads dat, still dont think he's coming, check this out:

'I'm comfortable with being in Cleveland. I'm excited about it. I'm loving the direction we're [going] in and I'm loving the teammates I have and the organization. So if that's any indication of me leaving, then somebody must be looking out the wrong box."

http://www.fearthesword.com/2009/5/8/869210/lebron-im-comfortble-in-cleveland

lol...actually that's my comment. i cited the sociologist. he wrote the article that started my response.

you can "love" your home but still want to leave.

i love nyc (not everything) but not the way i used to, and things i want to do i cannot do as well here, and i have problems with the lifestyle (cost of living, etc.) and how that affects the kinds of people and culture that exists here (overly competitive)...so, the plan is to leave.

you're arguing against academic research. i can't read lebron's mind, but i showed evidence that lebron is not as conscientious a person. young people with less attachments (marriage, home ownership, less debt, etc.) are typically more "open to experience."

lebron is in his early 20s, has all of the $ he can spend in a lifetime, and is in the prime of his life.

for someone like him, who also seems to be more "hip" (regardless of what some folks may think about this) than a more conscientious type, why spend it in, no offense, cleveland when you can be in nyc.

nyc has built itself on this reputation and helped improve after decades of decline in the 60s-70s-80s as a place for open to experience types even more with significantly lower crime and advertising in the form of sex and the city, seinfeld, friends, etc. from the 90s on.

the point is he can always come back to ohio later to live if he wants (he's not even from cleveland). if he wins them a title, he can then say i gave back to my hometown, and now i'm ready to move on at this point.



[Edited by - PresIke on 05-08-2009 10:48 AM]

[Edited by - PresIke on 05-08-2009 10:49 AM]

ok yea i gotcha, cheesewiz, but yo, checks it:

lebron is all over the place anyway as an nba player, he can go anywehre and do anything he wants at any time.

the bulls were a no-name, crappy franchise before jordan started winning championships. this is whats gonna happen with da cavz- lebron is going to win many championships there and turn cleveland into a basketball town. he can live in nyc in the offseason like nash if he wants to. he's lebron james, man, lebron james.

Lebron can leave and take Ohio with him.

He can position himself to NOT reject Ohio but keep a home there, and friends, and fans, but can say he wants to "experience newe things". This is somting I had said months ago and think him winning a championship or two could help him. The franchise is going in the right direction, but it could peak.

We love Reggie Jax after he left NY. ANd then was welcome back. Chicago still loves Jordan.

He is bigger than life and could manipulate the situation well. He could site famous actors, writers and musicians who have left a town and moved away.


Root for the Cavs to win. It will help.

In regards to what has been posted, Lebron may end up in NY. However, Lebron owns Cleveland so there really is no reason for him to leave where he grew up to seek tolerance. Cleveland may not have all of the culture that NY has but there is a thriving local music scene, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is less than a mile from where the Cavs play, the Indians play across the street and the Browns play within a mile. Lebron, like Jordan transcends geographical location. He hangs out with celebrities and is adored across the world. Lebron is playing for his coach and the team he plays with was built around him and if nothing else should win the Eastern Conference without a significant challenge for the next three years. I don't think Lebron leaves the Cavs for any reasons other than a better opportunity to win a championship because money will not be a factor. I think the Knick organization has to hope that Lebron wants to take on the challenge of rebuilding a franchise or that another superstar signs that he wants to play with.

sorry, cleveland does not have a known music scene. we're talking about access to high level professionals in the field, celebrities, etc. new york has a gazillion problems for entry level people, but if you come already established, and/or know the right people it is not even remotely close to chosing to live in cleveland.

seriously, can you name any celebrities at all, outside of local sports stars (who have to live there), who make their main residence in cleveland? compared to the ridiculous numbers of not just face celebrities, but the highest level of industry folks in fashion, music, tv/film, marketing, advertising, finance, etc. etc.

i've been to cleveland more than a few times, and have some friends that live or are from there. i'm not trying to hate on the place, i'm just stating reality, and there is no sugar coating things. the downtown scene is lacking big time, and is NOT a city, when compared to NY. They, like many other cities in the 90's, built all these big sports stadiums thinking it would help, but it hasn't, for a long list of reasons.

Transcending geographic location is complete myth. You HAVE to have access to the right people and right things to both make yourself happy and earn the most you can for one's profession. Jordan played in Chicago, one of the biggest cities in the U.S., but for Jordan, he was clearly not as interested in some of the things that Lebron is interested in.

A better comparison is probably Shaq. He had the ULTIMATE desire to be in the limelight and mingle with the celebrity world.

as for cleveland, the rock n roll hall of fame, or hall of fames in general are just not the kinds of things that attract anything other than tourists.

they are just not "cool" at all for attracting residents, especially "open to experience types" who tend to be more mobile.

having local pro-sports franchises also does not equal something of much value for someone who falls into the "open to experience" personality type choosing where to live. sports teams are more important for "conscientious" types, who usually value family and loyalty above all, and tend to stay put.

we're discussing lebron "owning" cleveland, versus lebron "owning" new york. which do you think is better, given all of the access he would have on a daily basis to all of the things that can make him even more of an icon, and be connected and close to those who probably more fits his lifestyle?

living IN the city that fits your needs is extremely important, and why some players will not like playing for a small-town city team while other players who either don't thrive in, or will avoid playing for mega-cities with high media exposure like NY or LA (both of which we have seen in the past).


[Edited by - PresIke on 05-09-2009 09:36 AM]

i have no idea if he wants to be in cleveland or not. i'm just confused why folks keep saying "He wants to stay" or "he is coming."

not one of us has any clue, so perhaps we can stop with the silly assertions and look at what are contributing to the chances or not.

if he doesn't come it isn't the end of the world either.

when it comes to what he SAYS in public about his desire to stay or not it's pretty clear you can't take anything he says now about this seriously at all.

[Edited by - PresIke on 05-09-2009 09:41 AM]

A lot would have to change in NY for it to become a more attractive place than Cleveland. This team is so far from being settled and ready to win, that I doubt it will all come together at the end of next season. We should be better and likely we'd have a clearer picture of the true direction of the team, but Lebron is gonna want to play for a winner and that will not have been proven at that time even if we add a Wade or Bosh.

Posted by nixluva:

A lot would have to change in NY for it to become a more attractive place than Cleveland. This team is so far from being settled and ready to win, that I doubt it will all come together at the end of next season. We should be better and likely we'd have a clearer picture of the true direction of the team, but Lebron is gonna want to play for a winner and that will not have been proven at that time even if we add a Wade or Bosh.

Lets just hope that Chandler and Gallinari are the real deal