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View Full Version : awesome cleveland response to lebron's nike commercial



Olympic Fan
11-05-2010, 07:36 PM
http://www.wikio.com/video/lebron-james-rise-commercial-cleveland-response-4497373

quitness, indeed!

Duvall
11-05-2010, 07:48 PM
Meh. Cleveland needs to get over it. The reserve clause has been gone for forty years now.

They should try putting together a team that can beat LeBron. Or not. Either way, just stop whining about it.

Greg_Newton
11-05-2010, 07:55 PM
I don't know if I've ever seen so much misplaced anger in one place. The girl in the hallway in particular got on my nerves. Who does she think she is? Lebron did more for that city than anyone since Drew Carey!

Half of me wonders if this stuff is being encouraged behind the scenes by Nike to help get public sympathy back on Lebron's side... the more over-the-top Cleveland gets (and the more they act like they're entitled to own Lebron's life and career), the more people will side with Lebron vs. them.

superdave
11-05-2010, 08:03 PM
I thought that was pretty good. If anyone has a right to bust on him, it's Cleveland.

Did anyone see South Park this week? They spoofed his annoying commercial as well. Pretty funny. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xoLB1d47O0) There are a few curse words in there in case you are easily offended...

NSDukeFan
11-05-2010, 08:05 PM
I thought it was hilarious.

DevilHorns
11-05-2010, 08:12 PM
Cleveland is in the running for the whiniest sports town in America. Players that demand trades or preemptively decline signing if a team drafts them are never treated as bad as this.

InSpades
11-05-2010, 08:58 PM
I don't know if I've ever seen so much misplaced anger in one place. The girl in the hallway in particular got on my nerves. Who does she think she is?

She probably thinks she's an actor who played a role in a youtube video. She would be right :).

I thought it was well done and I think it was somewhat playful. Lebron left Cleveland in rather poor fashion (I think even he admits that now, maybe) and if some Cleveland fans want to take a few parting shots at him then that is their right.

Underdog5
11-05-2010, 09:16 PM
Cleveland is back where it was before Lebron got there. The last time anyone cared about Cleveland is when they were Jordan's whipping boy every year in the playoffs. Looking forward to them being irrelevant again in 6 months. All of this because of a stupid press conference? I'm scared to wonder what they would say if he commited adultery, was accused of a vicious crime, bashed his team mates and demanded a trade... like Kobe. I guess all that really matters is titles.

Duke: A Dynasty
11-05-2010, 09:56 PM
She probably thinks she's an actor who played a role in a youtube video. She would be right :).

I thought it was well done and I think it was somewhat playful. Lebron left Cleveland in rather poor fashion (I think even he admits that now, maybe) and if some Cleveland fans want to take a few parting shots at him then that is their right.

The only thing that I thought was poor about it was that he did not inform Cleveland and the other teams he did not pick. They found out on tv like everyone else. Otherwise I thought it was a great move to have "The Decision" and to visit all the places and meet with all the teams.

verga
11-05-2010, 10:37 PM
Lebron seems to have a very high opinion of himself one that i don't share. It's going to be hard to win the fans back even if he were to win a championship. If he wins it will be thought of as Dwayne Wade's team not Lebron's. He has taken himself out of the conversation with Jordan, Bird, Russell, Kobe, Hakeem, Timmy and others. todays players are more interested in their tv time than preparing to win, i guess it's just the times we live in? Thevideo was off to a good start but could have been better, you can't blame the fans of Cleveland for trying.

