Vincent Thomas argues that there’s some black protectionism going on with LeBron.
You’ve probably heard about his plummeting Q rating (the industry standard for measuring an athlete’s familiarity and appeal). According to The Q Scores Co., for non-blacks, LeBron’s positive Q rating went from 18 percent in January to 10 percent in September and, more telling, his negative Q rating went from 24 percent to 44. Nearly half of the non-blacks in this country don’t like the dude. Meanwhile, LeBron’s positive Q rating among blacks went from 52 percent in January to 39 — a noticeable drop — but his negative Q rating barely budged, going from 14 percent to 15. Among African-Americans, says The Q Scores Co. executive vice president Henry Schafer, the shift in opinion was mostly to neutral.
The general, expressed sentiment of African-Americans has been, “I may not have agreed with how LeBron carried the whole free-agency thing, but I’m not gonna hate the man.” The more America shuns LeBron, the more Black America retreats to his corner. In fact, as America hates LeBron more and more, Black America’s collective hug embraces LeBron tighter and tighter. It’s called black protectionism.
Athletes have always been inspirational figures within the black community and — as far back as Jack Johnson, Jesse Owens and Jackie Robinson — often have taken the public racial hit for the team. So, naturally, through the years, they’ve engendered an almost automatic protectionism response whenever America — whether justifiably or not — decides it wants to hate them.You saw it with Hank Aaron. You saw it with Barry Bonds. You saw it with Allen Iverson. You saw it with Michael Vick. You’re seeing it now with LeBron James. There are plenty of black folks who want LeBron to drop 60 on the Cavs when he visits Cleveland and wouldn’t mind the maligned Heat winning a championship.
As a white man who has never particularly liked LeBron the person or the player, I can honestly say that I don’t dislike him any more now that he’s decided to ‘take his talents to South Beach.’ He had every right to choose to play with a different team and, unlike most NBA fans, I don’t hold it against him that he decided to join forces with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh in Miami. Was he disloyal to the fans in Cleveland? Sure, but that wasn’t any surprise after hearing about how much of a front-running fan he was as a kid — rooting for the Cowboys, Bulls and Yankees — and how he’d hobnob on the Cowboy sidelines when they played the Browns or how he’d wear his Yankee hat to an Indians game.
First and foremost, LeBron is a fan of himself, and that was what “The Decision” was all about. It was a horrible lapse in judgment and the majority of the jump in his negative Q rating can be attributed to how he chose his new team in early July, not that he chose a new team.
As for the Miami Heat, I don’t know if I’ll be rooting for or against them, or if the truth will lie somewhere in between. I can tell you this — I’d rather see the Heat win a title in 2011 than see Kobe get his sixth ring, so to me, the Lakers are still far more annoying. If nothing else, it will be fascinating to watch LeBron, Wade and Bosh navigate the season and each other, and I’m looking forward to potential playoff battles with the Celtics, Magic and Bulls.
But back to LeBron — I don’t like the guy because he’s an egomaniac, he doesn’t do enough in the offseason to improve his game, he hasn’t developed a go-to post move because he thinks it’s “boring” to play on the block, he settles for jumpers far too often and he complains too much to the officials. Generally speaking, I don’t think he’s done enough with the innate talent that he’s been given, and that’s saying something considering the guy has back-to-back MVPs, six All-Star nods and six All-NBA appearances under his belt.
He has the physical ability to be the greatest basketball player ever to play the game, but he’ll never reach that level because he refuses to work on those areas of his game that give him trouble. That’s why I have a problem with the guy — and it has nothing to do with the color of his skin or his decision to take his talents to South Beach.
