http://www.cleveland.com/ohio-sports-blog/...congratula.html

Akron U...

Uh, yeah....Lebron, or Queen Quitter as you're known around these parts....take your twitter and stick it where the sun don't shine. Punk.

Very cool. I think the mood around the community is one of complete celebration. Well, I can vouch for University Park anyway. GO ZIPS! GO LEBRON! GO AKRON! SOCCER KINGS!

Well, he's an old time local-- Akron U! Thanks for the tweet!

It's not Akron U LeBum, and did you not hear on Dec 2nd that: Akron hates you clap clap clap clap clap

As much as I hate LeBron, he did just put out the word of our soccer program to the millions of people that follow him on twitter. Kinda conflicted on this one.

Love it. Thanks LeBron. And thanks for putting all the doubters in their place by maintaining your loyalty to Akron...your home town.

You guys will find anybody to complain about, won't you?

We just got a shout-out from a guy with almost 1.2 million followers. I'm willing to bet more people heard about our championship through his tweet than actually watched the game on TV.

This is NOT a bad thing. Stop complaining and keep celebrating!

This smiley can not possibly get enough use.

LeBron is basically an honorary alum.

Good to hear he's giving props.

This was played on WTAM....but the video version is certifiably GOLD. It'll be the biggest hit in the country (or at least Northeast Ohio) as soon as it gets out. And it says it all....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CeMSTs8fWWA
Click to view attachment

The only time BZ and Zips Win! are in agreement!!

When he ponies up a couple mil, then we can talk. Until then, I guess I have to be thankful for some shoes...

Similar to my motto, theis in effect here.

So i'll let LeQuitter slide one time for his props to the U. Even if he's an idiot for calling it "Akron U".

You've got to admit that, even though technically incorrect, Akron U is more natural sounding that U of Akron, not to mention easier to type on a tiny cell phone keyboard.

Sometimes it pays to embrace a twisted but cool-sounding nickname that won't go away instead of fighting the inevitable.

cleveland has a basketball team still? even if they did, no one in Akron cares. But I do know AKRON HAS A SOCCER TEAM! AND THEY ARE AMAZING! GO AKRON! LETS KEEP CELEBRATING AKRON'S CHAMPIONS! LEBRON IS AN AKRONITE SO JUST QUIT WITH THE SOUR GRAPES. LETS JUST CELEBRATE AKRON SOCCER! THEY DESERVE IT!

You are certainly in the minority there.

1) LeBron is NOT honorary alumi

2) Akron Zips was trending on Twitter BEFORE LeBron's tweet...it's not like we were lacking national attention

3) LeBron doesn't give a shit about Akron...don't be fooled

Of course you're right. The stories about his participation in bike-a-thon AFTER he signed with Miami, and that story about the hundreds of turkeys he gave to Akron families on Thanksgiving MUST HAVE just been a hoax.

Wait, Cleveland has a basketball team?!

Amen, brother. AKRON is his hometown and he's proud to be an Akronite! (Even if some Akronites aren't.)

Has there ever been a professional athlete that is more loyal to his hometown than 'Bron? Honestly. And if so, who? And what are the odds the greatest basketball player on the planet, an athlete ESPN bows down to on an almost daily basis, name drops AKRON every chance he gets?! The stars had to perfectly align for that one.

Btw, I'm as big a Zips fan as anyone, but I always called it Akron U growing up. Playing backyard ball, we'd count 1-Akron U, 2-Akron U, 3-Akron U before we could rush the QB. I've never been offended by it.

But anyway, thanks for the shout out LeBron & for your loyalty to your hometown despite some doubters and haters who think Cleveland has something to do with Akron.

Akron loves you clap, clap, clap, clap, clap.

Representing 330.

LeBron put out a tweet about something positive that UA did. That's really cool. I'm celebrating something our school achieved, something to be dead proud of, and you're whining about the fact that cleveland used to have a basketball team? Take your sour grapes somewhere else my friend. I'm celebrating AKRON SOCCER! LeBron is celebrating too, and I think that is expletive great.

