Jesse Jackson slams Cavaliers owner for treating Lebron James like a "Runaway Slave"

[cbdo2007]

The Rev. Jesse Jackson blasted the owner of the Cleveland Cavaliers Sunday for treating Miami-bound LeBron James like a "runaway slave."

The civil rights leader slammed owner Dan Gilbert for calling James "disloyal" and "a coward" in an open letter to Cavaliers fans.

"He speaks as an owner of LeBron and not the owner of the Cleveland Cavaliers," Jackson told The Associated Press. "His feelings of betrayal personify a slave-master mentality. He sees LeBron as a runaway slave."

Moments after James, 25, who was born and raised in Ohio, announced in a hour-long ESPN special Thursday that he was going to South Florida, Gilbert ripped his former franchise player.

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/2010/07/12/2010-07-12_lebron_like_slave_to_cavs_owner_sez_jesse.html#ixzz0tTPhJDIZ

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Thoughts DU?

[Botany]

1. Jesse should learn to keep his mouth shut @ times.

n/t

[Richardo]

4. +1000

The spotlight has moved on and Jesse doesn't like it one bit.

[Botany]

10. the man never saw a t.v. camera that he didn't love

:grr:

[sofa king]

19. I dissent!

The Reverend Jackson basically crawled into a hole three years ago, and I credit his relative non-involvement in the Obama campaign as a major factor in their success.

I personally want to thank Jesse for keeping that low profile at that crucial time. It couldn't have been easy for him to do that, both to admit his polarizing effect on the public and to refrain from taking the credit he is certainly due for his decades of effort.

So now, if he wants to pontificate on basketball politics, let him! Make him the damned commissioner of the NBA for all I care. That dude busted his ass and risked his life for decades, and he's earned the right to stick his nose where it doesn't belong, whatever my own opinion on the subject.

And shame on you, Clevelanders, for being bitter about LeBron leaving you! You got him because you sucked. He changed all that for you, made you contenders for years running. You should thank him for sticking around as long as he did without complaining.

[Botany]

20. Jackson was caught calling Obama a N*****

Jackson has done some very good work but he has said and done some really
stupid things.

[ecstatic]

25. That was shameful, but Mr. Jackson is correct on this issue

A lot of athletes are viewed more like cattle than like human beings. Then their pay is questioned. When will people start questioning the pay of the team OWNERS?

[Tailormyst]

28. Geez I wish I was treated like cattle then

It would be nice to live like a king.

[joeybee12]

36. If someone gave me several hundred million, yeah, call me cattle! n/t

[ecstatic]

51. Start practicing hours a day, everyday, at any sport and you just might

At this point, your best chance may be golf. Most americans can't manage 15 minutes a month of exercise!

[Tailormyst]

52. Considering I am female, 40, with no time left after work and kids, I don't see that happening

Please don't expect me to cry for a multi-multi-millionaire because someone said something mean about him. Injecting racism and slavery into it makes a mockery of what slaves went through.

[Tailormyst]

2. Not the best move Jesse

Not the best move.

[LynneSin]

3. I think both sides were an absolute embarrassment and justifies why I don't watch basketball

That whole cheesy special on ESPN was a giant size slap in the face to all the fans of the Cavaliers. I think what Gilbert said was wrong but I can see where he was trying to defend the fans that were just as hurt.

As to LeBron - the grass isn't always greener on the other side. Maybe it's sunnier and ritzier in Miami but you haven't proven a thing yet as a member of the Heat. That's when Karma tends to bite you in the ass.

[cbdo2007]

17. He'll probably get bitten by a shark and be out for the season *laughs*

[rocktivity]

45. DING DING DING! LynneSin, y ou're our grand prize winner!

I think both sides were an absolute embarrassment...That whole cheesy special on ESPN was a giant size slap in the face to all the fans of the Cavaliers...

I'll see your slap in the face and raise it to a blow to the credibility of the entire NBA. The commissioner didn't do his job of looking out out for best interests of the game by allowing LeBron's formalized public humiliation of not only the Cavs organization, but to the other franchises he rejected.

Now there's no limit to what he (or the next LeBron) can get away with. If there's anything worse than a player who thinks he's bigger than the game, it's one who think he's bigger than the league.

:headbang:
rocktivity

[Winterblues]

46. How was the grass greener, he actually took Less than the Cav's were offering?

I think James wanted to be on a winning team and did not see that happening with the Cavs. I think he saw the potential with the Heat and decided in the long run he would be better off. He was after all a Free Agent..He was able to amke these decisions on his own..As far as the Cav's owner acting like a slve owner, well when you apy someone ten million dollars a year I think you would assume you own them..:shrug:

[LynneSin]

58. Seriously - if I offered you the chance to live in Miami or Cleveland who would you pick

It really came down to what I perceived James wanted with his life, and Cleveland has never had the appeal that Miami has.

