Its the Off season , So hokie fans have to do all they can to kill time. While we await August 30th, other sporting events are happening. Today Lebron James decides he is heading back to Cleveland. As a Miami fan, I respect the fact that he wants to give the Cleveland fans some hope again. Lebron did not give Miami its first championship but Miami gave Lebron his first ring. It was a perfect marriage while it lasted.
http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/11203027/lebron-james-says-returning-c...
Who benefited more from the Miami-Lebron James relationship?
Should Miami fans still support Lebron James?
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Comments
I'm gonna go ahead and guess that most Heat fans won't give 2 craps about basketball by this time tomorrow. That city bandwagons with the absolute best of them. Looking at the roster they have now, assuming Bosh bolts to Houston, I wouldn't be shocked if their home arena is barely half-full for the majority of the 2014-15 season. That is gonna be one baaaaad team.
So to answer your question - I don't think the Miami fans are going to feel one way or another. The vast majority only cared because the team was good, not because they liked the NBA.
They can just be Lebron fans and buy Cleveland Jerseys.
WITNESS Relocation.
BOOM!
to be fair, the Heat are about to go from first to worst as a result. Not much to stay pumped up about, and certainly not a lot of incentive to spend big money to see a game.
it's a shame dwade isn't 100%/still in his prime.
They won't be worst, but they could well be under .500. Their prospects for 2014/15 would be extremely similar to what LeBron left in 2010. Except they wouldn't have the superstar to carry them. Unless they plan to build around Shabazz Napier.
he carried UConn pretty well - I hope he can do the same for the Heat.
I don't follow closely at all, but from what I'm reading, Shabazz has been particularly awful in this year's NBA Summer League.
Its ashame D-Wade opted out of guaranteed money to try to keep the big 3 intact. He has his 3 titles, but the other 2 are going to re-up for max money. D'oh!
I have a friend that the year before Lebron went there.. basically they would handout tickets for lower bow seats in the breezeway/main cafeteria area. Hilarious huh, it will go back to being that way.
I wish he stayed. Wanted him it get that 3rd winner's ring. Now he's just gonna close it out his career with Cleveland with zero appearances in the Finals. Wtf is he thinking!?
Astronomically huge salary with no real ring aspirations? Easy enough. Lower cost of living?
no state income tax in florida $ was never the issue he can't stand being hated, and he just made it right
Not so fast my friend. With Kyrie Irving and LBJ locked down for a few years, and having EVERYBODY's 1st round draft picks, Cleveland is a contender. Andrew Wiggins panning out would just be icing on the cake.
Also, the East is a grease fire right now. Cleveland will be in the finals next year. They probably won't win the title, but they can win four out of seven against anybody in the East. Today.
Also, During Lebron's first stint in Cleveland, he had no post game. He can post up now. Cleveland is getting Lebron at the peak of his game. 11 years experience in a 29 yr body. Scary.
Riiiiiight, because he hasn't taken a woefully undermanned Cleveland to the finals before.... oh, wait. And this time they actually have legitimate talent around him, too. Wouldn't be shocked to see him bring at least 1 title to his hometown team before all is said and done.
also kevin love is expected to be dealt to cleveland for andrew wiggans...just saying kevin love is pretty damn good
and imagine if they had drafted oladipo at 1 and not bennett.
Kyrie
Oladipo
Lebron
Love
Varejao
goodnight NBA
Well when y'all put it that way, but I'm still skeptical being that it's ya know...Cleveland.
Fair enough its gonna take something special for Cleveland to win anything
Free agency is a part of sports. The fans should be happy for the four great seasons and two championships. It was a mutually beneficial relationship, not all relationships last forever, but that doesn't mean they weren't significant or beneficial.
It also kinda bugs me that he's below .500 (2-3) in finals. Wish he could've gotten that monkey off his back. I mean who the hell does Cleveland have besides Irving (who continually gets injured)?
Don't forget that Kevin Love said he would want to sign with Cleveland if Lebron went back there.
Oh Lord, If Kevin Love signed with Cleveland...Damn.
Are you kidding? Dion Waiters? Andrew Wiggins? That team has FOUR #1 draft picks now...