Oh, and I'm not in the minority, Akronites support one another, we have a really great community here, it's that kind of "at home" feeling that you don't find in many urban areas, and I love Akron because it is a place that is tolerant and accepting of all people. And rooting for our own with that kind of unabashed mid-western pride that you can't find anywhere else is a very unique and rare thing. It's unfortunate that cleveland's sour grapes about the cavaliers last chance at a national championship are getting in the way of some when Akron's Men's Soccer just brought a National Championship home. If you want to go worship Danny 'Subprime' Gilbert' somewhere else, be my guest. AKRON SOCCER RULES, AKRON SOCCER IS KING!

I'm glad LeBron put a tweet out about it, our soccer team is F***ing AWESOME! If you have sour grapes about LeBron's former basketball team, please email them to Danny subrpime gilbert, UAZip0510. Akron soccer probably doesn't care that you're mad danny gilbert's team can't win anymore without LeBron James. I'm done with this. GO ZIPS! GO ZIPS SOCCER!

In the spirit of this post UAZip0510, let's just celebrate something amazing that our team did and leave it at that. Lets just support Akron! Hail Akron! I love my city and the people of my city! And with that, I'm extending an olive branch here.. to any and all, lets just keep supporting all of this as best we can.

That's really cool.

Not being from the area, I used to hate when locals would say "Akron U". But the more I hear it, the more I like it. It's ingrained into the local culture. That isn't a bad thing.

Any positive attention is great and Lebron is able to get more than a million people to know our team won the national championship. Thanks LeBron!

Says who?

And Dave from Michigan sounded better too!!

It's never been AU and just because morons call it that doesn't make it right. Show some school pride and respect and call my university by it's proper name.

Akron U sounds so small time and community college. UA is the way to say it. Sounds better than all the others!

Or just Akron.

There are many Universities that have the University of .... and they just go by the name.

Florida, Michigan, Pittsburgh, Wisconsin, California, the list is long and endless.

Florida U, Michigan U, Pittsburgh U, Wisconsin U, Cali U, ....all sound weak sauce.

LeBron learned from his high school coach.

KD refers to the University as "Akron U" all the time. Many University officials do it. I know I saw a video at the JAR recently where a player (Kara Murphy?) referred to "Akron U."

We should begin a thread where we post every time a player or administrator uses the "Akron U" reference, in an interview, newspaper column, etc, and see how long the thread becomes.

That youtube thing is lame, IMO. Makes me glad I turned off WTAM 10 years ago. This is well done IMO. It's specifically made for GP1 I think. Try to get to Tony Dungy.

Good for LBJ for giving props to the soccer team. Somebody from the U should send him some championship gear.

I guess we can put Akron U into the same category as LeBron, Cleveland and other subjects that will always drive some folks up the wall and won't bother others in the least.

Imagine if all the energy used in hashing and rehashing these subjects could be redirected into something productive.

Who do you think you are Dave in Green?

We must stay negative. We must make untrue broad generalizations like Akron hates the Cavs. We must take every opportunity to rip on things we hate instead of simply enjoying the moment.
(sarcasm alert)

Actually, the untrue broad generalization is that Akron hates LeBron.

Haven't you seen the sides of the univserity maps around campus? They say " University of Akron: Gold Standard AU" Refering to the Periodic symbol for Gold which is AU. So the university itself is willing to switch it from UA to AU just to achieve the validity of calling themselves the "Gold Standard"

They do, but I always considered that a stretch.

If someone was raised in an environment where "Akron U" was a derogatory name, I understand entirely how someone could be highly offended in calling their university Akron U. Much like calling it Hilltop High, I suppose. Where I grew up it wasn't a slight to call it Akron U. It was almost kind of a pet name. So I've never been offended at refering to the school as Akron U. In conversation, I occassionally find myself still refering to the school as Akron U. But I never use that term on this board; no reason to needlessly offend anyone.

Go Zips!

But I think the "Gold Standard AU" thing is pretty cool.

I've always associated "Akron U" with the same connotation as "Hilltop High". When people call it that, it tells the they don't take the university seriously and view it as just the local community college. It's too casual, and brings up images of a place where all the local high schoolers go after they graduate just to hang out and delay getting a job. It makes us sound like Can't.

I think this sums up my thoughts on the issue perfectly. As a local, I grew up calling it Akron U. It just flows better in conversation. For example:

"Akron U just won the national championship." vs.
"The University of Akron just won the national championship."

But I avoid it for the reason Blue & Gold mentioned above... No reason to offend anyone.