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Posted in: Fantasy Basketball, NBA
Tags: 2010-11 NBA season, Chris Bosh, Cleveland Cavaliers, Dwyane Wade, LeBron James, Miami Heat, Summer of 2010
First you are wrong about this made up concept of black protectionism. You said that his positive Q went down and his negative Q remained relatively the same so how does that in any way show signs of protection. Secondly you are a hater, by this i am refering to your comment about not wanting kobe to get his 6th ring. Unless the guy is your opponent, why not want a winner to win? I know why, because you’re a hater. Third to say Lebron hasn’t done enough with his innate talent is an overstatement, judging by all of the accolades that he has received in his years in the NBA and the statistics that he has put up, some of which have never been seen like all time scorer in Cleveland history, clearly illustrates that he has done plenty.
I will say that Lebron did handle the move to miami very poorly and for that he should be ashamed, but thats where it ends. We just have to wait to see what he does this season and judge him on that.
“First you are wrong about this made up concept of black protectionism. You said that his positive Q went down and his negative Q remained relatively the same so how does that in any way show signs of protection.”
It shows that while fewer black people LIKE LeBron, there was no increase of DISLIKE amongst black people. This was not the case amongst white people. And black protectionism, made up or not, was introduced by the original author, Vincent Thomas, not me.
“Unless the guy is your opponent, why not want a winner to win?”
I’m not allowed to have a rooting interest against a player (and/or team) that I don’t like? Even the wacky defnitions of hater over at Urban Dictionary don’t go that far. Kobe is a great player, but that doesn’t mean I have to root for him.
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=hater
“Third to say Lebron hasn’t done enough with his innate talent is an overstatement, judging by all of the accolades that he has received in his years in the NBA and the statistics that he has put up…”
Do we only go by statistics and individual accolades now? Are you willing to admit that LeBron is the most physically gifted wing player ever to play the game? He’s bigger than Jordan, he’s faster than Jordan, he can jump higher than Jordan and he’s stronger than Jordan. Yet he’s not the player that Jordan was because he doesn’t have the work ethic that MJ had. Every summer, Jordan would come back with a new weapon in his arsenal. LeBron’s three-point jumper is still sketchy, his midrange game is mediocre and he doesn’t have a post game. He has all the individual accolades but no rings. His work ethic pales in comparison to Kobe’s, much less Jordan’s.
Couldn’t agree with you more about the front-runner comment. I was mostly indifferent to Lebron until the whole Yankees/Cowboys/Bulls fan from Akron, Ohio thing came up. Really that’s enough to sour my opinion of a person.
it just always seems like white america is just waiting for any reason to switch and hate an african-american athlete. brett favre holds the vikings for hostage every year but not the level of scorn i see for lebron! people defend roger clemens when it certainly looks like he used ped’s. can an mba player do anything without mj’s name coming up and remember, they hated on mike too! how soon we forget!
As a Packer fan, it’s hard to quantify my dislike for Favre right now. It’s off the charts. As for Clemens, I think he’s a lying, delusional d-bag. The level of dislike for each of these guys is at an all-time high amongst white America, so I think your generalizations are off base.
LeBron (and Kobe) get compared to MJ because athletically, they compare. Like Mike, Kobe has refined his game over the years while LeBron has pretty much leveled off. He’s a great player, but he’s not as great as he could be.
Is it tied to race? YES. Don’t believe it? Case in point…#1 Brett Favre (current) #2 Pete Rose
Let’s face it. White America will never admit the superiority they feel they have over any black man. Whenever a black man stands up for what he believes, white america reacts as though he has forgot his place. You hate clemens, but he doesn’t get half the press Barry Bonds got.
Kobe got out of line, but he learned how to smile and keep his opinions to basketball and white america forgave him.
I don’t want to be a fanatic for any man or team. I enjoy watching Lebron play, and I hope and the Heat win for the next three years, just because most people don’t.
I think the Q score is based on a bunch of New York, New Jersy, Chicago, Clevland spurrned lovers.
Loyalty to Clevland? What loyalty has teams shown to players? Jordan couldn’t get a job in the Chicago club. Bird ain’t with the Celtics. Kareem can’t even sit on the bench. Who’s running the bulls? John Paxson (White America). You can deny it all you want with your 25 dollar words and proper english. But today you have read the truth. Stop lying to yourself.
