Blue & Gold

Dan Gilbert called LeBron James "narcissistic". Isn't that like PT Barnum calling his tightrope walker "light-footed". Dan, I'm sorry when you took over, they didn't tell you you're paying a teenager a hundred million dollars to entertain your clients. This ain't the opera here Dan, it's much closer to WWE. Thought you would have gotten used to it by now. When Cleveland hosts Miami next year, I expect as many heat jerseys in the house as Cavs'. I hope everyone from Akron - unless they are diehard Cavs fans - would be wearing Heat jerseys. If not, then they've been duped by the Cleveland media and the Cavs marketing department. LeBron's our boy. Clevelanders can cry themselves to sleep again tonight. Since I'm from Akron I'm getting a Heat #6 LBJ jersey as soon as they're available. I actually LOVE that this gives us Akronites the perfect opportunity to show that we do in fact have our own identity; that we are indeed a separate entity from Cleveland. I may just buy LBJ jerseys in black, white and red! All Akronites who are not self-loathing (I'm beginning to fear that there are less of us than I had hoped) should proudly and eagerly sport a LBJ Heat jersey!

How much do you want to bet that Dan Gilbert never really knew what LeBron wanted? Personally, I won't be quick to put the blame on the owner for this entire fiasco happening because of the fact that LeBolt refused to answer texts or phone calls from Dan after the end of the season. I sit here and think that LeBron had this all figured out last year when he declined to sign a contract extension and publicly stated he planned on entering free agency at the end of the 2009-2010 season. Those who say that Dan did too much are forgetting that we were dealing with a player who was being touted as the successor to Jordan. If I was in Dan's position, I sure as hell would have been pulling out all the stops to make LeBron feel like this was somewhere he WANTED to be. Millions of dollars were spent, future prospects were sacrificed, and team policies were changed to make this LeBron's home. For LeBron to backstab not only the city, but the organization that invested so much into him, takes a special kind of individual who has no concept of TEAM and putting others before one's self. Say what you want, but after all the dust has settled, I will continue to feel LeBron is the most selfish and conceited sports figure I have seen in a LONG time, if not EVER. I will also continue to put my faith in our owner who has been the only person with the balls to call LeBron out on his shenanigans. Tip of the hat to Dan Gilbert, Wag of the finger to LeBron. Ahhhh, there you have it. Remember, gentlemen, Akron is not Cleveland and Cleveland is not Akron. Also, remember to never say "we" when referring to Columbus State. This is also another common mistake.

You should call into Reghi's radio show today and express this. I would LOVE to hear their reaction. Funny you should say that. I just got out of my car and I had turned off the 1350 talk show. I was thinking about calling those guys (though I don't get into things like that) because, even though they advertise it as being "Akron's sports talk show," the 3 guys on there are just really your typical Cleveland-centric & Columbus-centric schtick guys. Incredibly unoriginal "I-may-as-well-be-listening-to-a-Cleveland-station" guys. Plus, it takes all of about 30-seconds before you can plainly tell they don't really care about Akron athletics. They're much more excited about OSU & Cleveland. Anyway, I was thinking about calling their show, but they're all upset and "jilted" and what-not - just like others from Akron that have neither self-identity nor self-respect. Whatever. I'm getting sick of it.

Wow, this has gotten messy. It shouldn't be so. Akron's not jilted; Cleveland is. Real simple. LeBron's our boy, not theirs. And he can play professionally wherever he wants. Let Clevelanders weep and gnash their teeth and dress in sack cloth and ashes. It makes no difference to me. However, I'm afraid Akronites have been so insecure for so long that their identity is almost entirely wrapped up in the city 40 miles to the north (just how the Cleveland media would have it, by the way.) Any Akronites that feel jilted by LeBron are essentially of the same mindset as Akronites who say "we" when referring to Columbus State. Akron is not Columbus. Akron is not Cleveland. Go win titles, LeBron. And keep bringing MVP's home to Akron.