Hey, at least we're not called Buchtel College anymore. But still, the college itself has no problem with AU (which intuitively leads to Akron U) so who are we to specualte whether its appropriate or offensive. It all refers to the same institution. The University of Akron is the offical name; Akron U, U of Akron, U of A, or UA are just more casual ways to reference the University.

It's actually downright laughable.

It's fueled by some of the Cleveland loyalists who absolutely CAN'T STAND that LeBron talks about Akron, and that people in Akron still support him.

I was at a picnic last summer, and I overheard a group at another table bashing LeBron. Then someone said, "Can you believe those idiots in Akron cheered for him at the Bike-A-Thon?". I almost could not contain my laughter. They are enraged by this. And they are probably some of the same people who engage in highly productive activities such as yelling obscenities as they drive by his house, and tape his old jersey to the side of their car with some derogatory change in his name.

In the real world, people change employers every day. You get over it and go out and get new employees to replace them, and you move on.

Oh brother....

OK so this isn't really off topic because this IS a LeBron thread:

I would say that a VAST majority of Akronites do not like LeBron anymore. I would even guess that about 50% hate him.

I really have yet to meet anyone who is truly from this area that supports him. I'm sure there are some, and i can understand where they are coming from still supporting him, but most people do not like the guy.

So you haven't met any of the people he bought Thanksgiving for, or any of the kids he donated bikes to, or any of the APS faculty or students who he gave new computers to, or any Zips basketball player who he gears up? That's fine. I've met some of all of those people, and they all appreciate what he still does for the city. The hate is strong in this city, but it is temporary. We're still in the break-up stage. But like any difficult relationship, those feelings cool off. And when one side stays devoted even after making a mistake, they eventually get back together.

To be honest i have spoken to an APS teacher. Just texted someone I know who teaches on the east side. He said he appreciates the donation and he respects LeBron for doing it. Then again he also said it's all a publicity stunt and doesn't change his views on the guy.

He did make it clear that there are others that couldn't love LeBron more though. So i guess you are right in a way, it impacted a few people.
But that's about the only way a large group of people are going to start supporting him again anytime soon. He's going to have to personally impact each one of them by throwing money or free things at them. Otherwise, he's a terrible role model and a bad example of what Akron and the metro area should be about.

So much for all the LeBron haters who proclaimed that he surely forget about Akron when he went to Miami.

The only people I know in Akron who are mad at LeBron are the ones who are die-hard Cavs fans. And I think even those people will come around again when it sinks in that he still loves Akron, and made a tough career decision, just like all the rest of us have to make from time to time.

I always make my tough career decisions in front of a captive nationwide audience in primetime. And when I do I make sure I make it as hard as possible on the company I'm leaving. I might even name it something that stirs up old memories for them of heartbreaking moments....

Sure he's a terrible role model. He knows that. So are a lot of people in the with wealth and fame. But it doesn't mean they can't be recognized for doing good things for the sake of doing good, or for the love of the place they grew up. But here, it's comspiracy theories that somehow it's all a publicity stunt and he gets villified. If it was a publicity stunt, he would have showed up in person, dragging his national media followers with him, to present all those things in person. he would have pulled strings to get it mentioned on ESPN and CNN and whatever else. But he didn't. Nobody but the people of Akron knows that he did these things.

I'm picking up on your sarcasm.

LeBron has his good and bad points, just like all the rest of us. He's neither as great as his most fawning fans might believe nor as awful as his biggest critics try to portray him.

And do you also always make your tough career decisions at a Boys and Girls Club, and donate the proceeds to that charity?

I am a LeBron supporter, but I thought the "event" ended up not being a good idea. But, I think you're hanging onto the end of a very long limb if you think that he planned the event with the purpose of sticking it to everyone that he could.

Just say you don't like that guy. I can believe that.

I'm with you. Sure he stabbed an entire city in the back... but after he pulled out the knife he auctioned it off on ebay and gave the proceeds to charity so it's all good.

By the way, I make my career decisions privately... and the hate directed at him would be significantly lower if he had done likewise.

I don't like the guy.

Specifically for this "event" that he and his "posse" conjured up. I for one am a huge believer in the free market and being able to play where you want to play, etc. etc. I honestly can care less about the NBA in general and the Cavs in particular. However, the complete lack of class is what sealed the deal for me. I don't like Lebron James. He can tweet about the NCAA Champion Akron soccer team all he wants. I still don't like him.