LeBron's Return to Cleveland

James throwing talcum powder up in front
of the Cleveland crowd,
something he did prior to
 every home game in his
7 years as a
Cavalier.

Cavalier fans burning the jersey
of their once beloved Lebron James.

Ever since "The Decision"--the self-indulgent, unnecessary 1 hour TV special on which Lebron James announced that he was leaving the city of Cleveland and the Cavaliers to form an "all-star team" with Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh with the Miami Heat--the media has obsessed with every development concerning James and the Heat.  Nothing has been different this week, as everywhere you look, there is another article on Lebron's return to Cleveland on Thursday, when the Heat take on the Cavaliers.  No, there are no playoffs going on.  No, there are no championships at stake.  However, this regular season game has riveted the sports world.  Will Lebron James follow his 7 year tradition and throw talcum powder in the air in front of the fans who once loved him?  How badly will he be booed?


The lead story on SportsCenter in the morning is not the fact that the Steelers are playing the Ravens Sunday night for first place in the AFC North or that the Jets and Patriots face off Monday night for first place in the AFC East.  The media knows that despite the fact that these stories may be the most important, they are not the most intriguing.  While there are much larger stories that should be talked about, the return of Lebron James to Cleveland is clearly the favorite of the media.  People have the strongest feelings towards this story as loads of people despise Lebron following his "heartless" move to Miami, while some support what he did citing the fact that it is all about winning.  Regardless of what you feel, there is no denying that the media wants people to talk about it.  And whether we like it or not, the media is going to get what they want.

<http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/02/sports/02leading.html?ref=sports>