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Like I said, Here's the whole story of the USL A League and NASL.

That's the beauty of amateur sports, it only takes a couple hundred tickets sold to break even. Right now there are semi-pro football teams in Akron and Cleveland that have been around a good amount of time. The USL is still there, what happened with the A Leauge was, I'll try to give an abridged version and forget half of it, the USL was sold and that didn't make a lot of people happy. The (new) NASL was formed and a bunch of A League teams left the ASL and moved to the NASL. That brought about lawsuits for breach of contract. They both applied for Division 2 status with USSF, they had enough of the fighting and formed their own league, with a USL Division and a NASL Division. We'll see what happens after this season... Anyway, as far as venues, there are still a couple of nice sized high school football stadiums that haven't been covered in plastic. Wadsworth for one. It has top notch facilities also (locker rooms, concessions, merchandise) . Don't know if that's possible, but it's an example of what could be done. If the U wasn't willing to host an amateur team. Like CSU rents their stadium to the Stars.

There are groups who want to establish a D3 team in Cleveland but were unable to get it done in time for this season. The two Cleveland D3 teams (the Whitecaps or just Caps and the City Stars) were both successful especially at the box office. Until the USL ruined them. They screwed up the Caps by not letting them play on turf, so they bounced around to different HS stadiums and attendance dropped. The City Stars were screwed by the USL "encouraging" them to move up to the A League before they were ready. Cleveland can sustain a D3 team, if the USL leaves it the heck alone. I have wondered why Akron can't have a PDL team made up mostly of UA players. As far as PDL markets go, Akron should be a separate market. The Internationals have a very big multi-tiered organization with the PDL team the top rung. The Akron team I envision would be made up of college players from UA and surrounding schools. And they would have theirown fan bases. But I doubt the league would see it that way. And even if so (putting a lot more faith in the USL management than I have) the Internationals probably have territorial rights anyway.

Great article: eBron's big move? Been there Scoop Jackson ESPN.com July 10, 2010 Now that it's all over, maybe we can return to some semblance of reality. To help us get there, and before LeBron James becomes Public Enemy No. 2 in the next SportsNation poll -- which seems to be happening in the aftermath of "The Decision" -- let's clear up a few things. It should send us on our way back to our normal existence. One: This has been done before in other sports. (And no one had a problem with it.) Two: We've seen this happen before in the NBA. (And no one had a problem with it.) Three: Michael Jordan might have done the exact same thing. (But we'll never know.) When Alex Rodriguez was playing in Texas (or, for that matter, in Seattle), he was considered the best player in baseball. He was very much the LeBron James of his game. He had lived up to and surpassed expectations. Still, he eventually realized he couldn't do solo all the things he wanted to get done, so he went to a team that wasn't his. He went to a place where he wouldn't be "The Man," at least not at first. He "took his talents" to New York. He became a Yankee, on Derek Jeter's team. So the question is this: What's the difference with LeBron? Where is the profound difference between what A-Rod did in 2004 and what LeBron did Thursday night? Here's the answer: Other than LeBron's personal connection to the city he left, nothing. Again, this has been done before. In 1982, Moses Malone was considered by many to be the best player in basketball, certainly one of the best of his generation, and he was still in his prime. But just after he collected the second of his three MVP awards and only one year removed from playing in the NBA Finals with the Houston Rockets, he became a restricted free agent. With his team apparently regressing (the Rockets went from their Finals appearance in '81 to out in the first round the next season), Moses decided to leave Houston and go play for the Philadelphia 76ers, a team that already had one of the other best players in the game and of his generation. A guy named Julius Erving. See where this is going? Dwyane Wade is Dr. J, LeBron is Moses and Chris Bosh is Andrew Toney in this analogy. The Sixers went on to win the chip the season Moses joined them, going down in history as one of the greatest teams of all time. And no one said anything about damage to Malone's legacy. Again, we've seen this happen before. Too many times since Thursday night, I've heard people express some form of the following sentiment about LeBron: Real ballers don't join the best; they try to beat the best. More than that, I've heard people (including on "SportsCenter") use MJ as an analogy, suggesting that LeBron just did what MJ would have never done: leave the Bulls back in the day to play for the Pistons because, at least before 1990, he couldn't beat Detroit. They're calling LeBron's decision a "punk" move. That notion needs to be squashed right here. Fact is, Jordan never had the opportunity to test the free-agent market the way LeBron did. Jordan signed his rookie contract, then, three years into it, the Bulls put an eight-year, $25 million deal on the table that he signed and rode out until well after he'd been stacking rings on his fingers. Bottom line: Jordan was never in the same position LeBron was. Never. And if MJ's long career in Chicago is going to be used to make a point about LeBron's decision to leave Cleveland, that not-so-little factor can't be ignored. We'll never really know. So before anybody else goes all Dan Gilbert on LeBron, take all that into consideration. And we can carry on with our lives. Scoop Jackson is a columnist for ESPN.com.

