Dear Lebron “Global Icon” James:Four years ago, while you were still in high school and hadn’t formally announced your entrance into the 2003 NBA Draft, Ralph Nader wrote you a letter that ultimately found its way into my inbox. In it, Mr. Nader urged you to consider using your impending status as Nike’s (or Adidas’) next one-man marketing machine to do something your esteemed predecessor, MJ, never did: advocate for sweat-shop reform. Granted, Mr. Nader came off a little high-handed, condescending—self-righteous if you will. (For instance, he never once requested your input in creating a list of reform demands that you, ultimately, would’ve been responsible for in his letter.) In fact, part of me even wondered then, as now, if he wasn’t scapegoating you as a means of mending his maimed status. In light of the 2000 presidential debacle, and the then imminent Iraq War, I don’t think I’m too far afield when I say Nader wasn’t the most popular political figure at the time. In other words, there’s ample circumstantial evidence on the record to suggest his letter wasn’t entirely altruistic, so I don’t blame you for ignoring it outright and signing a $90 million dollar deal with Jordan’s former employer. (I just thought of something. You should think about switching your nickname to “G.I.”James. Has a ring to it, doesn’t it? That way the next time you and Allen Iverson decide to throw an All-Star shindig together, you can call it a “G.I./A.I. Collaboration.”) Anyway, as I was saying, Mr. Nader’s approach might’ve been a little off-putting, not to mention indifferent towards the issue of extortionate sneaker prices (big ups Starbury!), but he meant well, and I sincerely believe he had the interests of exploited sweat-shop laborers in mind. Even you have to admit, he raised some important points, which, in light of your recent remarks on ESPN – “I’m trying to be a global icon…on the level of Muhammad Ali” – need to be re-considered and brought up to date. In a nutshell, that’s why I decided to write you this letter.
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2 Comments
March 11, 2007 at 2:45 pm
sacrilege: be a global icon like Ali…
another degenerate talks out the side of his mouth.
April 4, 2007 at 10:12 pm
Honestly how can you even expect Lebron to know what he’s really saying. When was the last time you saw a non white man stand up and make a truly substantive public statement, and even the white men who do it are considered on the fringe of respectablity and or sanity. The Ali’s, MLK’s, and Jim Brown’s are, for all intents and purposes, dead. It’s not just MJ, how about Magic, Oprah, Bob Johnson, these are the people who should be standing up and speaking when so often all we hear is Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton. So don’t blame Lebron, I mean he’s barely 20, and no one’s taught him any better.