Gthoma2a
11-05-2010, 11:34 PM
Here is my thing, Cleveland should have never been so protective of him during his refusal to shake hands when he got beat in the series a couple of years back. He should have been made to grow up a little bit, but instead, they protected him. He has never been held responsible for anything in his life, he acts like a spoiled brat and they helped him stay that way. I wouldn't mind Lebron, but he is the president of his own fan club. The guy handled himself like he was trying to be rude to the entire city of Cleveland. I don't know if it was malicious or if he just doesn't know the difference between the right thing and the wrong, but he put the team's worst moment a worldwide event celebrating him... that was ridiculous and I can't stand the Cavs (but I felt bad in that moment). The thing I hate most about him is that he loses and gets all the credit in the world, but Kobe wins repeatedly (despite obvious injuries injuries) and is still told that Lebron is the marquee player of today's game afterwards...

moonpie23
11-06-2010, 01:20 AM
Holy sour grapes batman........ What a lame ad......sheesh...get OVER it cavs...

he doesn't owe you a thing...

now i know why he left.......whiney little insufferable snots.....

Acymetric
11-06-2010, 01:33 AM
Cleveland is back where it was before Lebron got there. The last time anyone cared about Cleveland is when they were Jordan's whipping boy every year in the playoffs. Looking forward to them being irrelevant again in 6 months. All of this because of a stupid press conference? I'm scared to wonder what they would say if he commited adultery, was accused of a vicious crime, bashed his team mates and demanded a trade... like Kobe. I guess all that really matters is titles.

To be fair, LeBron said numerous times (they replay one time in the youtube video) that he would bring a title to Cleveland. Not that he would try, but that he would work until they got one. Then he cut and ran. I'm not from Cleveland, and never lived there...but its a pretty downtrodden city, and for a guy to come in promising stuff like that to just bail is pretty weak. Sure, he can do whatever he wants, Cleveland can't and isn't stopping him, but they can certainly take issue with being lied to. Don't blame Clevelanders a bit.

ChillinDuke
11-06-2010, 02:56 AM
I do not normally post in threads such as this. And maybe I shouldn't...

But I will...and I'm a little surprised at the hating on Cleveland for this ad. I'm from nowhere near Cleveland, have no allegiance to Cleveland, and actually don't like Cleveland fans. However, I think they have every right to post this response to the Lebron ad and then some.

Make no mistake, they are definitely whining (and no one likes a whiner). But Lebron was a homegrown talent from the state of Ohio (Akron is 40 miles away from Cleveland). He was drafted by his hometown team, claimed it as his team and his town, made lofty assertions that he would bring a title to Cleveland at all costs, and flat out left them at the first chance for greener pastures. By most accounts he didn't even keep management in the loop. Flat out disrespected the city and all its fans.

IMHO, they have absolutely every right to a silly/simple jab at Lebron in a spoof commercial. Call it whining, call it whatever you want, but if it happened to my team in my town under those circumstances, I would do the exact same thing.

soccerstud2210
11-06-2010, 03:27 AM
its just plain downright hysterical.

if you can dish it out, you better be able to take it.

if you're are going to cut tail, quit, and run; then you better expect to be hated on.

Underdog5
11-06-2010, 04:43 AM
for a guy to come in promising stuff like that to just bail is pretty weak.

Perhaps he should have been honest up front and said I am going to do everything in my power to try to win a chip. But winning a chip is most important so if I feel like it's not working, I'll play out my contract and then go play for a team where I feel I have a better chance of winning a chip. I don't think I can do much better than 27-7-7, I have never had a consistent All Star team mate, and my coach is a moron so if this isn't getting it done, I'm going to try something else. I know I'm from Akron but you shouldn't assume that will be enough to keep me here.

I swear everybody keeps raving about Kobe but I really wish they would check his track record. He won with Shaq... Shaq gets sent packing (incidently, after Kobe randomly throws his name out to the cops when he get's accused of rape), Kobe loses and whines that his big man sucks and they should trade him for somebody better, Kobe demands a trade to Chicago but not unless the Bulls can keep Deng, Jerry West bails him the Laker's out with one of the worst trades in NBA history for Gasol. If Lebron is a brat or weak then what should we call Kobe? How can anyone other than diehard LA fans want to see anything more than Kobe fall flat on his face?

