Nearly one year ago, Lebron James was criticized for trying to hide a tape of him being dunked on by a college player (Jordan Crawford, who was drafted in the 1st round of this month's NBA Draft). I wrote a blog about it, and up until now, that was the most criticism James had faced during an offseason.

This week, LeBron James held a press conference on ESPN during prime time to announce he was spurning his hometown Cleveland Cavaliers to roam South Beach and bring NBA Championships to the Miami Heat. James has been roundly criticized for his actions the past week. But why?



James leaves his hometown team and fans turned on James immediately. Let's put ourselves in James' shoes (although we likely did not get paid $90 million to wear a pair of Nikes before we started working, as James did seven years ago coming out of high school). What would we do?

How would we like it if we were expected to stay in the same job for the same company our entire ? Would any of us like to have that expectation? Furthermore, how many of us would stay in a job that we believed to be far less attractive than another option? What if we thought another job could:

a) Increase our probability of success?

b) Allow us to live in a more desirable location?

c) Allow us to enjoy our job more

d) Allow us to work with others who would make us better

e) Pay us more?

Now imagine others chose to hate us because we chose to change jobs. What would we think of the individuals criticizing our decision? At some point, sports fans need to lose the dream that pro sports is anything but a business.

Joe Mauer, the 2009 American League MVP chose to re-sign with the Minnesota this past season. He was in a similar situation to James. Unlike James, Mauer did not choose to leave. I live in the same city as Mauer, attended the same high school as Mauer, and know his family well. They are outstanding people. I hope the people of Minnesota would not have responded the same way to the Mauer's had Joe decided to leave. Although I would have been disappointed if Mauer had left because I enjoy watching him play, I think I have as little right to criticize his career decisions as he does mine.

That said, the other difference between Mauer and James is that Mauer did not elect to broadcast his decision. Let's review all the ugly decisions we've seen in the past week surrounding James:

1) James decides to broadcast his decision on ESPN. This self-aggrandizing behavior is dangerous regardless of the decision, but particularly when he decides to leave Cleveland. This is perceived as rubbing salt in the wounds of one of the more troubled sports cities over the past several decades. They had The Drive (Elway), The Shot (Jordan over Ehlo), and now this.

2) Dan Gilbert, the Cleveland owner, erupts when James decides to go to Miami. Gilbert criticizes James, claims he was arrogant, egotistical, and lacked the ability to perform in the clutch. All of these verbal jabs make one wonder why, if Gilbert really felt this way, had he rolled out the red carpet for James earlier in the week? If he knew James was a quitter, wouldn't he have simply let James walk? Gilbert went on to promise Cleveland fans that the Cavaliers will win a title before James ever does. Where can the rest of us get in on that wager?

3) Cavs' fans are acting as if LeBron owed them to stay his entire career. Why do sports fans believe they have any control over athletes' decisions or performance? We are not forced to buy tickets, replica jerseys, or follow pro sports. Many of us choose to do so. James took a team with below average talent to 127 wins over the past two seasons. Although the Cavs did not play well in the playoffs, I believe other teams underperformed during the regular season more than the Cavs underperformed during the playoffs. Put LeBron on the Lakers and Kobe Bryant on the Cavs and there's no way the Cavs have the same success the past three seasons. In fact, I don't think if you take away a 60-win team's top player, you find a poorer supporting cast in the history of the NBA than the Cavs the past two seasons.

Earlier, I listed five reasons why people might leave a job. Let's analyze in terms of LeBron James.

a) Increase our probability of success. Contrary to the Dan Gilbert's opinion, most believe James' chances of winning an NBA title increased markedly this week when he signed with the Heat. There are legitimate concerns about how well James, Wade, and Bosh will gel, and whether the Heat will provide them a solid supporting cast. I still like their chances infinitesimally better than the chances of James, Mo Williams, and Antawn Jamison.

b) Live in a more desirable location. Cleveland vs. Miami? Enough said. (I can say this because I live in Minnesota, and even though the Timberwolves have been anticipating this NBA free agent class for several years, they couldn't even get the likes of Rudy Gay or David Lee to visit, much less James, Bosh, Joe Johnson, or Wade).