What if he goes on and wins 5 championships for the rest of his career (none in CLE) and continues his support in Akron. Will Akron ever build a LeBron statue to honor his contributions? Do you think someday LBJ will want respect like that from his hometown? Good question about the statue. The way the media is spinning this as LeBron vs. NEO has me worried. To think through this soberly and fairly, we absolutely must realize that LeBron has never pledged alligience to NEO. (And that's fine by me because the "regionalism" bullsh!t is just that, bullsh!t). If LeBron never pledged alligience to something, he can't be accused of betrayal, or being a "Benedict Arnold," as so many morons in the media have been saying. LeBron has, however, pledged alligience to Akron - and that's more than enough for me. Now we'll see whether he is a man of his word.

I'm sure there are plenty of folks who have some "slightly wet" land in South Florida they can sell you cheap so you can move down there with your AKRON hero. LeBron SAYS he's loyal to Akron, but his actions don't support his words. Other than holding events and getting us Nike uniforms, what has LeBron done for UA or Akron? Did he say anything on his callous special last night about appreciating the support of fans in Akron? How does Dwayne Wade's b*tch help Akron by winning an NBA Championship with Wade and Bosch. The focus won't even be on LeBron, and Akron will never be mentioned. "Other than holding events..." Okay, it's now obvious that he'll never do enough in your eyes. It's simply a fact that he's brought the city and university unprecedented exposure. Heck, Google's probably hotter with "Akron" right now than with "Paris," "London," or "New York." Additionally, the only way LeBron leaves Akron on a permanent basis is if Akronites drive him out because they wish they were from Cleveland. LeBron's proud to be from Akron. Are we? There seems as if there will be a line drawn between Cleveland Cavs fans and LeBron fans. Many Akronites are Cleveland Cavs fans. We'll see where the stronger loyalty lies. It's an easy and clear distinction for me; I'm not a Cleveland Cavs fan. If they were the Akron Cavs, that'd be another story. LeBron, on the other hand, is actually from our city. Why should I care where he gets paid to play professional ball? Ironically (and, like much irony, this may seem counter-intuitive), LeBron's actually done the Akron area a favor in that he has now drawn the proverbial line in the sand. It's about time someone from Akron did. He has now made the deliniation quite clear: Where does our loyalty reside? How do we view ourselves? As the Akron area, or as a suburb of Cleveland? If Akron turns on LeBron in favor of Cleveland, I think I'll be crushed and probably give up hope of our fair city ever truly having an identity in, and of, ourselves. Wow. You will buy anything. Listen, man, that's neither an insightful nor intelligent response. That's the polemical equivalent of sticking your tongue out. If you go back and read the history of my posts, you'll see I never argue on here. How's the saying go, "Arguing online is like the Special Olympics; even if you win you're still retarded." But if you disagree with the premise, or a point in the argument, tell us at what point and why. Honestly, LeBron's viewpoint is really so simple: he's made it more than abundantly clear (for years now) that he's not from Cleveland. And by his professional evasiveness when pressed on his long-term commitment to the Cleveland Cavs, has made it obvious to any unbiased observer that Cleveland he woudl probably not have a career-long commitment to the Cleveland franchise. Look, it's painfully obvious you're a Cavs fan over and above being a LeBron fan. No sweat, I get it. You, and many others, obviously find yourselves leaning toward the Cavs' interests as opposed to LeBron's interests. Again, no sweat, I get it. Just be self-aware enough to recognize that's what you're doing while at the same time realize LeBron's loyalty is to his hometown, not the Cleveland Cavaliers. As a Cavs fan, you can be mad @ LeBron. But only Akronites can call him their favorite son. Clevelanders have no right to that. And LeBron made that abundantly clear last night. Since repetition is the mother of learning, let's all repeat this simple fact again: Akron is not Cleveland, and Cleveland is not Akron. Keep bringing home MVP's, LBJ!

The only way? So, if LeBron decides for any reason that Miami is a nicer place to live on a permanent basis, it would be Akronites' fault for not giving him enough unconditional worship to keep him here? That's a pretty heavy guilt trip to try to lay on the people of Akron, and I doubt that many will buy into it. Let's be honest here. None of us really knows what's going to happen next. LeBron could remain loyal to Akron until the day he dies, or he could discover that Miami is his true hometown and ditch Akron completely, or anything in between. But it's all up to LeBron, not to us. He's no longer a physically precocious kid. He's an adult who is responsible for his own actions, good, bad or indifferent. Exactly. Who really knows the future. We can only go by what's happened in the past. And if LeBron stays true to what he's done in the past, he's not dissing Akron. Heck, he really only lives here for 3 months out of the year anyhow. The rest of the year he's in hotel rooms. Precedent dictates he's staying in Akron. Of course, tomorrow he may decide to build a lunar module and orbit the planet in the off season. Who really knows for sure? Nobody. But that's precisely why we've got to base most of our assumptions on past experience.

