Making my rounds around the internet, I came across a piece on LeBron James on ESPN's Heat Index.
The tone of the piece is simple: LeBron isn't really a choker… people just so want him to fail, that they magnify his failures and create a narrative that paints him negatively.
Ok, fair enough. I don't happen to believe it, but the writer, Ethan Sherwood Strauss, is certainly entitled to his opinion. And then… curiously… he drops this. The emphasis is mine:
A title victory protects an athlete. Don’t have a ring? Likability is the next best defense. If fans identify with a star, they’re less inclined to impugn him. Steve Nash has eluded the cruel “choker” tag, despite many playoff exits. My assumption is that sportswriters and fans are more likely to empathize with someone who looks like them. It helps that Nash plays a beautiful game and exudes charisma. So, it makes sense that much of the media narrative surrounding him revolves around how the Suns have failed him – not the other way around.
LeBron James does not look like most media members, or a majority of the fans. He irritated significant numbers with the tone-deaf Decision and what many felt was a power play. The angry masses were further enraged by the local celebration of Miami’s free-agent haul. Should LeBron fail, should his team fail, mockery will write history.
"Fans are more likely to empathize with someone who looks like them."
That sounds a lot like the argument we've heard before that the NBA needs more white players so fans can root for someone who looks like them. It's just as ridiculous.
This is a very thinly veiled attempt at painting the media and fans as racist… or at least say that race plays a part in why we hate LeBron James. To imply that Steve Nash gets a pass because he's white and LeBron doesn't because he's black is ridiculous. It's a tired and, honestly, disgusting argument. It has no place on the internet or in blogs… much less on ESPN's site.
And there's no denying that's what is being implied. But again, I'll remind Mr. Strauss that LeBron had plenty of good will in Cleveland. When LeBron's favorability rating came crashing to earth… it was his own doing with "The Decision" and other PR blunders since this past summer. He had plenty of white people loving him before. It's why his favorability rating was high in the first place.
I just can't believe this kind of stuff keeps getting written.