Quote Originally Posted by LnGrrrR
No, but America is quick to forgive people that make mistakes like that. Mistakes that a person has months to think over before they go through with it? America is less forgiving.




He got a bad rap because it wasn't a "mistake", per se. He knew what he was doing, and did it deliberately (a la The Decision). Once he realized the error of his ways (and he played well), America forgave him.



No one's arguing the crime, they're arguing the motive. If Lebron, a few years down the road, talks about the Decision and admits it was a dumb move, then people will forgive him. But not until he admits it was a mistake. America loves redemption, and without admitting guilt there can be no redemption.



Assholes that hurt people are one thing, assholes that hurt another city is quite different. ESPECIALLY since it was Cleveland. Lebron came to that city as a savior, a city that is known for sports suckitude.

If he had just entered free agency, signed with another team, and apologized to the Cleveland fans for not bringing them a ring, thanked them for their dedication, etc etc, I doubt a ton of people are hating on Lebron like they are now.
I wonder if Lebron couldn't deal with being Cleveland's savior anymore. Being the local hero that failed to bring hapless Cleveland a championship and seeing no hope for one in the future, Lebron just went on to greener pastures to play with his buds and hang out in South Beach. "The Decision" was a fiasco, but in terms of trying to win a ring, Lebron was smart enough to realize he couldn't win a championship by himself in Cleveland.