Why LeBron James Will Always Be The "King Of Cleveland" and Cavs Fans His Serfs

Being a Los Angeles native with a parent originally from Cleveland, I have run through the gamut of sports fan emotions on both sides of the spectrum.

In Los Angeles, I have celebrated the championships of the Lakers, Dodgers and the Raiders, and even a Super Bowl appearance by the Los Angeles Rams.

In Cleveland, I have seen my extended family suffer decades of disappointment with the Cavaliers, Indians and the Browns.

So this I think gives me a unique perspective on the treatment of LeBron James by Cleveland sports fans.

For all of the "quitting" that these NBA superstars such as LeBron and Chris Bosh supposedly did, it's funny how their teams still BEGGED them to come back, throwing hundreds of millions of dollars at them.

If they were such "quitters", "losers" and awful human beings, then why did we and the Raptors grovel on our hands and knees for them to come back?

Let's not forget this lovely piece of Cleveland history: http://vimeo.com/11786668

The fact is, all of this hatred and bitterness REEKS of sour grapes. He was "THE KING" when he played for the Cavs, and would have remained so if he stayed in Cleveland.

But now that he's gone, he's "THE QUITTER", a jerk, and an all around evil guy.

Why the double standard?

Are we as a city and as a community really that childish and moronic?

Are we the only ones that don't see the hypocrisy in our behavior?

A city like Los Angeles, New York, or even Chicago would NEVER get so emotionally attached to ONE sports star.

Did Chicago weep and burn #23 jerseys when Michael Jordan signed with Washington?

Of course not, they gave him a HERO'S WELCOME when he came back to the United Center as a member of the OPPOSING TEAM.

We need to get over this whole LeBron debacle as if he was the ONLY Clevelander THAT MATTERED.

Are we that shallow as a city?

Do we have no other heroes, accomplishments, and priorities other than a sports figure?

And did we not set ourselves up for such heartbreak when we placed all our hopes, dreams, and ambitions on ONE INDIVIDUAL?

This whole scenario IS NOT about LeBron James, it's about CLEVELAND and our serious lack of esteem, culture, and sophistication.

We are not a laughing stock of our great nation for no reason.

And rather than dwell on the negative, we need to LEARN from this situation to LIFT OURSELVES from this gaping cultural, social and emotional hole.

We need to assert a POSITIVE self-identity, one that is not based on any INDIVIDUAL, but on our COMMUNITY as a whole.

Only THEN will we as citizens of Cleveland be able to REVOLT against the kingship of LeBron James and truly be FREE from his rule.

Lori Heuring Nicole Scherzinger Jill Arrington Tami Donaldson Padma Lakshmi