Speaking
of Sports 


by
Alex
Prasad

 
Are We There Yet?  “LeBron Mania” is
here to stay

May 23, 2010

On March 5th, 2008 LeBron James scored 50 points at Madison Square Garden in New York City. A 50 point game is very rare in the NBA, an incredible feat. Unfortunately for all sane people in the world, March 5th, 2008 was the beginning of the most media-saturated event of our lifetimes: the LeBron James free agency sweepstakes.

LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers were eliminated from the NBA playoffs just last week. If you have forgotten, I don’t blame you, as you may have confused that event with the beginning of the final round of the sweepstakes. James’ postgame press conference featured roughly 15 questions. More than 10 were about where he wanted to play basketball next year. When James claimed he “hadn’t thought about” his decision, eyes across the globe rolled. Of course, the next day’s Sportscenter - ESPN’s popular daily newscast – was all LeBron all the time.

The show format was simple: get anybody and everybody’s opinion, based on no factual evidence, about James potential new home, and let them speculate about it. By the end, it was as if ESPN had taken its own 10 question census of everyone in Bristol, CT, where it is located, with the 10 questions not about their marital status, but about where they thought LeBron was headed.

To me, and I think most Detroiters, this mania doesn’t translate. We’ve NEVER been in love with a sports megastar that grabbed headlines every time he sneezed. Steve Yzerman was beloved because he just did his job better than almost anyone in the NHL. He wasn’t faster than anyone else on the ice, he didn’t have the best slap shot, and he wasn’t an instigator. He was just really really good at everything. Barry Sanders, arguably the best NFL running back of all time, was our favorite Lion, despite the fact he never ever spiked a football at the Silverdome. Brandon Inge is by far the most popular Tiger, more than even Miguel Cabrera. Inge is batting .221 while Cabrera is near the top of the majors with a .333 average. When the Pistons won the 2004 NBA championship, they did it without a superstar. Led by Ben Wallace’s example, they outhustled their opponents, relying more on grit than talent, more on guts than glitz, and were rewarded by being the most popular team in town at that time.

So when tuning into Lebron-center the next month until July 1st when NBA free agency officially begins, know that you are not alone if you feel like ESPN is speaking a foreign language. “Superstar” just doesn’t translate here.

(c) 2010 Novi Information Network
www.novi.org

___________________________________

Alex Prasad is a life-long Michigan resident, a student at the University of Michigan and a 2007 graduate of Novi High School. He was the Novi.org school and sports reporter while he was at NHS. Alex was also a captain of the NHS Cross Country Team and Track Team under legendary coach Bob Smith. His passion for running continues to this day, as he trains for a marathon.

Alex is currently General Manager of WOLV-TV, the student run television station at UM, and produces shows on both the Michigan Football and Michigan Hockey teams. You can also see his work on Big Ten Network coverage of Michigan baseball and softball this spring.

You can see more of his work here.