The Decision
Who would have guessed that one person’s decision could grip a nation, that the decision would ultimately impact people across the country, and create a new paradigm for the future? More unlikely, who would have guessed that this decision would come not from a world leader but a team leader? Chances are that few didn’t guess that “the decision” refers to LeBron James’ decision on where to play the game and take “his talents.” As we now know but didn’t this time last week, LeBron has decided to leave his home state of Ohio, where he has played basketball from his first dribble up until this April, which will have marked the final season of his seven year tenure with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Basketball players change teams all the time. They get traded to a new team often without any desire to play there. The team’s desire to win and build the best team generally dictates where players play. The better you are, the more leverage you have over where you want to play with the current team and others actively pursuing you. Rarely, if ever, has a player had such a public courtship. And, rarely, does a player’s decision result in public tears, jersey burning, police arrests, and a teams owner being fined $100k for expressing in writing what so many in the home team city were feeling. This, though, is so much more than just a basketball story and more than a story about the power shifting from owner to player or a media shift in the way celebrities might make announcements. This is really a story much like last week’s, one of greatness.
Each sport has its great players. Last week, we talked about tennis’ Roger Federer who, in so many ways, gives us a definition of greatness. Other players may find him a bit of a whiny pants who somehow changes into monogrammed outfits too fast after winning, but he has shown longevity, consistency, completeness, mental and physical toughness, a will to win, and an unmatched composure. He has done all that while dominating the competition in nothing short of a monopolistic fashion, yet in a way that manages to raise the game of all. Every player wants to be great. Few will achieve greatness. The difference between the two, great and greatness, is quantitative and qualitative. Tiger Woods is great. If he breaks Jack Nicklaus’ record for major championships, he will achieve greatness in light of his now public failings on a personal level.
LeBron is a great player, but his decision to move puts into doubt his question of greatness. While he has played in the league for a significant number of years, he is still just 25 years of age. His desire to leave has nothing to do with any unhappiness with regards to earning potential or respect from teammates, staff, or fans. He left because what matters to LeBron is winning. Like any great player as with almost any affiliate, there lurks an insatiable desire to win. In performance-based marketing, that desire to win comes in the form of revenue and profit. In LeBron’s case, it wasn’t enough that his team had the best record two years in a row. They didn’t win a championship, and his decision didn’t indicate they couldn’t, but it more than implied a vote of no-confidence. His decision came down to a belief that by playing on a different team he would win more championships.
Michael Jordan, who will remain in the top three of all time greats, won six championships. He didn’t win his first until his seventh season. But, like so many others, he persevered. He didn’t call it quits just because they hadn’t. He was ultimately fortunate, he achieved greatness and won an impressive number of titles. The same goes for quite a few other notable players, who could point to quantifiable team accomplishments instead of just their general on court dominance. Some haven’t been so fortunate. There are several quite remarkable talents who will probably never win that elusive title. When they retire and enter into the hall of fame, it will be noted that they didn’t win a title, but their lack of titles will not impede their legacy as a player. If anything, it will be a source of sympathy, a sign that life isn’t quite fair sometimes.
There is nothing wrong with pursuing your dreams. It is in fact noble and courageous to do what you want to do in the face of extreme pressure. That is what LeBron has chosen to do. He says his mom supports his decision, but you know deep down inside she would love her boy to stay where he is. By staying, he may not win a title, but he will have a chance to become a more complete person. He will have a chance to create a legacy that goes beyond simple statistics and titles. He can become something more than the sum of his parts. This is exactly what unlikely candidate George Steinbrenner managed to do. The Yankees owner who at times was booed and even suspended, might have turned an eight million dollar investment into a franchise worth more than 1.8 billion, but he also managed to become loved for what he did beyond the professional world. His hometown of Tampa won’t remember the difficult Steinbrenner, they will remember the man who made his community better.
LeBron may not strive for such a legacy. Then again, he is 25 and may turn into that. Decisions like these, though, will keep him on a more one-dimensional path. These are the same decisions that we face on a less public level. Do we want to be good? Do we want to be great? Or, do we want more, because in this case, more can mean accepting less.
