Play the game the right way.
A motto that LeBron James has stood proudly by throughout his basketball vitality, from his days as a young boy on the playgrounds of Akron, Ohio through his high school years at St. Vincent-St. Mary’s through his infant years as young man in the NBA to now as an older veteran player.
James’ on-court excellency speaks for itself, as speechless as it may leave you. A four-time NBA MVP, three-time NBA champion, and three-time NBA Finals MVP, these are just a small dosage of an incredulous dog pile of accolades that James has accounted for over his illustrious, going-into-16-year career.
His life off the court continuously reflects this as well. As laudable as his on-court play has been, such is the case, perhaps even more so, is that of his off-court expeditions. From philanthropy to humanitarian services to giving back to his community to sage counseling and everything and anything in between, LeBron James has been a guiding light, a beacon illuminating for us in need of a leader and icon to follow during these tumultuous, stormy times.
He is one, just as Emperor Claudius, for unification. Ones that members of his reign deemed headcases, unwanted, outcasts, both LeBron and Claudius refuted points, making them moot, and brought them onto LeBron’s team and Claudius’ Senate.
Can the lovefest get overbearing though?
yeah, it can.
Even now, those that follow basketball and would die at the stake for this man’s name are probably seething acidic, toxic phrases of ire and disgust at my expense because I said it can get overbearing. Simply put, he’s idolized and can do almost no wrong in the in his fans’ eyes.
Not unlike Caesar Augustus, who assigned Virgil to doctrine the historically renowned piece, the Aeneid, LeBron pushes the agenda, discreetly and indirectly, of tragic heroism, though both do in different ways.
The reality is, that in the age of today, with so many media outlets and such an excess of information available at everyone’s dispense, there is a highly intensified, microscopic, almost obsessive following for the NBA and particularly, for its face, LeBron James.
Obviously over 2000 years ago, the means to communicate such a message to the masses is cosmically different than how it is now. However, Virgil was a renowned writer who had the ear of the people; his words rang amongst the crowds of commoners and this epic was no different.
One media outlet, for instance, we know like plush of our pillow, ESPN. Another, and the focus for this particular subject, is FOX Sports, the agenda-pushing, FOX Sports.
1*
Specifically after LeBron James won after the 2016 NBA finals, FOX Sports’ group of talking heads, namely the figures circled above (left to right: Jason Whitlock, Colin Cowherd, Shannon Sharpe, Nick Wright, and Cris Carter), have begun to push the narrative as LeBron James being the possible GOAT (Greatest of All Time) of basketball and even in sports history. Not to say others have not from other networks or on other platforms because the likes of Isiah Thomas, between Colin Cowherd and Jason Whitolock, and Max Kellerman, who leaves the door open to the idea, which is respectable, between Shannon Sharpe and Nick Wright, have done so. But FOX Sports has almost a fixation on making LeBron the GOAT to the masses. Not only that, but it’s possible to say that his move to LA was foreseen since before then.
Just as King James now dons the Purple and Gold of the Los Angeles Lakers, Aeneas was described to have a “purple glow”, a sign of royalty. He was described to a work of art, chiseled as a god might be. LeBron is famously known for how well he keeps in condition, even in his 16th year in the NBA, he still looks as spry as every 25-26 year old NBA player, if not more so.
Furthermore, now I’m not saying LeBron James had a hand in FOX downplaying Kobe Bryant’s career and why they rarely at all mention some of the greatest Lakers of all time Kareem Abdul-Jabbar or Magic Johnson or Shaquille O’Neal in many segments of shows, not at all; LeBron James is a student of the game with an immensely deep respect for those that have paved the way for it and that includes a past contemporary and friend in Kobe Bryant. But I just find it quite peculiar that in the time since that 2016 NBA finals, why has FOX dimmed the light so much on Kobe Bryant? Kobe was by no means a perfect player, and for an all-timer, Kobe’s faults are more accentuated especially when he followed in the shadow of Michael Jordan, almost flawlessly mimicking his game and even adding some of his own unique elements to throw in his palette. But FOX sports, with how they discuss Kobe’s legacy, in particular Nick Wright, has a scheme of some sorts to taint what Kobe has done for the game of basketball.
To be fair, there is some critique on the network on account of LeBron (like the man below), just as Virgil provided critique for Caesar in some facets of his work.
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But the voices of the LeBron idolators on these media platforms are just too overwhelming. And it’s slowly begun to work. The people of this generation, the Millenials, and the ones that have followed have deified LeBron, just as they did for Caesar when he ruled over the Roman Empire. Emperor LeBron rings just as loud as he continues to expand his empire as his expedition continues.
I’m not going to go into why LeBron is not the GOAT. This is not about that certain topic
I like to theorize, especially when it pertains to the topic of basketball.
It’s fun to, right?
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It’s not a fact by any means, but like Caesar, it wouldn’t be surprising to hear that LeBron has a stock or share in what is being pushed out of media outlets, specifically, FOX Sports. How much they push for LeBron rather than critique him fairly is almost jaw-dropping. His shaky performances are swept under the rug and his awe-inspiring ones dominate the airwaves for the next 24 hours.
From another angle, you could possibly also look at LeBron as Aeneas. Now, in this light, particularly how the story develops, the media, as a whole, subtly could be Virgil/Greek gods, as Max Kellerman would say, as I paraphrase, this is the epic of LeBron James, we’re just living in his world. Aeneas (LeBron) suffers tragic defeat at the hands of the Greek (the Warriors) who enlist Ulysess, Agamenon, and Achilles at their disposal (Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, not necessarily in that order). He goes to regroup once more as his mother, Venus, tells him to go to Carthage (Los Angeles), where he would meet the queen of Carthage. Delighted to meet him, Queen Dido (the fans) opens her arms to him after the debilitating loss to the Greek. Venus sends Cupid (FOX Sports) to make the queen fall in love with him and his story as he recounts it.
The difference is LeBron puppeteers, Aeneas is the puppet.
he really did play the game the right way.
Header: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/303289356148515817/
1*: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I-Z8v9On-b4&t=41s
2*: https://www.google.com/search?q=skip+bayless&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwix-__j0YLeAhW_HTQIHZ68DKYQ_AUIECgD&biw=1280&bih=561#imgrc=2XJKC18bL8bipM:2*
3*: https://www.livehappy.com/lifestyle/history-smiley?nopaging=1
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