Larry Bird is white but didn’t get a job with the Celtics. That pokes a hole in your Paxson (White America) argument. Sometimes players work for the teams that they played for and sometimes they don’t. Magic Johnson is a consultant with the Lakers, Allan Houston works for the Knicks, Alvin Williams coaches the Raptors, Aaron McKie coaches the Sixers, Joe Dumars runs the Pistons, Wes Unseld coaches the Wizards, Tyrone Corbin coaches the Jazz, Calbert Cheaney works for the Warriors…I could go on…
Did LeBron really “stand up for what he believes”? Or did he go on a huge ego trip culminating with an hour-long decision special where he ripped the heart out of his hometown on national television? Because I thought it was the latter.
You shouldn’t generalize about White America. It’s as uncool as white people generalizing about blacks.
Hate for Lebron James tied to the race for basketball supemacy not just in th NBA east, but the NBA as a whole, only matters if the team he’s now joined can successfully come together and beat the Boston Celtics, the Atlanta Hawks, Orlando, Toronto, and I guess, Cleveland. Yes, Cleveland. Milwaukee and now, New Jersey, is also posing a major threat in the race for eastern representation in the NBA finals because it has clearly come together as a team.
I just hate for Lebron James to finish second again to Kobe Bryant because his new team could not even win the race in his own division.
Carmelo Anthony and the Russian billionaire of basketball background are probably sitting back and preparing a strategy for easing into the race, and sneaking into the NBA finals while Miami figures out who gets the last shot.
One of the worst things one can do is hate a man because he performs a skill developed by a white man named Naismith in an era in which he, a black man, is playing eceptionally in a sport which was once most racist because professional teams were segregated and chose not to accept black players at all. Mr. Naismith would not “hate” Lebron James for his contribution to what has evolved into a national phenomenon—I think.
Lebron James is poular in both the black and white communities, and the only racist aspect of the NBA right now is the continued degradation and negative concentratio of of players’ faults and problems, and immense disregard for player contributions to society (now that racially, the league has a black majority). The league has also been racist in prejudicial selection of white players who have long been NCAA leaders, and fast cut. Is Duke University the only team that knows what a good white player is?
On the other hand, is Lebron James really hated for being a well managed, non exploited, mature Black person?
I have read different views, many of which concentrate on the absence of Black players who have made the NBA, moving on to the next level, and who have instead been kicked aside, cut, and always disregarded by a league which essenstially they made, with “highlights,” filled arenas/stadiums and mega contracts.
What I have not seen is any contribution from DAVID STERN, another Jew in control, promoting the positive contributions of the predominantly Black league’s Black players, and instead chooses to concentrate demonstrating his power and his ability to fine. That is not positive for NBA image, NBA players, the economically troubled communities in which many NBA teams exhists, and unequivocally for the positive contributions of NBA players past and present.
“Hate” is a strong word and emotion. And if hatred for Lebron James can bring Black representation in the NBA offices across the nation, and another NBA Championship trophy to the Heat in Miami, let it come. Right, Mr. Mourning?
WTF?!?! Why would race even be tied to this? Speaking as a Clevelander, this has everything to do with how he left. You do not hold teams hostage the way he did (and not just the Cavs). Everyone always says that this is a business. If that’s the case, then act with an ounce of professionalism. Give “notice” and allow the “business” that you have “worked” for to make preparations to fill your position and cover your work-load. Not to mention, that a true professional does not just quit when they know they are going to leave the company. You give them your all until you punch the clock on your last day. He did not and anyone who wants to deny that knows they are wrong. To make this about race is pathetic. It’s about common courtesy and being a professional…nothing more.
Dave — While I basically agree with you, the fact that you are a Clevelander takes you out of the equation since your anger is tied to the pain you feel. I think Thomas (and Henry Abbott at TrueHoop) are examining the hate for LeBron outside of Cleveland (and New York, and Chicago, and New Jersey, and Los Angeles) and are wondering if it’s tied to race. It makes sense for Cavs fans (or fans in the aformentioned cities) to dislike LeBron for shunning their teams, but it doesn’t explain why George in Nebraska liked him before but hates him now. He could dislike LeBron simply for the way that he left Cleveland, or there could be more involved. It depends on the person, I suppose.
