Before this moment, I must say, while I had no compassion for you, being a Philadelphia fan I feel I owe no out of towner anything because chances are I, as all fans in the City of Brotherly Love, had suffered far worse with no well-wishes from a rival city. But, while I had no compassion, I had no contempt, either. In light of losing the biggest star to ever play in the city and the face of the NBA, I felt the fans had the right to be pissed off and if something like what played out this summer in Cleveland had gone down in the Delaware Valley, the fan reaction would be much more harsh (and my hypothesis is the national sentiment from the media and other fans would not be nearly as supportive as what Cleveland has been receiving). However, after watching a segment on Sports Center about the economic impact James' leaving would have on Cleveland, especially the area surrounding the stadium, I now no longer feel nothing for you, I am glad LeBron James left your city. If one player, however talented, determines whether fans, no matter how “cursed”, will support their team, then you never deserved him. And I know, LeBron is a superstar with no talent+marketing equal in any sport. However, if one player will determine the future of the restaurants and shops and bars and employees at Quicken Loans Arena, then the fans really have nothing to complain about. Estimates on ESPN had the local economy surrounding the King's former castle losing $20-40 million dollars in the coming season. Now fans and management need to ask themselves, “why are we even surprised he left?” If the team surrounding arguably the most talented player in the league was so far below par that taking him out of the lineup would devastate the team to the point the city and fans would stop supporting the team altogether, why would he stay? It's about winning. Period. Your team was not good enough to take advantage of LeBron's talents. And now your fans will be proven to be as fraudulent as the Cavaliers regular season record the past few seasons as the line forms for an emergency de-boarding of the bandwagon as every sports bar Cavs' merchandise stand goes out of business. And I bet the Indians are in even greater trouble now, as well. It's not even funny to have a #23 James baseball jersey anymore.
Maybe Dan Gilbert had something to do with the King giving up his thrown in his homeland to join a democracy on South Beach, as well. If Gilbert is so two-faced he would offer James a max salary and build a franchise around him but then call him a quitter and a coward as soon as he leaves, how can anybody believe a word that comes out of his mouth? How will fans trust his guarantee of a championship? How will any potential superstar replacement not fear the same treatment so much as to deter them from joining the Cavaliers and help bring them back into relevancy? The fans and management of Cleveland's basketball franchise will be stuck in this cycle for the foreseeable future, most likely until they once again hit the lottery, and they have only themselves to blame.
Your superstar is gone and it was time to prove yourselves. You failed. For the same reasons you failed to keep LeBron in your city. The team was not good enough, the fans were not loyal enough, and the city, well, come on, I know I live in Philadelphia and have very little room to talk, but given the option to live in Cleveland or Miami, who would choose rust over sand? Especially when there are rings to be won on the beach, and only regular season and individual accolades on the table at home.
I hope this letter is not taken with offense, but in this time of rebuilding, use it as a building block. Realize James left because it is what he wanted to do. Then get over it and move on. Worry about your team. That is not to say you should not hate and boo LeBron and cheer against Miami. Hell, I actively wish on-field misfortune to any team that employs J.D. Drew, and now even his brother, Stephen. Now I cannot wait to voice my distaste for Donovan McNabb when he comes back to the Linc for the first time as a Redskin. Use all that hate and support your team. Be real fans. Be a real franchise. Or sitback and slowly let basketball slip into irrelevancy and put all your hopes and dreams on Mike Holmgren's shoulders.
Sincerely,
Bill Matz
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