c) Allow us to work with others who would make us better. My hunch is that James wanted to stay with the Cavs but did not believe they would surround him with other top players. Over the past 25 years, few NBA teams have won a championship without having two or more All-Stars (and often Hall-of-Famers still in their prime) in their lineup. Whether it was Jordan and Pippen, Magic and Abdul-Jabbar and Worty, Bird and McHale and Parish, Duncan and Ginobili and Parker, Billups and Hamilton and Wallace, Bryant and Shaq, and now Bryan and Gasol, LeBron was not provided that same opportunity in Cleveland. Had Gilbert signed another top 20 NBA player, my belief is the Cavs would already have a title.

LeBron has been criticized for his inability to lead the Cavs to a title. None of the players mentioned above could have done so without a tremendous supporting cast. We need to look back no further than Kobe Bryant four yeasrs ago to see the struggles he had without a strong supporting cast. Had the Lakers not obtained Pau Gasol, Kobes' career likely would be viewed quite differently.

d) Allow us to enjoy our job more. Most research on indicates we enjoy our job when we have autonomy, relatedness, and competence. With the Heat, James has freely chosen (autonomy) to play with two players he bonded with during the Beijing Olympics (relatedness), who also happen to be stars (competence).

e) Pay us more. Ironically, James did the opposite of Cuba Gooding in the movie Jerry Maguire. In his famous "Show me the Money" scene, Gooding demonstrated the attitude commonly attributed to athletes - namely that all they care about is money.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mBS0OWGUidc&feature=related

James left somewhere between $30 and $50 million dollars on the table by not signing with the Cavs. So often, we hear fans lament that today's does not care enough about winning, that all they want is the money. Here we have an athlete who passed up more money for a better chance to attain his goal: an NBA Championship. LeBron does not appear to have the same alpha-male competitive instincts that Jordan and Kobe have. Maybe he knows that. In any case, James get to make his own decisions.

The well-known quote: "When you win, say little, when you lose, say less" should have been instructive to all in this situation:

1) James is winning by signing with the team of his choice - he should have said little. No press conference, no ESPN, no new twitter account. He should have simply provided a statement. Based on media accounts, he did not treat Cleveland with much respect over the past month or more. Allegedly, he was not returning their phone calls or text messages. This is simply a poor way of dealing with an organization that he spent his first seven years of his NBA career. It is understandable why this upset fans and employees in Cleveland.

2) Cavs' fans are disappointed they lost. They can complain and be upset, but it will not get them anything. James made an immature move with his ESPN press conference but it is what it is.

A friend of mine and I took our boys to the museum today. The friend happens to be from Ohio and shares the sentiments of most Cleveland fans about LeBron's departure. My friend recently left on prestigious academic position for an even more prestigious academic position. I asked him who he thought ought to have input on that decision. He responded quickly, “My family.”

Why do fans think pro athletes are any different than the rest of us when it comes to making career decisions? My friend took a job in a less desirable location in exchange for more career opportunities. What is wrong with that? What is wrong with James doing the same thing? The major difference lies in how my friend and James communicated their departures – my friend had the decency to discuss his situation and decision with his colleagues. As a result, my friend still has strong relationships with his former colleagues; James will likely not experience these positive relationships moving forward.

3) Cavs' owner Dan Gilbert should have said less. Not only did he come across as a sore loser, but he also made statements that will likely come back to haunt him, because even if it takes James, Wade, Bosh, and Co. several years to win a title, the Cavs will not win one any earlier. Furthermore, given the fact that James was not returning calls, Gilbert had to have an idea that James was not coming back, a decision that only James gets to make.

If James had stayed in Cleveland, he may have done it for the money. He left and is accused of not being loyal. He leads a below average supporting cast to the most wins in the NBA the past two years and that is not enough. No matter what he does, it will not be enough when he is expected to be perfect.

We place athletes on such a pedestal that it is inevitable they will be knocked back down. It's time we stop putting them on the pedestal, and time that we start recognizing pro athletes make career decisions using many of the same decision criteria as the rest of us, no better and no worse, just at a slightly higher stakes and more visible table!