Believe me, as a huge Lebron fan I am disappointed that he didn't try to be a hero and do it himself but I'm not even sure why anyone including Cleveland thinks his decision was a bad idea and didn't see it coming. Ask Karl Malone, how that loyalty thing worked out for him.

STOP LISTENING TO THE ESPN TALKING HEADS! Haven't we learned enough from how they report on Duke?

1991 duke law
11-06-2010, 09:24 AM
I like the video. Without focusing too much energy on Lebron, I certainly was not impressed with his dog and pony show and consequently am no fan of his.

RelativeWays
11-06-2010, 09:56 AM
I really despise the way Nike feels the need to repair the image of their controversial athletes like Tiger and LeBron. I'm glad Cleveland stuck it to LeBron on this because the commercial is pompous and vain. They do still have one thing in common. They both need to get over LeBron.

DevilHorns
11-06-2010, 10:18 AM
To be fair, LeBron said numerous times (they replay one time in the youtube video) that he would bring a title to Cleveland. Not that he would try, but that he would work until they got one. Then he cut and ran. I'm not from Cleveland, and never lived there...but its a pretty downtrodden city, and for a guy to come in promising stuff like that to just bail is pretty weak. Sure, he can do whatever he wants, Cleveland can't and isn't stopping him, but they can certainly take issue with being lied to. Don't blame Clevelanders a bit.


its just plain downright hysterical.

if you can dish it out, you better be able to take it.

if you're are going to cut tail, quit, and run; then you better expect to be hated on.
/
"Cut and run"? Did he ever at any time demand a trade? EVERYONE knew that he was looking at several different teams for free agency. It wasn't like he told the Cavs and Cleveland fans that he was 100% committed to staying in Cleveland. It was all over the news that the Knicks wanted him, the Nets, Miami, etc.

Sure he could have not had the gigantic espn special. But you know what, even if he did not, the same crap would be spewing about him. He absolutely did nothing wrong. Everyone and their mom knew that Lebron was looking at a lot of options. If he told the Cavs management or any other team's management before the special then the news would have leaked. He knew that. Look at the Cavs' owner. How did he respond in mere hours after the decision? Think about if Lebron had called him the day before and told him that he was choosing Miami. You think he would've stayed quiet? Go read that letter again.

And stop with the whole Lebron has to go to Miami to win a ring. Look at all the other NBA greats. None of them had a piece-meal team like Lebron had in Cleveland. The Bulls with Jordan? Talk about stacked with talent. The Lakers in the 80s, stacked. Don't let the media fool you.

wtm001
11-06-2010, 10:20 AM
I thought that was pretty good. If anyone has a right to bust on him, it's Cleveland.

Did anyone see South Park this week? They spoofed his annoying commercial as well. Pretty funny. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xoLB1d47O0) There are a few curse words in there in case you are easily offended...

I thought I was the only one that noticed, haha :p

sandinmyshoes
11-06-2010, 11:09 AM
I think the whining in defense of Lebron is far more tiresome than Cleveland's whining about Lebron.

DevilHorns
11-06-2010, 11:30 AM
I think the whining in defense of Lebron is far more tiresome than Cleveland's whining about Lebron.

Whining in defense of Lebron? Where, on a few message boards by a minority of posters? I don't see a youtube video sniping at Cleveland fans and their owner.

It's easy to hate someone for doing this. But does he truly deserve to be hated for simply choosing to play somewhere else? Maybe by Cleveland fans, sure, but what about the average NBA fan?

Acymetric
11-06-2010, 11:43 AM
Whining in defense of Lebron? Where, on a few message boards by a minority of posters? I don't see a youtube video sniping at Cleveland fans and their owner.

It's easy to hate someone for doing this. But does he truly deserve to be hated for simply choosing to play somewhere else? Maybe by Cleveland fans, sure, but what about the average NBA fan?

