No Hater Zone

     When Lebron James made his epic laugher slash middle finger, "The Decision," the sporting world seemingly split between haters and defenders.  Fans were quick to point out that James was well within his rights to leave Cleveland as a free agent, and the so called, "haters," who were calling for loyalty, respect and good taste, were deemed too "emotional." It just seemed like the two sides were constantly fighting with neither side getting the real point.  I weighed in on it, with one of my favorite articles , but I think mine didn't get the real point across either. 

     The Whore of Akron, written by Esquire writer, Scott Raab, does the best job by far.  Written throughout the year after James moved to the Miami Heat, Raab brings out a more complete picture of Cleveland's view of things.  He weighs in on the whole brouhaha, laying in facts, interspersed with his own commentary and coupling them with his own personal and family life.  Looking at the title, it would seem to be nothing but a novelized version of Anti-Lebron rants, but even if I'm a self-confessed Lebron "disliker," I was very glad to discover that it wasn't.  



     Raab, by his accounts on Cleveland pro sports history and his own as a fan, creates an encompassing picture of Cleveland's tragic relationship with pro sports.  Experiencing only one pro sports championship combined since 1964, the fan base has been hurt with heart-breaking close calls with the Cleveland Browns, the Cleveland Indians and the Cleveland Cavaliers.  Despite all that, the fans have remained steadfastly loyal and enviably passionate.  Of particular interest is the story how thousands trooped to lay an offering of coins on the grave of former Cleveland baseball player Ray Chapman, in hopes for a Cleveland victory. 

     It then became a significant moment for the city and the state when Lebron James, high school phenom, a local boy from Akron, was drafted into the Cavaliers and later developed into what Raab himself called the greatest basketball player in the NBA.  Raab's accounts tell of the excitement of a city so passionate, so desperate for a win that James, leaving was truly a treacherous act.  It wasn't simply a business-like free agent transaction; it was for all intents and purposes, a dagger plunged into the already bleeding heart of a hurting state. Lebron, an Akron native, one who promised to win one for his hometown, should know better than anyone.


     By far the most interesting part of the book, though, apart from the insider info brought about by Raab's constant attempts to cover Heat games and being rejected, is how much it added to the hurt that James chose Miami.  It was particularly bitter for devoted Cleveland fans like Raab himself, to see James leave to play for a city who couldn't care less.  Raab accounts for how even Heat season ticket holders would regularly sell tickets for cheap, how the American Airlines Arena would be barely filled by the end of the first half, and how the Heat produced copies of programs with detailed instructions on how to cheer for the team and the prizes to be given if they did.  For a city that provided parades, video tributes and thousands of letters and messages, it didn't seem to make sense for James to go to a place like that. 

     In an internet world where everyone pretends to be objective when they are clearly not, James' decision to leave his hometown was unfortunately defended better by his fans and apologists. Until now.  The Whore of Akron might not go down as the greatest piece of literature in history, but the book is a must read for any sports fan.  It doesn't rant on a supremely talented athlete who promised his hometown a championship and then left to play for a stronger team.  Raab tells the story of a state, much maligned by the economy and by the country and the hurt it felt when their favorite son, the best hope for glory and unity in sports since 1964, took his talents to South Beach.


photos courtesy of whoreofakron.com and sports.yahoo.com