LeBron James will forever be a mysterious case. When he decided to join Wade and Bosh in South Beach, I figured the folks in Cleveland wouldn’t be too fond of that. Little did I know that the rest of the sports world, let alone the basketball community, would despise him for that decision as well.
The Heat were showered with boos whenever they stepped foot into any arena located outside of Miami. Then at the conclusion of the regular season, we found out that LeBron led the NBA in jersey sales. That was when I really became confused. I realize that by him changing both team and jersey number meant that there was new NBA merchandise for fans to purchase, but he was still the hated villain. That led me to believe that he wasn’t as hated as I initially thought.
Recently, there was a poll conducted by Ipsos that ranked the popularity of celebrities, not just athletes, and garnered some interesting results. It was an interesting study and you’ll be happy to know that Betty White is America’s favorite, most trusted personality and the most prone to driving brand purchase. Rounding out the top ten were Denzel Washington, Sandra Bullock, Clint Eastwood, Tom Hanks, Harrison Ford, Morgan Freeman, Kate Middleton, Will Smith and Johnny Depp. With the exception of Middleton, I guess it’s hard to argue with that list as the rest earned their spot.
However, the same study determined who were America’s least popular public figures as well. Leading the way was Paris Hilton. No argument here. Rounding the top (or bottom) ten, following Hilton, are Charlie “winning” Sheen, Britney Spears, Kanye West, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Tiger Woods, Kim Kardashian, Mel Gibson, Donald Trump and number ten is our very own LeBron James. Twenty-nine percent of respondents had an unfavorable opinion of LeBron.
I find that amazing and it completely contradicts the jersey sale statistic. You mean to tell me that by him heading to the Heat (and I get it, “it’s not the fact that he left, it’s how he left.” No need to go down that road again) would put him in the same category as a serial adulterer, a couple of airheads, and someone who made disparaging remarks about a certain sect of people? Man, imagine if he actually did something intended to hurt people. He would’ve blown Hilton away.
Time really does heal all wounds and I’m willing to bet that in a few years if Ipsos conducts this same poll, there’s no way his name appears near the bottom. Let’s not forget, his decision ultimately did much more good than harm.
If you’re looking for your everyday, predictable basketball talk, then go somewhere else, because Kevin Burke of The Kevin Burke Project brings provocative, thought provoking content about basketball as only he can. Kevin also hosts The Hoop Doctors weekly podcast show, which you can subscribe to for free on iTunes. Follow Kevin on Twitter and Facebook