Yes, and no. More than 90% or NBA fans that live in Akron are Cavs fans. He pooped on Cavs fans last night on national tv. That hurt/dissed a lot of people that live in Akron. The one thing I can say about LBJ, he has said "Akron" so much in the media that most of the media people are repeating it. I think most people around the country realize he's from Akron and not Cleveland. I'm not sure that really helps anything though. Maybe if the University builds a South Beach branch. How could "most" people around the country recognize that he is from Akron, when sports media people all over the country often fail to make this distinction? And don't believe for a second that Cleveland has not tried really, really hard over these last 7 seasons to convince sports fans all over the country that Akron is really just a Cleveland "suburb". AMEN! Continue to fight the power, skip-zip!

I'm sure there are plenty of folks who have some "slightly wet" land in South Florida they can sell you cheap so you can move down there with your AKRON hero. LeBron SAYS he's loyal to Akron, but his actions don't support his words. Other than holding events and getting us Nike uniforms, what has LeBron done for UA or Akron? Did he say anything on his callous special last night about appreciating the support of fans in Akron? How does Dwayne Wade's b*tch help Akron by winning an NBA Championship with Wade and Bosch. The focus won't even be on LeBron, and Akron will never be mentioned. "Other than holding events..." Okay, it's now obvious that he'll never do enough in your eyes. It's simply a fact that he's brought the city and university unprecedented exposure. Heck, Google's probably hotter with "Akron" right now than with "Paris," "London," or "New York." Additionally, the only way LeBron leaves Akron on a permanent basis is if Akronites drive him out because they wish they were from Cleveland. LeBron's proud to be from Akron. Are we? There seems as if there will be a line drawn between Cleveland Cavs fans and LeBron fans. Many Akronites are Cleveland Cavs fans. We'll see where the stronger loyalty lies. It's an easy and clear distinction for me; I'm not a Cleveland Cavs fan. If they were the Akron Cavs, that'd be another story. LeBron, on the other hand, is actually from our city. Why should I care where he gets paid to play professional ball? Ironically (and, like much irony, this may seem counter-intuitive), LeBron's actually done the Akron area a favor in that he has now drawn the proverbial line in the sand. It's about time someone from Akron did. He has now made the deliniation quite clear: Where does our loyalty reside? How do we view ourselves? As the Akron area, or as a suburb of Cleveland? If Akron turns on LeBron in favor of Cleveland, I think I'll be crushed and probably give up hope of our fair city ever truly having an identity in, and of, ourselves.

Yes, and no. More than 90% or NBA fans that live in Akron are Cavs fans. He pooped on Cavs fans last night on national tv. That hurt/dissed a lot of people that live in Akron. The one thing I can say about LBJ, he has said "Akron" so much in the media that most of the media people are repeating it. I think most people around the country realize he's from Akron and not Cleveland. I'm not sure that really helps anything though. Maybe if the University builds a South Beach branch. Very true - have you EVER heard "Akron, Akron, Akron" repeated so often on a national scale?! It's unprecedented and fantastic. Plus, this is easier for me to take because I'm a zealous/jealous Zips fan who gets ticked off @ the ABJ for covering Cleveland's teams more so than our own hometown university's teams & ticked @ the Cleveland television media for ABSOLUTELY ignoring UA. I'm a truly happy camper this a.m. Again, I maintain, we must keep our identity clear in our minds - as LeBron has always done. We're not Clevelanders. We're Akronites. Screw the "regionalism" bull sh!t. Cleveland is only concerned with "regionalism" when it benefits them ("Cleveland+", what a fricking joke). Otherwise, they'd prefer that Akron not exist. Burn, Cleveland, burn. You go, 'Bron-'Bron! Akron's got your back.