I hope that the NBA powers-to-be step in and stop this kind of tackiness this whole James/ESPN crapola fest turned out to be.

[Raineyb]

60. That is exactly the attitude Rev. Jackson was pointing out.

Are you implying that this attitude is acceptable?

[rpannier]

5. The one thing Jackson got right was

James lived up to his contract
He didn't owe anybody anything

That said, it was still classless the way he (James) handled it
He could have informed Cavalier management of his decision
But, LBJ proved that it really is all about him

[BeyondGeography]

6. I'll see your over-the-top and raise you

Tiresome.

[KharmaTrain]

7. Isn't This Crap History By Now???

Guess Jesse's feeling neglected...the phone isn't ringing for interviews like they used to. Overall this is a bunch of rich and greedy people doing what they do best...be greedy and self-centered. James is no "slave"...just another pampered athlete who has been treated special cause he can shoot a basketball. I honestly think he thinks we really care about his life and career...totally tone-deaf to the times we're living in and the struggles many are facing. So he goes to Miami...best of luck. Regarding Gilbert...the dude took spin control to a new level and showed his own arrogance as this had nothing to do with "loyalty"...it's all about the money and the ego...the same reasons he bought the team. Overall, except for some Cleveland fans, he came off as much of a jerk as James did...a pox on all their houses.

Jesse...Jesse...Jesse...he always needs to be in the spotlight in a parade that has long passed him by.

[NJmaverick]

8. I think Jackson is wrong. Worse, I think Jackson undermines efforts

to address real racial concerns, by trying to create racial issues where none exist.

[cbdo2007]

14. This was my thought as well. Really it is a put down to slaves who

experienced things JJ cannot even imagine, to then lump one of the richest athletes in the world in with them when he has every opportunity available to him that they did not. Maybe Jesse Jackson should be asked to pay reparations for his comment.

[Richardo]

38. Yes. Lebron James' treatment is exactly like what this man endured.

Invoking slavery for every little inter-racial dispute - ESPECIALLY when race is not involved - absolutely diminishes the horrors actual slaves endured. Jackson should be ashamed.

[Rebubula]

9. LOLZ

No one injected race into this story until Jesse did. Some people, regardless of background, want to keep racism alive for various reasons.

With the exception of his Reading of 'Green Eggs and Ham' on SNL after Suess died...I have not seen anything good come out of Jesse Jackson in 20 years

[CatWoman]

18. I do not like green eggs and ham

I do not like them Sam I Am :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPxPciXcJvc

[trumad]

11. Good for Jesse

Oh make no mistake---it's all about race and that include members here on DU.

Oh we don't want no uppity black person usurping the White master and making them look bad.

Fucking Gilbert has a Class Action suit against him and his company for making employees work 60 to 80 hours a week without overtime.

Gilbert is a piece of shit but I'm glad to see old DU defend him 24x7. :eyes:

Jul. 4, 2010
About 1,400 former Quicken employees are rolled into one or more of four lawsuits against Quicken and its founder Dan Gilbert, Rock Financial Corp. and Quicken Vice President David Carroll challenging its policy of not paying overtime to mortgage loan officers.

The first lawsuit, filed in 2004, covers 446 employees at Quicken call centers in Troy, Cleveland and Phoenix. A second lawsuit, filed in 2007, covers employees who tried to opt in later as plaintiffs in the original suit. A third case covers a class of Rock mortgage bankers at separate branch locations, and a fourth lawsuit was filed in May to cover possible new claims stemming from the March opinion from the labor department.

Employees in the lawsuits allege they were instructed to work more than 55 hours a week without overtime, sometimes putting in 70-80 hour weeks while supervisors monitored them from an elevated platform in the same room or by listening in on sales calls to ensure they followed protocol.
http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article/20100704/SUB01/307...

[Richardo]

24. Um, the point's over here.

I think you missed it.

I'm not seeing anyone defending Gilbert, I'm seeing people discussing whether Jackson's remarks were out of line.

The whole thing was an overblown, who-gives-a-shit clusterfuck and to me the worst part is that somehow the iconic initials LBJ have been co-opted for this nonsense.

[joeybee12]

54. Don't bother...trumad now worships at the altar of leBron...

...had the guy gone somewhere else, trumad would be singing a different tune.

[trumad]

55. No I wouldn't have...

I fucking love LaBron... and if he would have chosen the Knicks over the Heat I would defend him just as fiercely from the shrill sour graping fucktards who are going after him.

[H2O Man]

27. Absolutely!

Jesse is 100% correct. I'm glad he said it. Anyone offended by this deserves to be offended.

[Scurrilous]

50. Yep.

:thumbsup:

[tularetom]

12. When I saw that James was putting on this spectacle to air his decision I thought

"what an asshole".

