The prodigal son returns home

LeBron James announced on Friday he will return to Cleveland, a town that told him to suck it on his way out the door. I was with the rest of the Cleveland natives; I said fuck him. I regret nothing. I’ve seen a lot of trolling about Cleveland, well forever, and as I told a friend, no one can troll Cleveland better than a Cleveland fan. And yes, that includes James. He’s a son of Akron, and he’s coming home. There is a beauty in that simplicity. People keep saying we’re fickle and too easy to forgive or that James is. Well, yeah, maybe, this is about sports not civil rights. So maybe everyone takes a breath and remember that.

Let me break down what growing up in Cleveland/Northeast Ohio. I don’t know what it is that makes you fiercely loyal to this area. What I do know is friends from Chicago feel the same way about Chicago. And some of my DCish friends feel that fierce protectiveness over DC (though some feel that way and aren’t from here). Doesn’t matter how bad it gets this is our home. My friend’s father once told me in reference to the crime and violence our neighborhood endures, “We were here before, and we’ll be here after.” Preach. Aside, this was when there had been a rash of home burglaries by an individual person. My mother keenly noted, “It isn’t like there is that much to take.” I think both of those statements sums up Cleveland. No one is going anywhere, and there isn’t anything left to take. That reads as depressing and maybe it is, but both of those things make you Cleveland tough.

That is why when James left it hurt so bad. He was supposed to know. He was supposed feel something for our town when it is a joke everywhere else. He took the one thing we did have going for us: the possibility of something better. Maybe I’m being a bit dramatic, but this is the same expectation put on every kid who leaves a bad neighborhood. Some might understand, but they expect greatness and a return after you leave. But mostly, haters hate. Accusations of abandonment, uppity-ness, and betrayal flow from family and friends. Because you’re supposed to be great, and by extension they’re supposed to be great too, and if you leave then what are they? I want to be clear, I totally did this to James.  To me this sentiment was particularly poignant in the first paragraph of his letter:

Prospect and E. 9th on Friday 7/11/2014

“Before anyone ever cared where I would play basketball, I was a kid from Northeast Ohio. It’s where I walked. It’s where I ran. It’s where I cried. It’s where I bled. It holds a special place in my heart. People there have seen me grow up. I sometimes feel like I’m their son. Their passion can be overwhelming. But it drives me. I want to give them hope when I can. I want to inspire them when I can. My relationship with Northeast Ohio is bigger than basketball. I didn’t realize that four years ago. I do now.”

I’m also not giving him a pass, pull this shit again. After all, fool me once…There is something so melodramatic about every decision this man makes, probably because it always results in a press conference. I half expect a press conference about where he buys shoes.

Also, I don’t know about the Gilbert letter or James’ feelings about it. James says they spoke on it. That’s good enough for me. I’d have been pissed, but it is the same bullshit you’d see in all the owners. It was uncool and not ok, but if James is willing to play for the man, then that is all that matters.

James’ letter acknowledges what some of us (me) already knew, which was highlighted in the Dave Zinn piece from more than a year ago: “I always believed that I’d return to Cleveland and finish my career there.” Zinn asserted that James wants to be a folk hero, and I completely agree with him. James continues to acknowledge the feelings on both sides after his departure including the reactions of his family to the disrespectful actions of fans and owners. But he always says mistakes were made on both sides. He then talks about how he wants to contribute to the team.

Alleged Cover of the Cleveland Plain Dealer

It is the conclusion that echoes what I was talking about before:

“But this is not about the roster or the organization. I feel my calling here goes above basketball. I have a responsibility to lead, in more ways than one, and I take that very seriously. My presence can make a difference in Miami, but I think it can mean more where I’m from. I want kids in Northeast Ohio, like the hundreds of Akron third-graders I sponsor through my foundation, to realize that there’s no better place to grow up. Maybe some of them will come home after college and start a family or open a business. That would make me smile. Our community, which has struggled so much, needs all the talent it can get.

“In Northeast Ohio, nothing is given. Everything is earned. You work for what you have.

“I’m ready to accept the challenge. I’m coming home.”

This last part, this part about giving back to a community that has held you up, that is why when I look for jobs I include Cleveland in my search even when I know I’m never going to find something that fits what I do there. I have to look. I have to attempt it. Even if you’ve earned everything you have (which isn’t possible), you owe the people around you, if nothing else you owe them to make things better even if it is just through a dream or a possibility.

But maybe I’m just a sucker. At the end of the day I think everyone has the right to go home with or without a hero’s welcome.

Running Family Vote: In Favor. 
J: Good
F: Good
Me: Good

Mom: Reluctant and still pissed

M: Unknown
Dad: Gave me a look of indifference you could feel over the phone.

Some of the winning funny Tweets:

Fox News on LeBron: ANOTHER MILLENNIAL FORCED TO MOVE HOME DUE TO OBAMA ECONOMY
— LOLGOP (@LOLGOP) July 11, 2014

Tony Montana did. RT @AndyHutchins: How many people in human history have spent four years in their late 20s in Miami and matured?
— TEDDY GOOALSEVELT (@edsbs) July 11, 2014