By Dr. Boyce Watkins, PhD on Dec 7th 2010 7:31PM
Filed under: Basketball
LeBron James (pictured) was in Miami, eating at a restaurant with his best friend,
Maverick Carter. Inside the restaurant there were roughly 30
Cleveland Browns fans who decided to taunt James during dinner. The group started chanting the word "traitor" over and over again at James until they were asked to leave. After they left the restaurant, the group even waited outside for James to leave with his friend. Using wise judgment, James left out a side entrance to avoid a confrontation.
I'm not sure why LeBron's case has stood out so readily for Cleveland sports fans. He's not the first player to leave a team to take another deal. He's also the guy who gave seven years of his heart to the city of Cleveland. To some extent, Cavs fans are reminding LeBron of his greatness when they cling on to him like a long lost parent. If he were a mediocre player, they wouldn't be nearly this emotional.
LeBron James going out of his way to put a 40-point butt-whooping on the Cavs was likely due to his own feelings about this unfortunate situation. He also seemed to do a bit more trash talking and even did his famous "powder toss" to the dismay of the fans in the stadium. I interpret LeBron's uncharacteristic on-court arrogance to be a defense mechanism for the fact that deep down, he's hurting from all of the criticism. As my friend
Terrie Williams (author of the book "Black Pain") likes to say, "Hurt people hurt people." What I think she means is that the pain from being hurt can cause us to lash out at others.
Perhaps it's time for all of us to move on.
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Dr. Boyce Watkins is the founder of the Your Black World Coalition and a Scholarship in Action Resident of the Institute for Black Public Policy. To have Dr. Boyce commentary delivered to your email, please click here. 
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Comments: (25)
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By: nomoxcuses on 12/07/2010 7:50PM
"Perhaps it's time for all of us to move on."
Ya think?
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By: cathylintl on 12/08/2010 9:29AM
LeBron going out of his way to put a 40-point butt-whooping on the Cavs was likely due to his own emotionality about this unfortunate situation.I stro ngly su ggest you a p lace___ Bl ackwh iteC upid.c-/0m ___
which gives you a ch ance to make your life b etter and open opportunities for you to me et the R ich si n gles and treat you like a Q ueen. May e you wanna c keck it o ut or tell your fri ends.
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By: UdoShan74 on 12/07/2010 9:00PM
Can't say I'm surprised. There are too many bitter and uncouth fans associated with Cleveland sports.
No, I'm NOT ragging on Cleveland fans. My beef is with those who live up to the negative stereotypes about their hometown and give it a bad name.
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By: Mimi on 12/07/2010 9:50PM
THE WAY THOSE CLEVELAND FANS ARE ACTING THEY SHOULDN'T EVEN HAVE A SPORTS TEAM THERE.
THOSE SO CALLED FANS ARE NO MORE THAN A BUNCH OF TRASHY DRUNK THUGS RUNNING RAMPANT.
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By: LindaJay on 12/07/2010 11:21PM
I concur. Acting a fool in Cleveland is one rediculous thing, but to take your badly-behaved antics out of town just shows others that you were not raised right.
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By: rhonda on 12/08/2010 2:00AM
I wonder what our country will look like in 20 years. We've raised a bunch of ignorant, no home training people and I shudder to think of what will become of our country and our communities.
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By: vj on 12/08/2010 2:54AM
AMEN! Reports say our youth today are less educated than 4 generations their senior. We're movin' in the wrong direction and to a bad space. I hear studentsfirst.com is an organization with the goal to stop the education downward spiral and then reverse the trend. We may want to check it out? I haven't but I will. You said it and I agree; it is evident that without change you will get the same results. I too shudder at the thought because it's REAL.
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By: Mike on 12/08/2010 2:46AM
Timberland boots for sale
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By: Yaza on 12/08/2010 5:15AM
How dare a black guy pull what LeBron did? Black men wake up and wise up, you have lost your minds in white skin obsession and every time the man gets an opportunity he shows you just what he thinks of you. No matter how much money you have, You are still nothing more than a bucking cooning low down slave. Continue being suckered in a world of blind reality.
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By: Mimi on 12/08/2010 9:21AM
THE CLEVELAND FANS THAT ARE RANTING AND RAVING LIKE IDIOTS ARE IGNORANT, WHITE, DRUNKS AND MOST OF ALL JEALOUS OF LEBRON JAMES.
LEBRON IS FROM AKRON OHIO AND HE HAS MORE MONEY THAN ANY OF THOSE IGNORANT SO CALLED FANS WILL EVER SEE IN THEIR LIFETIME.
LEBRON JAMES DID THE RIGHT THING TO GET OUT OF CLEVELAND. THOSE PEOPLE ARE REALLY SICK.
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