Then when I read of Gilbert's reaction to James's little ego party, I thought "Wow! An even bigger asshole".

This morning I read Jackson's reaction to Gilbert's childish remarks and I thought "The biggest asshole of the three of them".

I don't see how for anyone could out asshole these three, but we haven't heard from Limbaugh yet so I guess anything's possible.

[TexasObserver]

26. Neither Lebron nor Gilbert is admirable.

But Jackson's comments are particularly useless, and typical of the sad legacy that is now his. He used to be someone worthy of admiration, but that was 20 years ago.

[dkf]

13. Wow even when super rich and famous it all goes back to being a slave?

What will it take to get over this?

[Fire1]

15. Dan Gilbert = Sour grapes. n/t

[fishwax]

53. agreed n/t

[malaise]

16. For once Jesse is 100% correct

Lebrun was a free agent and like any other professional he was free to sign a contract with whomever he wanted.
No one would have called the owner disloyal if Lebrun had failed for a year and was then dropped like a hot potato. Fuck Dan Gilbert. He could have tried that shite before Curt Flood fought for all professional athletes.

[ecstatic]

21. + 1 nt

[Rebubula]

29. No

Jesse is NOT correct.

LeBron can go wherever he wants. The Owner is allowed to be a whiny little baby if he wants.

However, it has FA to do with race or anything else. It is economics and ego...nothing else.


This was NOT a racial issue until Jesse made it so.

[malaise]

33. Then you know nothing about the fight for

free agency. Go and read about Curt Flood and get back to me.

[Rebubula]

39. Free Agency???

This has nothing to do with Free Agency. This has everything to do with toying with people; acting like a prima donna and then having a one hour TV special in your honor.

Both guys acted like assholes. Especially the owner who acted like a spoiled child. No one is arguing that the owner is a rich, spoiled dick.

No one is besmirching Lebron for going where he wants. Heck...he even took less money to go the Heat.

Meh...for the most part, I could not care less about professional basketball (or football, hockey - whatever sport) so this is basically a nonstory to me. UNTIL...Jesse started spouting about 'masters and slaves'.

Anyway...I will agree to disagree.

[malaise]

47. I recommend this book

Brad Snyder - A Well-Paid Slave: Curt Flood's Fight for Free Agency in Professional Sports

http://www.amazon.com/Well-Paid-Slave-Floods-Agency-Professional/dp/067003794X#reader_067003794X

[AngryOldDem]

44. Exactly,

Before Flood, you could make a reasonable case that athletes were indeed slaves to their teams.

[H2O Man]

30. Yes.

He definitely is (though not "for once" -- he usually is).

[malaise]

34. LOL

Useful observation. :hi:

[TexasObserver]

31. Gilbert's comments were largely about the way Lebron went about it.

No one has suggested that Lebron didn't have a right to leave and go wherever he wanted. But it appears he lied to the Cavs about his intentions, and that this scheme was cooked up by Lebron, Bosh and Wade before the season ended. Lebron led the Cavs to believe he was thinking about staying with them, while the evidence seems to suggest otherwise.

I don't care one way or another about Lebron or the owner of the Cavs. They're both money grubbing glory hounds who spend their time in self aggrandizing activities that don't mean jack shit.

[malaise]

35. Do other professionals hold their cards

when contracts expire?

I care about a person's right to work where they want - why do we expect loyalty from professional athletes anymore than we expect it from bankers, doctors, engineers, etc.

[JackDragna]

32. There's no excuse for the circus James put on.

He could have just as easily said "I'm going to Miami" in a 15-minute press conference. Instead, he had this giant spectacle, complete with prepared questions. He spent essentially an hour throwing the city of Cleveland under the bus. He deserves every bit of scorn he gets.

[malaise]

His contract with Cleveland expired

he was free to move on. The response to a free man moving is the bigger circus.

[JackDragna]

59. Right. Did you see any of this when Bryant signed a new contract?

Or Jordan? The difference between those two men and James is that both of them have actually won something. How about what Kevin Durant recently did, signing a contract extension with virtually no fanfare? What James did was disgusting, using a major TV network and the goodwill of an entire city to promote his "brand."

[TexasObserver]

22. The unraveling of Jesse Jackson has been sad.

I think it was his son, the congressman, who last publicly told him to get his head out, in 2008.

[guruoo]

23. The Onion? n/t

[SoCalDem]

37. Poor Jesse, he does not realize that "his time" has passed

He never misses an opportunity to chime in with his signature issue. Granted, there are still egregious cases of racism where attention needs to be focused, but THIS is not one of them.

[Richardo]

40. Yes. Lebron James' treatment is exactly like what this man endured.

Invoking slavery for every little inter-racial dispute - ESPECIALLY when race is not involved - absolutely diminishes the horrors actual slaves endured. Jackson should be ashamed.