Nobody thinks everybody hates LeBron. But if you're trying to boost the program's image, build the program, do you reallt want to be attached to someone so polarizing? The program is hurting for attendance and media attention, do you want to put it on an island? Alienate some of the fans it has now? Showing pride in the local boy and giving Cleveland the finger is great, but does it make good business sense?

A good salesman always has an angle. I hate salesmen...

Those banners are only there for his skills camp held there earlier this week. I don't think he's anymore or any less an attention grab than 80% of the NBA. That includes players AND teams. However, his business decisions (and the way his posse went about announcing it) has left a bad taste in most of NE Ohio. Whether he's any more or less a playa than the majority of the NBA players, doesn't matter. We don't need that publicity. If you're trying to build something positive, stay away from LeBron James. It's a bad business move. It's a horrible PR move. Use the book store profits (like all the other programs), the medical books I have to buy this year should cover it, and buy the stuff tyourself. No Nike slash. No #23 or #6. No recollection of KD ever knowing the kid. Nothing personal. Just a good business decision.

I listened to the Indians game last night at work, and Andy Sonnanstein got in the game. Andy's from Wadsworth. I've been a Tribe fan since 1976, started watching them when the GM was kicking in money out of his pocket to make payroll sometimes. Been through the bad, the worse, the worst, and the downright ugly. And the good. Anyway, while he was pitching, I was really hoping he would strike out the side with nine pitches. Yes the Tribe is my team, but Andy, he's from here. Maybe within 3 miles of my house. I hoped the Tribe would win, but I hoped even more than Andy would torch the Tribe hitters, for those innings he was in. It didn't happen and he got lit up. Which made me upset. But I started thinking, I don't know anything about him. His personality might clash with mine worse than LeBron's does. Long story short, by the time the season starts, I'll have my LeBron Heat jersey on unless they're playing the Cavs. Then I'll be in that twisted mode of hoping they both do well. Yeah, I know. I'm not right. Never claimed to be.

Here's what he did for Akron. He stayed true to his word, held his skills camp on campus, and didn't let anyone leak a word about his decision until it was over. He was a professional during the camp, by all accounts, and spared Akron and the U a tremendous amount of C-town hatred if he announced it before or during the camp. It couldn't have continued. There would have been a riot. C-town can rip him apart for taking so long to decide, for doing it in ESPN's back yard, if you look at it, he spared us. Can you imagine the riot if word had leaked during the camp? Can you imagine the riot if he announced it in Cleveland? (Come to think of it, a good riot in most parts of Cleveland would actually be considered "urban renewal"). He had Akron's back. He's not the first high profile free agent to go somewhere else, heck look at the Yankee's roster. He's not the first person to leave "home" (cough cough) for greener pastures. He's just the first to bruise Gilbert's ego. Like Goldhammer said, guys in their 20's LEAVE CLEVELAND. It happens every day. Sorry Dan. Love what you're trying to do with the Cavs. Love the casino. But you made yourself look like an

I don't think he quit. I think he lost his faith in this team, the coach, and his teammates. Brownie was destroying the match-ups, Mo was here today gone tomorrow, Jamison was suppose to be "Robin" but couldn't hit the side of a barn, Delonte was his usual psychotic self. It all seemed to turn around when his good friend Z got in the game, made a monster block, the crowd went wild, and Brownie got mad and benched him. Bron was spitting nails. After that, series over. He figured right then he couldn't even carry the team himself with Brown making the adjustments. And that probably sealed the Cav's last chance to resign him. Think about it. Pat Riley's protege? Or Mike Brown sitting Shaq with 3 fouls all night, and Z getting benched for "showing up" the coach? Wade and Bosh? or Mo and Delonte? 80' winters, or 80 inches of snow?

There are a lot of strong feelings out there right now, and rightfully so. Things may look a lot different in four months when the season starts, or nine months when the games matter that much. I'll see how I feel then. Until then, back to Akron Zips football and soccer.

I was all ready to stick with him. But the past month or so, he made TO and Ochocinco combined look like choir boys. He really turned me off with his showmanship, self importance, I just don't care for him anymore. What I consider him, can't be said here. "The King" "The Chosen One" "The Greatest of All Time". Get over yourself. I don't care where he's from, or what he does for charity, it doesn't fix this. Maybe maturity will... And I don't want TO or Ocho on the Browns either...