Akron is a hill I'd die on, so I'm gonna fight for our hometown boy. But I do think LBJ could have handled the situation a bit better by letting the media know ahead of time that Cleveland was not going to be one of the final teams in the running for his services.

I might be inclined to believe that this is a possiblity, if it wasn't for the fact that he continues to emphatically declare his loyalty to Akron as his hometown over, and over, and over again when he's making public appearances, accepting awards, etc. At the very least, I think it's awfully premature to believe that he's only loyal to himself when all he's done here is decide to play for one NBA franchise instead of another. And NEITHER of these two franchises are located in his hometown. Amen, well said. That's the distinction that needs to be seen (and felt.) Obviously, the Cleveland media will fight to the death to blur that distinction (because, when it benefits them, they want to claim everything-Akron for themselves) and, unfortunately, our own ABJ has failed to make this critical distinction (because they've been Cleveland whores for decades now.) My greatest fear is that most Akron-area folk won't be free-thinking enough, to see through & not be swayed by the media's sensationalism. I'm afraid our own ABJ, instead of sticking up for LBJ, will actually try to turn LBJ into a "bad-buy-professional-wrestler" type of caricature. Hence today's ABJ headline (notice the lack of distinction) "Homewrecker."

Of course, there's no way of knowing, with certainty, what the future holds. All we can know and go on is the past. And, in LBJ's case, this shows us that while he's never once claimed loyalty to or affinity for the city 40 miles north, he has again and again and again both claimed and proved loyal to and love of his hometown. Now, honestly, the way some people (i.e., ABJ - who cares what Clevelanders think or feel) are reacting this a.m., I'm afraid we're going to actually drive him away from Akron. It would probably have been better if he was never drafted by the Cleveland team. I've seen this idea tossed out in the media, and we'd better be intelligent enough not to buy it - that LeBron is like Art Modell. We in Akron had better not treat OUR hometown MVP like Cleveland and Art Modell. If we do, we'll almost certainly drive him out. What a meaningless yet profound self-inflicted wound that would be. I'm an Akron fan. I'm a LeBron fan (and a fan of anyone else or corporation from our fair city.) I'm gonna stay true to LBJ as long as he stays true to us. He hasn't done ANYTHING to diss Akron. Due to our almost absolute lack of Akron media and saturation of Cleveland media(which is an unspeakably powerful influence), we've got to fight to keep the distinction between Akron and Cleveland clear in our minds.

The AKRON Beacon headlines are disgraceful this a.m. The fact that they themselves loathe the fact that they're from Akron and not Cleveland has rubbed me the wrong way for years. This finally may cause me to cancel my subscription. LeBron has been and will always be loyal to Akron. He's NEVER ONCE said that about Cleveland. Cleveland was simply his job. He moved to a better professional position. It has nothing to do with Akron. He's still gonna live here and be from here. I hate Ohio State because I'm an Akron fan. I hate the pub the ABJ gives that out-of-town universtiy. Now I can go back to hating the Cavs (just like I hate the Browns & OSU) because our ABJ will continue to give them more pub than our university. I hate Cleveland State too. I'm glad LeBron - our AKRON boy - is taking his professional talents to South Beach. Now Cleveland & the Cavs can go back to sucking. Go Zips! Go 'Bron! Go Akron! Hey, go Aeros & Racers too! Lol. Burn, Cleveland, burn! Akron's not Cleveland and Cleveland's not Akron. Can I buy a Heat #6 James jersey yet?!

I agree. And how amazing is it that the man who's done this is from Akron? Unbelievable. Dan Gilbert, a professional? What a dildo. LeBron just played America's NATIONAL media for a week! Crazy! Go Zips! Go Akron! Go 'Bron-'Bron!

