LeBron James and Tiger Woods. Two of the most hated icons in all of sport. And yet, three years ago, these two were probably two of the most beloved all-time greats (and on the way to becoming one) of our generation. Yes in 2008, Tiger Woods won his legendary "One-legged Major" and LeBron was in the early part of his first of two consecutive MVP seasons. These guys were loved. Not just by the hometown guys, but everybody in their respective sports had admiration for these two. It was incredible.
What is incredible these days is how quickly the media and fans have turned on these two. And who can blame them? Tiger Woods was anything but the family-man everyone believed him to be. I haven't heard many people compare LeBron to Tiger, and this is probably because everyone's mind will immediately jump to thoughts of adultery and a never ending sea of women. However, if you put aside the thought of Tiger's actions and take a moment to think about it, I think its hard to disagree that the fact that these two have become the biggest villains in sport is eerily similar.
Even in terms of how well these two are playing you can find similarities. Tiger has made some competitive runs, but nagging injuries and possibly the personal problems have left him something of a shell of the former great he was. LeBron has of course, been dominant still...except of course when his team needs it most. (See my last blog "post")
Further, the way these two treat the media is eerily similar. LeBron was known for always saying and doing the right thing, even when he was declared "The Chosen One" while still in high school. In the playoffs, he has made an absolute fool of himself. Celebrating like they just made a buzzer-beater in game 7 of the finals after winning the easter conference SEMIFINALS in FIVE GAMES. Ugh. big deal. On to the finals; James and Wade were caught on cameras joking about being sick and fake-coughing, forcing Nowitzki to address the situation by calling the antics "childish". And they were. To top it all off, LeBron took a shot at all his haters after the end of the NBA Finals, by reminding everyone that they still have to go back to their average boring lives, while he will wake up tomorrow and he will be a multi-millionaire star basketball player. Granted, this is completely true, but totally unnecessary, and uncalled for from someone with such a reputation as LeBron.
Perhaps the worst thing for LeBron is that I don't see him winning the fans over for a long time to come. He is probably the most hated person in Cleveland. Miami is going to get better next year and it's almost certain that the Heat will win a championship in the next three years. The ONLY way I could see LeBron gaining favor with the fans is if he fails to win a championship in the next few years and he makes it to a final in his mid 30's. People will see it as a "last chance" type situation a la Dirk. You gotta root for him then, right? Maybe not. I mean, this is the guy who said he came here to win 7+ championships (yes, really). And if he does win even just one championship in the next few years? One word: Hated. That is what this guy will continue to be for as long as he is in the game. I guess I have this to say: Good luck LeBron, good luck Tiger. I'd love to see you guys become beloved once more, I loved rooting for you guys. But right now? I have no respect for you guys and I LOVED seeing the Mavs crush the Heat.