I think its up to each fan to decide how they feel about LeBron...if someone decides they want to pull against LeBron that's up to them.

Oh, and for the record a lot of people including myself disliked the guy even when he was playing with the Cavs...the whole Heat deal was just icing. He's a good guy for the most part, but also a jerk and that makes him easy to dislike.

sandinmyshoes
11-06-2010, 11:44 AM
It just seems to me that Clevelanders are just poking fun at his commercial. It was done in a pithy, humorous manner. It was chuckle worthy. Hate seems a strong word for it. That there are some haters out there, does not have to mean that everything poking fun at Lebron or his Nike cultivated image has to be hate.

Jderf
11-06-2010, 11:49 AM
"Cut and run"? Did he ever at any time demand a trade? EVERYONE knew that he was looking at several different teams for free agency. It wasn't like he told the Cavs and Cleveland fans that he was 100% committed to staying in Cleveland. It was all over the news that the Knicks wanted him, the Nets, Miami, etc.

Sure he could have not had the gigantic espn special. But you know what, even if he did not, the same crap would be spewing about him. He absolutely did nothing wrong. Everyone and their mom knew that Lebron was looking at a lot of options. If he told the Cavs management or any other team's management before the special then the news would have leaked. He knew that. Look at the Cavs' owner. How did he respond in mere hours after the decision? Think about if Lebron had called him the day before and told him that he was choosing Miami. You think he would've stayed quiet? Go read that letter again.

And stop with the whole Lebron has to go to Miami to win a ring. Look at all the other NBA greats. None of them had a piece-meal team like Lebron had in Cleveland. The Bulls with Jordan? Talk about stacked with talent. The Lakers in the 80s, stacked. Don't let the media fool you.

Exactly. Personally, I feel like there are so many ways to spin this that it doesn't even make sense to have an opinion.

One side says, "LeBron toyed with the emotions of an entire city, made promises he never planned on keeping, kept all of his hometown fans in the dark, and then publicly backstabbed them on a nationally televised, hour-long special just so that he could sell out and play on a de facto all-star team."

For the other side, "LeBron grew tired of dealing with an incompetent organization, realized that one player wasn't enough, became ready to play team basketball, took a pay-cut just for a chance to win a championship, and then used the national spotlight surrounding his decision to raise millions of dollars for charity."

Who is right? Nobody. LeBron is just a guy who happens to be absurdly good at basketball. He's not Satan. And he's certainly not Gandhi. Sure, he sometimes has to work to keep his abnormally large ego in check, but he also, for the most part, means well. Let's not fall into the trap of needing to either glorify or vilify every single person on our televisions.

DevilHorns
11-06-2010, 11:57 AM
It just seems to me that Clevelanders are just poking fun at his commercial. It was done in a pithy, humorous manner. It was chuckle worthy. Hate seems a strong word for it. That there are some haters out there, does not have to mean that everything poking fun at Lebron or his Nike cultivated image has to be hate.

You're right in terms of the commercial. It wasn't over the top hatred. IMO, misguided, but not hateful. I am in the camp, however, that thinks there's a lot of hatred for Lebron in Cleveland that is way over the top. I think it was an ESPN "Outside the Lines" segment that reported jersey burning rituals, burning cars, and other rioting behavior a few weeks ago as a chronicle of the fall out. It's like Maryland after a Duke game. :cool:

Any sports player that leaves a city should not have city react like that, IMHO. Doesn't matter where.

BD80
11-06-2010, 12:11 PM
Fantastically funny videos. Each well done.


... But does he truly deserve to be hated for simply choosing to play somewhere else? Maybe by Cleveland fans, sure, but what about the average NBA fan?

You miss the point. It isn't that he chose to play somewhere else, it is that he did it in such an arrogant manner, after having played himself as such a home-grown hero. He sold millions upon millions of dollars of shoes and jerseys by playing the role of the home town savior. Then at the first chance, cuts and runs, and does so in a way that leaves the Cavs in the worst possible position - he never gave them a chance to be players in one of the best free agent markets. And to top it off, he lets the city hold out hope and then publicly embarrasses them on prime-time television.