I am reminded of a Black History class that I took in college where the professor, a Black man, wanted to demonstrate the phenomenon of Black protectionism. He stood In front of the predominantly Black class, and offered up this one statement, “You know that OJ Simpson is guilty.” The responses, and bizarre lengths that some of the students made to defend Simpson were truly amazing. A young woman who couldn’t have been more than five years old at the time of the trial was pleading with people to truly examine the evidence, followed by a testimonial that she had watched every minute of the trial. It was a strange day.
I am not a Lebron fan, as a Washington fan I have always viewed him as a front running braggart. I also do not fault him for going to Miami, although his method of announcement was poor to say the least. What I do question is his ability to lead a team to the most consequential victories, and to persevere through controversy. These are not issues of race, but maturity.
What is most interesting about the Black protectionism concept based on Q rating is that nobody Black or White is taking to the airwaves or the streets to defend him for his behavior with the decision special. There may not be animosity, but there is little to tout either.
I would not say that there is any racism tied into the hate for Lebron however as a black man it is still hard to understand how the top six athletes are all black. Its an answer I still don’t see answered on the blog. Sure you can dislike Lebron for his decision but to hate him more than a two time accused rapist is mind boggling. I do believe that the perception of him will change seeing how Micheal Vick is one of the top jersey sellers in the NFL after what he did. I do believe the media contributes to what happens because of the coverage of certain athletes. Being a heat fan, I feel people have the right to dislike or say what they may but is it really that serious. Let’s remember that this is just sports and Hate is a strong word or feeling lets direct it more to the real scum bag athletes in the world.
This is a tired pc driven obilgatory race article by John Paulsen written no doubt because the NBA season is about to start. I am not impressed with the shallow excuses and denial offered by Paulsen another white writer who does not have a clue apparently about the depth of racism in sports towards Black athletes and not just super stars or pro athletes.
White contempt for Blacks in sports existed long before Jackie Robinson broke the color line. I am sure Lebron can handle the garden variety racist bigots that come his way. What is just as lethal is the racism he will encounter from white sports writers in the MSM and arrogant nonsense like this hollow article from Paulsen.
As a Black fan and former athlete the reaction Leborn and other outspoken Black players get is what one expects in a nation with our ugly racist legacy..
Excuse me…John Paulsen?AAWOL?AnotherAngryOleWhiteLiar??Your subtle racism spilss over…u hate Kobe too….IT’S ALL TIED TO RACE ARE U STUPID..ALL Y’ALL NEED TO WAKE UP & SMELL THE FRICKIN COFFEE AND GET REAL TRUTHFUL W/ YOURSELVES…AS USUAL,YOU CONVERT YOUR WARPED REASONS TO HATE A BLACK MAN,ALWAYS PRECEDING IT WITH”ah I’m ok with him leaving but it’s ‘how’ he did..”what did he need, the white man’s or white fans’ permission??? YOUR EVIL & HATEFUL VENMON– we Black folks see oozing out all over the place.You just can’t control that underlying hateful rage can ya?
Greg/Sharon — I feel sorry for you. So tied up in your own issues with race that you can’t even comprehend what you’re reading. I like plenty of black players: Durant, Curry, Jennings, D-Wade, Howard, CP3, Boozer, Roy, D. Williams, just to name a few. Oh, and I’m proud to say I voted for Obama, so you’re barking up the wrong tree with this garbage.
Yes & No.
There are always white people who hate on blacks, and there are always Black people who hate on whites. Duh!
Stupid question. For me, I am done with Queenie & Z. Of course Z to a lesser degree. He was not the franchise, he never said it was us against them, this is not his hometown. He spent a decade here. He was traded away last year, he was not in the future plans of the Cavs.