[FedUpWithIt All]

41. Gilbert paid 20+MILLION to build a training facility a little closer to Lebron's home.

To make training more convenient for him.
Jesse Jackson has misspoken.

[malaise]

48. Apparently he didn't read the expiry date of James

contract or did he think he owned him?
I wonder how many of you would feel if your former employee could bad talk you in the media because you chose to sign a new contract with someone else when the one with him expired? Perhaps we should invite all those loyal employees who have been laid off by corporations to discuss this topic.
There is no loyalty in Corporate America - it's every man and woman for him or herself. The corporate overlords decided that ages ago.

[FedUpWithIt All]

56. As if Lebron does not speak of Cleveland and the Cavs franchise to the media.

Lebron also had plenty of very public comments about Mike Brown last season as well. Lebron made the whole free agency issue a public thing when he insisted on a an hour of ESPN time to announce his departure. Public is what celebrities do. And Lebron is the one who made it all even more public.

Suddenly leave your job anywhere i suspect the supervisor may have something really emotional to say about it. Particularly if the company had recently spent an insane amount of money building you a new state of the art break room and you decided to break the news of it to your boss over the loud speaker...

This isn't about lay offs and perhaps your other areas of frustration are bleeding into this discussion. "Perhaps we should invite all those loyal employees who have been laid off by corporations to discuss this topic." This really confused me, i'll be honest. Seems like a whole different discussion than the free agency of a sports star and the emotional reaction to his manner of leaving.

I was shocked when i read the letter personally but i feel the man is entitled to make an emotional rant. (He is also responsible for the reaction it causes just like Lebron and his actions and the reaction) He is as entitled to it as anyone is, in any city, regarding any player. People rant about their town's sports stars ALL THE TIME. To suggest his disappointment and reaction stems from an ownership mentality (any more than any fan/franchise feels a possessiveness to the local sorts stars) is pretty out there.

The majority of the emotion and anger regarding this subject is due to the fact that Lebron strung along the team, during a crutial team building time in an effort to raise the interest in himself. The team could not make any major decisions until Lebron announced his decision because he has always demanded a certain level of appeasement. When he finally DID announce his choice of team, on a program paid for by himself, the options for the Cavs were severely limited.

The Cavs have been paying SEVERE penalty taxes for years ($19,000,000+ in 2008-2009 alone) because the players which Lebron would request or sign off on could not be afforded while Lebron was taking a max salary. It is the owners who pay the Luxury tax when they spend more than the cap.

In every trade Gilbert made, he took on more money than he sent out, his payroll spiraling into the luxury tax and then more deeply into the tax. Each, whether it was for Ben Wallace or Mo Williams or Shaquille O'Neal or Antawn Jamison, came only as James signed off. Yet when it was time to sign free agents, James would not commit to the future.

It left the team being forced to improve mostly through trades, deals they often made with the short term in mind that required them to give up future assets in the form of draft picks and prospects. Largely it worked, as the Cavs became one of the league's most successful teams.

Gilbert hired one of James' friends and paid him more than some assistant coaches to hang out with the team so James would be comfortable. Gilbert allowed members of James' management team to fly on the team jet. He spent $25 million to construct a practice facility that was located 20 minutes closer to James' home than the old one. He rebuilt the locker room. He hired a masseur to travel on the road because James likes massages.

http://www.fearthesword.com/2010/7/9/1560859/a-look-inside-dan-gilberts

Not quite slavery.

[Baclava]

42. poor poor poor Lebron will have to dump his 35,000 sq ft tar shack in Akron?

For one in Miami?

how horrible - slap a new coat of paint on one of these and they're almost liveable

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Nx_jloKB0mg/TClH_UL369I/AAAAAAAAA58/SqNpPTonuQQ/s1600/55+Palm+Ave+Miami+Beach.jpg

[AngryOldDem]

43. Seems to me James freely made the decision to leave.

He fulfilled his contract, as all players do, then chose to move on where he could get a better paycheck. He entertained offers from other teams. Doesn't sound much like a "slave" to me.

Gilbert is not the first GM or owner upset by the loss of a key player on his team. That hardly makes Gilbert a "slaveowner."

This over-the-top rhetoric is uncalled for and unnecessary, IMHO.

[GreatCaesarsGhost]

49. Wake up, Jesse.

It wasn't slavery, it was Atlantic triangular trade. Just ask the Texas textbook "scholars".

[Liberal_in_LA]

57. hee hee

[Stevenmarc]

61. Gee who would have thought a Reverend would be prone to hyperbole

OK move along, nothing to see here

[malaise]

62. Anyone noticed that Stern fined the Cavs

$100,000 for Gilbert's outburst.

change figure

That is all.

[OhioChick]

63. Jesse "should" keep his mouth shut n/t