... For the other side, "LeBron grew tired of dealing with an incompetent organization, realized that one player wasn't enough, became ready to play team basketball, took a pay-cut just for a chance to win a championship, and then used the national spotlight surrounding his decision to raise millions of dollars for charity." ...

So far off the mark. Let him play where he wants - fine. Don't go on about a "pay cut" because that amount is simply not relevant compared to the additional revenue he generated with his publicity stunt and by playing in Miami with DWade. As for the "millions" generated for charity, I would love to see the actual figures after his posse's thumbs are pulled out of the pie. [Hint: you will never, EVER see an accounting]. I'll bet the net donation to charity pales in comparison to what the three could have generated by just airing a dunk contest and signing some autographs.

Poincaré
11-06-2010, 12:28 PM
Art Modell. He packed up an entire franchise in the middle of the night and left.

You can't fault a person with PTSD for overreacting in certain situations. Cleveland certainly has the sports version of PTSD and it is experiencing wild flashbacks right now.

Lebron James. He was the entire franchise. He announced that he was leaving for a better place on prime time television and left. He didn't tell his teammates or his team before he announced this. He was the hometown kid. He promised Cleveland a championship. He quit in the playoffs (on this point, almost everyone seems to agree). Now, people might say he wants to win, but why did he ignore his coach's exhortation to foul at the end of the Boston series? If he really wants to win so badly, shouldn't he have tried even when hope was thin? Remember that his team had the best record in the NBA last season. It seemed unstoppable at one point. Many of the so-called experts predicted that the Cavs would win the title. He did not leave a border-line playoff team. He left the team with the best record in the NBA last season. Put yourself in the Clevelanders' shoes and think about this for a second. One moment, you're on top of the world. In the next moment, you're upset by the Celtics, your team quits in the waning seconds, and your franchise is leaving you. Talk about a rocky ride! Going from such a high to such a low is bound to make people feel bad.

You know what makes it worse? People on television, on the internet, in the press, all found ways to sneak in little digs about Cleveland in their post-mortem analyses.

Now I believe that Lebron James has the right to do what he wants with his life. However, if a Clevelander wants to burn a Lebron jersey or make a video, we shouldn't make fun of him/her. At least it isn't harming anyone. Yes, Cleveland will get over it, but telling Cleveland to get over it now is not the answer. Let Cleveland deal with it at its own pace. Give Cleveland a break.

Now if they want to burn cars or riot, that's unacceptable, since that is actually harming someone. However, I believe that such instances have been limited. It's certainly not on the scale of the regularly scheduled disasters in College Park.

Gthoma2a
11-06-2010, 12:53 PM
Whining in defense of Lebron? Where, on a few message boards by a minority of posters? I don't see a youtube video sniping at Cleveland fans and their owner.

It's easy to hate someone for doing this. But does he truly deserve to be hated for simply choosing to play somewhere else? Maybe by Cleveland fans, sure, but what about the average NBA fan?

Lebron did the sniping of Cleveland with a head shot on national television. They have the right to not like him after that.

sagegrouse
11-06-2010, 10:56 PM
My question to the Clevelanders. I like the town and was an Indians fan back in the day. Here's my take on the rhetorical question in the title:

Plan A is to sign Lebron to a long-term contract.

Plan B is to whine about Lebron going elsewhere.

Give me a break. Lebron has every right to sign with whom he pleases. Cleveland didn't create a viable Plan B.

sagegrouse

Zerogee
11-06-2010, 11:39 PM
I was planning to stay out of this thread as well - but for those who are against the reaction in Cleveland, I hope you took the high road on the whole Harrison Barnes scenario as well.