So for me no. But when anger hits, do I use stereotypes about Queenie, that are just dredged up because of my rage – Yes. But, do I really mean them — No!
Regards
I think any logical person who reads what John wrote can clearly see that he’s not even close to being racist. NOT EVEN CLOSE.
Go back and read what he wrote, only this time, actually read and comprehend it. Then ask yourselves if he’s being racist.
Ask yourselves this too: If I’m black and I don’t like a white athlete, am I racist? If the answer is no and you still think John’s being a racist, then you’re a hypocrite. Because all John has said here is that he isn’t a fan of LeBron and it has everything to do with his game/actions and nothing to do with his race.
Try being more realistic and logical than angry.
Holy crap…I don’t know what those people are reading because I didn’t get any of that from this article. Sharon and Greg are the ones blinded by race, thinking that if a white man dislikes a black man, the only logical reason in their minds is it must be because of the color of his skin. Trying to inject racism where there is none. Hmmm…where have I witnessed that before? Oh yes…”Reverend” Jackson and “Reverend” Sharpton.
Gimme a break.
hmmm now what reason would black folks dislike whites, i can’t think of any.Racism that’s a stupid excuse to use, black folks like getting shot at by cops, beat up and thrown in prisons, and 9 out of 10 times its the same color judges whose ancestors gave us a free luxury boat ride, to this great land of opportunity, thank ya massa.
I think that it is ridiculous that race is even mentioned with this situation. I can not speak for every person, but I can say that I think that the anger of Lebron’s decision is based solely upon the way that he left his former team hanging. He showed to them that despite the millions of dolalrs that they payed him, the city and team being thrown at his feet,the only thing that he is concerned about is himself. As a person who is not a millionaire, I have a great deal of respect for the company that I work for and would have given them respect in letting them know of my decision to leave, if I were leaving.
To be totally honest and open about this entire article and posts, most of the comments are insane. Non of the contents have anything to do with or support the idea of racism. The bottom line is many people who seemignly idolized Lebron are outraged about the way the “Decision” was done. Get over it people. LBJ is a grown man and a business man. Professional Sports and athletes are no more than businessmen/women and go where the best deals, atmosphere and chances of winning. Anyone who denies the fact that joining forces with two of the best young talents in the league is an immature idea is as ridiculous as the article of this being a race card being played. The only heartache the fans of Cleveland have is the way he went about it; so what get over it.
I can’t believe race was apart of this. My whole family doesn’t like Lebron and their black.
I agree with Charles Barkley about how ESPN and the media is spending to much time watching Lebron.Who cares about how he looked in practice.He ain’t did nothing yet. If anything they should be looking at the defending champions.
You have to be delusional if u think race does not play a factor, I don’t see no black folks burning his jersey. And to Jason Whitlock Ur a BIG TIME UNCLE TOM.
Blah! Blah! Blah! Can’t Lebron acknowledge that he made himself look like a fool. Why does race always enter the conversation? He’s not the professional that I envisioned. Too bad!!
I must say that i started watching b-ball only 7years ago when Lebron came into the league (i mean there was nothing anyone could say to me to make me dislike this young man-i mean even the ny baseball cap, i made every excuse in the book). I can honestly say that i truly dislike lebron now, not because he left the Cavs, not even because of ’the decision’. My problem with the guy is that dan gilbert gave him any and everything he wanted (which was mistake #1). cavs fans idolized lbj and he seems to feel no remorse that the cavs couldn’t even get a free agent to consider cleveland and Lebron knew all along why. he never committed to cleveland and never had any intention to commit. HE TOTALLY PLAYED US!. now as far as the race card. i am an afrian american and i feel that race plays a part in most things that go on in the U.S. but i feel that lebron being a black man, knows this -just as any other african american person, because we live it every day. but to play the race card now is just pathetic. and even after ’the decision’, he goes on national TV to say that as a kid he hated cleveland (WOW-HE JUST KEEPS POURING SALT INTO THE WOUND)