Has any of the recent hullabaloo surrounding LeBron James looked familiar to you?
Admittedly, an unprecedented event can only look so familiar, and this circus has certainly been unprecedented.
In that regard, it has been interesting to watch the sports writers and talkers simultaneously participate in and critique this whole charade. When James was just the most sought of the various free agents, they willingly and cheerfully wrote and talked about him. They happily joined the speculation and the debate. But then, in the past few days, something turned. When James began to exalt himself so conspicuously above the others, however – indeed, above community, team, and sport – the attitude about him began to sour. It will be interesting to see if that bad taste remains in many mouths.
Jack McCallum of SI.com chided James for the spectacle (LeBron James TV Spectacle).
J.J. Adande of ESPN also criticized him (LeBron's Television Special).
And Adrian Wojarnowski absolutely skewered him at Yahoo Sports (State of LeBron).
All of this was written prior to James’ announcement. The fact that he ended up making a one-hour, nationally-televised special out of leaving his hometown will likely intensify and cement some of that critique.
The question for Packer fans, however, is how James’ narcissism compares with Favre’s. Both have tortured their teams and fans with prolonged indecision. Both have allowed (positioned?) themselves to be the center of disproportionate attention. Both seem to have exalted self above team. And both have left people feeling betrayed in their wake.
I don’t know who is worse. I think James (though I reserve the right to feel differently once I see Brett in purple again). Whatever the case, I come at least to this conclusion: the more popular and beloved you are, the worse your fits of selfishness look.
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