Just as I said this morning in my agreement to your post...this would not end at 10 pm. This will go on and on and on. Take comfort, GP1, in that you are a Steelers fan...I know you've had to deal with the Roethlesberger crap, but LeBron's announcement has now become "The Decision" so that they could dredge up "The Fumble", "The Drive", yada, yada, yada...forever and ever! F LeBron and F anything with which LeBron is associated! LeBron can say his heart is in Akron/NEO, but that is BullSH*T! If that were true, he would understand the ramifications of making such a huge spectacle on national television of crapping on NE Ohio. Again, this misguided sentiment couldn't be more off the mark. LeBron's repeated ad nauseum that he loves AKRON and is from AKRON and is loyal to AKRON and lives in AKRON and does everything for AKRON. He's never ONCE said he's loyal to Cleveland. He knows where he's from. I thought this was an AKRON board.

Try living in NEO right now. The Cleveland media won't shut up. With the exception of Brad Sellers these guys are driving me insane. P.S. Some guy at a bar in Lakewood was holding a sign that read "Take Akron with you". Actually, I like that sign. A LOT! Clevelanders can say screw Akron and we can say screw Cleveland. We need to quit acting like Cleveland's little brother and only finding our identity in what our big brother up the street is doing. Screw that and screw Cleveland. The Cavs are gonna SUCK and I'm not gonna care because I'm from Akron. Akron should now be South Beach North. Our hometown boy's loyal to us and we're gonna be loyal to him. Cleveland can burn. Win some championships in South Beach LBJ & bring home some more MVP's.

People are so stupid. From the article: "The fans also are free to wonder what happened to the guy who accepted his first MVP award at his old St. Vincent-St. Mary gym, the next at the University of Akron -- and both times, talking so warmly and sincerely about being at home." Umm, hey douche-bag, he is at home @ St. V & @ UA & anywhere in Akron. What's that have to do with Cleveland at all? Answer: it doesn't. Our Akron boy is free to play professionally where ever he wants. Especially considering Akron doesn't have an NBA franchise. Rot in hell, Cleveland. Be gone to the cellar, Cavs. Our Akron boy's gonna be playing for championships in South Beach! And living in Akron.

Good to have you, Greggymann! Welcome to the 'Nation.

One of the more exciting players we've seen in blue & gold over the last 10 years.

Amen, Zen, and spot on! I've got no closet jealousy toward The King. I'm loving every nano-second of NATIONAL sports media saying "AKRON, AKRON, AKRON!" You go, LBJ! Don't let the little jealous serfs get you down. Now Cleveland, on the other hand? Well they can go burn in h#ll every time they say that LeBron is their "hometown" player. Screw you Cleveland, LeBron's from Akron. I hope LBJ joins D-Wade & C-Bosh in Miami while Cleveland averages about 3,000-per-game next year as they win maybe 5 games, & LeBron continues to give his now customary props to his hometown of Akron as he wins an NBA championship and another league MVP, while afterwards we hold a championship party for LeBron in Akron - where LeBron will always continue to live in the off-season. Everyone repeat after me, "I am not from Cleveland. I am from Akron. Go smolder in h#ll, Cleveland." I thought this was an Akron board.

I hope he plays professionally anywhere other than Cleveland. He doesn't play for the "hometown" team as it is - he doesn't play for the Akron Cavaliers. I'm from Akron. So is LeBron. Screw Cleveland. It's real simple people. In spite of how the Cleveland media has brainwashed you, Akron is not Cleveland and Cleveland is not Akron. Burn in hell, Cleveland.

That's hilarious! Chris has to keep his women in check!

The entire idea is fundamentally flawed. It's real simple in LeBron's mind - he is not from Cleveland; he is from Akron. Amen, LeBron. LBJ has repeated and repeated and repeated, ad nauseam, his loyalty to the city of Akron. LBJ has NEVER ONCE expressed loyalty to Cleveland. He knows where he's from. He wasn't drafted by his "hometown team," i.e., he wasn't drafted by the Akron Cavaliers; he was drafted by the Cleveland Cavaliers. He has no more loyalty to Cleveland than he does to any other city with an NBA franchise. Lord have mercy, why can't even the Beacon Journal figure that simple equation out? Go win championships, LeBron. Keep bringing MVP trophies home to Akron.

Source? Scout forums. It would be advantageous to ZN readers if you would type...."Scout forums (include link here) suggests that (players name here) might be transferring to Akron" Scout forums (link included here) suggests that (Oren Wilson) might be transferring to Akron. He was in trouble with the law? What did he do? The above link suggests his teammates were upset w/ him?