People on these boards still take snipes at Barnes (comparing him to Voldemort and such) with regards to his recruitment decisions. It's great to dislike a player because of the ugly shade of blue that he wears, but a sizable portion of DBR (or at least a vocal minority) acts like his very presence on Duke property and in interviews while harboring love for UNC while a high school senior was an act of defilement.

What LBJ did to Cleveland was 1000x worse than the Skype press conference. That doesn't make LBJ any less of an amazing basketball player. All I'm saying is if you're one of those people who doesn't like HB, at least understand why some people don't like LeBron.

Since these are opinion discussion boards, I'll voice my opinion - LeBron is a great player, but I "like" him less after The Decision. I'll still watch open-jawed as he forces his will on other teams, but I won't cheer for him. If you want to, that's fine. But there was no reason to embarrass his team on national television.

BD80
11-06-2010, 11:54 PM
... Harrison Barnes ... his very presence on Duke property and in interviews while harboring love for UNC while a high school senior was an act of defilement. ...

Well said.

Comparing HB to Voldemort is a stretch, though each chose his path poorly,

but comparing him to LBJ is apt, both were secretive and deceptive about their choice of basketball programs, and chose an ill-advised video presentation to announce that decision. Don't care much for either player, and don't care much about them either.

Jderf
11-07-2010, 01:03 AM
So far off the mark. Let him play where he wants - fine. Don't go on about a "pay cut" because that amount is simply not relevant compared to the additional revenue he generated with his publicity stunt and by playing in Miami with DWade. As for the "millions" generated for charity, I would love to see the actual figures after his posse's thumbs are pulled out of the pie. [Hint: you will never, EVER see an accounting]. I'll bet the net donation to charity pales in comparison to what the three could have generated by just airing a dunk contest and signing some autographs.

You're right. It's way off the mark. That's actually exactly what I said. My post was specifically trying to highlight the outlandish characterizations given by BOTH sides of this infantile debate, which is why directly after I said that neither account was fair or accurate. BOTH sides ignore MORE than half of the story.

But the point I really wanted to get at was this:

Let's not fall into the trap of needing to either glorify or vilify every single person on our televisions.
It's a lot easier to pass judgment when you're on our side of the screen.

Acymetric
11-07-2010, 01:08 AM
My question to the Clevelanders. I like the town and was an Indians fan back in the day. Here's my take on the rhetorical question in the title:

Plan A is to sign Lebron to a long-term contract.

Plan B is to whine about Lebron going elsewhere.

Give me a break. Lebron has every right to sign with whom he pleases. Cleveland didn't create a viable Plan B.

sagegrouse

They couldn't plan B...they had to wait until LeBron made his decision to sign any other big time players. Who was left on the market after LeBron was gone?

What should Cleveland done in the offseason that they didn't do, in your opinion?

whereinthehellami
11-08-2010, 09:04 AM
Awesome video from Cleveland in repsonse to Lequitter.

DevilWolf
11-08-2010, 09:23 AM
Well said.

Comparing HB to Voldemort is a stretch

Not really. They are both fictional characters.

elvis14
11-08-2010, 10:49 AM
I loved the response video and I hate the Nike LeBron video. Frankly I thought the Nike video was belittling to the fans. The response video is really well done I just wish it could get as much play on TV as Nike's.

Oh and I like Voldemort much more than HB!

dukeimac
11-08-2010, 04:55 PM
Any body who says it is right to say Lebron took Cleveland to something higher, a place they never had been before. But he also dropped them on their head from a ten story high building.

No one can say that if they went back to their hometown, or close town near by, and lifted them out of the rubble and then threw them back into the rubble, that your old neighbors would be saying nice things about you. Sorry, I have seen businesses who had no connections to a community pick up and leave town treated as bad as Lebron is being treated by Cleveland.

Many don't feel it is a big deal because it didn't happen to them. To be honest, what would you do if Coach K picked up and moved to, say Missouri, to coach them. You can't tell me you wouldn't feel the hurt.