photo = John Kuntz
Margaret Bernstein, The Plain Dealer
WITH ROBERT L. SMITH
The day after LeBron James stunned Northeast Ohio by leaving the Cavaliers, a Nike “Witness” poster remained firmly taped to the wall in downtown Cleveland’s Styles and Profiles barber shop.
“What would we take it down for?” asked barber Russell Vaughn, 58. “His decision was his to make. Yes, it was hard on us, but he did what he had to do.”
Vaughn’s comments stirred a swift retort from Ray Paulk, 47, a Cleveland truck driver who felt the way the star departed left behind a bad taste.
“You had one job to do — that was bring a ring home, and you didn’t do it,” said Paulk. “Then you skipped out.”
The debate inside this small shop, featured years ago in one of Nike’s first Witness commercials, reflected the range and intensity of emotions churning in Northeast Ohio since the region’s hero declared he was changing teams.
The conversation is more thoughtful and nuanced in Greater Cleveland than what the nation saw Thursday night, when news cameras captured fans burning LeBron jerseys. Heartbreak is the universal sentiment, but beyond talk radio and sports bars, forgiving voices blend with the accusatory ones.
Within the black community especially, people are less likely to condemn James’ decision and to try to understand it. Local reaction at times has illustrated a generational divide, with older fans more likely to see betrayal and younger fans more likely to defend a young person’s right to chase his dreams. And especially down Interstate 77 in James’ hometown of Akron, he’s still the King to many.
“It was a heartbreak that he left. But I probably would have done the same thing,” said Romero Fountaine, 14, while spending time at the Broadway Boys & Girls Club in Cleveland. “I can still look up to him.”
Vaughn’s comments stirred a swift retort from Ray Paulk, 47, a Cleveland truck driver who felt the way the star departed left behind a bad taste.
“You had one job to do — that was bring a ring home, and you didn’t do it,” said Paulk. “Then you skipped out.”
The debate inside this small shop, featured years ago in one of Nike’s first Witness commercials, reflected the range and intensity of emotions churning in Northeast Ohio since the region’s hero declared he was changing teams.
The conversation is more thoughtful and nuanced in Greater Cleveland than what the nation saw Thursday night, when news cameras captured fans burning LeBron jerseys. Heartbreak is the universal sentiment, but beyond talk radio and sports bars, forgiving voices blend with the accusatory ones.
Within the black community especially, people are less likely to condemn James’ decision and to try to understand it. Local reaction at times has illustrated a generational divide, with older fans more likely to see betrayal and younger fans more likely to defend a young person’s right to chase his dreams. And especially down Interstate 77 in James’ hometown of Akron, he’s still the King to many.
“It was a heartbreak that he left. But I probably would have done the same thing,” said Romero Fountaine, 14, while spending time at the Broadway Boys & Girls Club in Cleveland. “I can still look up to him.”
Elizabeth England, 40, a black Cleveland Heights mother of three, feels James is someone her sons can emulate.
“I see a man who takes care of his children, who respects and loves his mother. I’m proud that he came from humble beginnings and did some positive things with his ability.”
James engenders a different kind of pride in the black community, where people remark upon more than athletic skills.
Mansfield Frazier, a writer and community activist in Cleveland’s Hough neighborhood, noted that James has stayed true to the mother of his children, is a good father and gives back to the community, sponsoring an annual bike-a-thon and contributing to Boys & Girls Clubs.
“That does get him a pass in the black community. I think blacks are less inclined to beat up on him,” Frazier said.
Many black fans began to recoil at what they saw as unjust criticism and personal attacks on James. Team owner Dan Gilbert’s characterization of James as a narcissist and a traitor struck a nerve.
“I think it’s because there’s a feeling in the black community that there’s a double standard, that more is expected of black athletes,” Frazier said. “Blacks are expected to leave money on the table and be loyal.”
Keith Jones, a 39-year-old black flight attendant and Akron resident, believes James made a professional decision and is being unfairly maligned.
“I feel this had nothing to do with his loyalty,” Jones said. “He will always be an Akron native. He just moved on to a different part of his life.”
Still, while many fans are willing to accept that James moved on, they are united in dismay for how he chose to do it. They saw the ESPN “Decision” show as needless humiliation for Cleveland.
Story Compliments Of The Plain Dealer