That doesn't make anything he said about LeBron wrong. Hopefully we have all learned from this.

You know what, I had class at the JAR this morning. After class I walked through the first floor to the front. Looked at the arena. That's where the REAL heroes play. Not the ones with multi-million dollar contracts. Not the ones who quit in the big games and everyone makes excuses for them. I looked up and saw his banners hanging down for his skills camp. Thought about the Nike billboard in Cleveland. That's all he's about. Maybe one day he'll grow up.

The morning after and I still agree with everything he said. Maybe it'll hurt us in getting free agents to come here. Who knows. It's not like Cleveland ever was a free agent destination anyway, especially for winter sports. I'm glad we have an owner who shows his emotions. I'm glad he stood up for us. I'll be there when the ticket office opens.

I frequent a couple Cleveland sports forums and take more crap for standing up for Akron and the U than anybody else. And that will never change. LeBron doesn't represent Akron. He represents Hollywood. LeBron doesn't represent blue collar, hard work to get it done. He represents the easy way out. LeBron doesn't represent team. He represents quitting. He represents making a fool out of all of us on national TV. He represents his brand. If you guys still love him, I won't think less of you. But he no longer has my respect. He no longer represents me. I am not going to kiss his butt and defend him anymore just because he's from Akron. There are a lot of famous people from Akron. Not all were for doing something positive...

So after being born and raised on the Browns, Indians, Cavaliers, and 44 years of living and dying with them, I'm suppose to just turn my back on them for some selfish, attention hound, prima donna like we've never seen before who turns his back on NE Ohio fans who have kissed his butt for years? He can play that "I'm from Akron" card all he wants, I personally don't care. He turned me off with this three year circus, building up to a one hour special to crap on Cleveland fans on national TV. Just because you're from Akron doesn't mean I have to like you...

I agree with every word he said. I don't care where he's from. If you're a tool bag, you're a tool bag. I'm done with him. I'm ashamed to say he's from Akron. Don't come back. He quit in the playoffs, changed his whole attitude, he'll never take a team to the championship. He needs to jump on DWade's coat tails to win. Just another player who couldn't get it done in the playoffs. No better than CC or Jose or anyone else who chokes on the big one.

Screw this. I aint even watching. I'm watching the Tribe, they'll tell me what the jerk decides. LeBron who?

He's tainted his legacy with this whole media whore circus. I'm changing my mind listening to the national media and local fans. If he leaves, don't let the door hit you in the butt on the way out. Jersey burning party on campus?

I'll follow him wherever he goes. If he leaves I'll still watch the Cavs team, but LBJ will still be my player.

Not many homes down there have phone service, and the ones that do, these forums take a long time to load with dialup through AOL...

The church my son attends has a bunch of Akron Aeros tickets for 7/5 7:05 against Trenton. They're a buck, and it's also Dollar Dog night. If interested let me know and I'll get you his info.

In my defense I've heard a LOT of soccer haters this past month (and more than a few last fall during the Zip's run), and sometimes you can't determine who is the "Soccer is boring. They're all gay" and the "I could really get into this if..." If I offended anyone I apologize. So besides the shootout, how can you change the game without completely changing it, and making it completely different from what the rest of the world plays? Without alienating the hard core soccer fan? Basketball can use a shorter shot clock and encourage an aerial game without changing the basics. 5 players, 10' rim height, 15' foul lines. Baseball can lower the mound, toss pitchers who throw inside, build stadiums with shorter outfields, without changing the basics. The NHL's changes didn't screw with the game so much that the players couldn't go to the olympics and adjust. Do we even need to change the rules? What about a minimum width field? IIRC the NASL had to do that in many stadiums. Especially Fenway Park (I remember when one player disappeared. The corner of the field was right at the outfield wall. He opened a door as went inside to get a run for a corner kick. The door closed behind him and he couldn't open it from the inside. It was several minutes before anyone figured out where he was. The good old days of American soccer!!!!) Would that give more scoring chances?

I was being sarcastic about another thread. If you scroll back a few months I was the biggest advocate of the soccer program getting a new stadium. I won't go into the whole schpeal again about not being able to get a ticket on Tuesday afternoon for a Saturday game, well-to-do soccer fans sitting in the mud, the port-a-jon, as it's all moot now, those problems are being addressed. I applaud the U. It's fun to be on campus watching the progress of the construction. I can't wait for the season to start!!!