He wouldve had a better chance of winning a third ring quicker with the HEAT. But its not all a basketball decision. Hell bring business back to Cleaveland but Miami will be fine business-wise. No hard feelings.
Heat fans bailed on their team during a PLAYOFF game! Right before they staged one of the most amazing come-backs in recent memory.
Sorry - you can't come back in!
I don't care that they were down 21 points at one point. You don't bail on your team in the playoffs.
Miami absolutely benefited the most, which is a shame, because that fan base is an embarrassment to fandom. LBJ gave them 4 straight finals appearances, 2 championships, and was repayed in his last game ever in Miami by fans booing and leaving at halftime. And that, in a nut shell, is why I can never root for the Miami Heat. I hope they never win another game, and I don't care who they "support," that fan base can kick rocks.
Having said that, I'm glad to see LeBron learned from his last mistake. I think he handled this decision with grace and aplomb. I'll be pulling for him with the Cavs. That city needs a win.
They can't be mad at the guy. He brought them two championships.
As Steve Young said, "They can never, ever take that away from us."
Odd question, but does the Miami Heat play in Orlando over 100 miles away from Miami?
The Orlando Magic play in Orlando, the Miami Heat play in Miami.
Shows how much I follow the NBA. I didn't know Orlando had a team. I was confused by the arena I drove by last week.
Yeah, I know you don't follow... but you're about 25 years late to the party on that one. lol
That's the team that drafted Shaq.
That certainly was an odd question.
Yeah... It was a very badly worded Miami Hurricane's joke...
Real Heat fans should. He brought them 4 straight final appearances and 2 championships. They should be grateful.
Miami sports fans are rivaled only by ATL sports fans in being frontrunning bandwagoners. As for 'real Heat fans', that presupposes that there ever were actual 'real Heat fans', possibly even in Miami. I get the impression that ESPN will not be showing videos of Miamians burning jerseys, just because they were all in on The Three Kings. Just as in Cleveland, though, there will be 8-10 fools who want to make the highlight reels. Although... with Miami, they are so overwhelmingly apathetic about all things sports, they might not even notice. The Pink Pony probably opens in a couple of hours, so who cares about basketball in Miami?
Lived in ATL the past year, people here are not bandwagoners by any means. Not compared to Miami at least.
Yeah, how on earth is ATL even close to the biggest group of bandwagonners and even what sport are you talking about??? Baseball bandwaggoners generally go with the Red Sox or Yankees. Most of the south have been Braves fans forever, due to the fact that there was no other team to cheer for. I don't know anybody that's a bandwagon Hawks fan...I mean why would you be a bandwagon Hawks fan? So I can only assume you mean football?
That ignores the history of ATL Braves baseball fandom over the last several decades. Getting Braves free on TBS over the years doesn't equate to being a fan. If anyone thinks so, we need to include Chicago Cubs fandom in the same category - which is pretty apt. As for NBA & NFL, ATL fans have proven themselves over the decades to indeed be bandwagoners. That might step on the toes of current or former ATL area residents, but it happens to be true. ATL has more of a reputation among the national media for being bandwagon than any other city. Miami rivals them, but primarily because of the national attention brought by Miami Heat hoops.
Count me in the never heard of Atlanta as a bandwagon city either. In fact, there was even a study conducted that showed Braves fans are pretty loyal to their team (even if it also demonstrates that they are cheap asses).
MLB Attendance Sensitivity
I'm reminded of why the Braves are moving to a new stadium. I guess it is because their fan base is so loyal to them over the decades and has attended in such strong numbers. Yeah, that's got to be it.
So let's recount the evidence... Atlanta is a bandwagon city because one pro sports team was regularly shown on national TV and they are moving to a new stadium now. Also, Chicago is apparently second in bandwagoning because of WGN.
Nice strawman attempt, but it doesn't work. I never said Braves fans were bandwagoners because of a TV contract. I also never said the Cubs were second in bandwagoning. Of course, you had no other argument except to pretend I did. I am not angry at all, but I suppose if you have no other rebuttal, that's a nice claim. Atlanta sports fans in general have always been known as bandwagoners over the last several decades. I'm not one, so I'm not insulted, as some obviously are. I am a Hokie fan, and I've never felt insulted if someone claimed that Hokie fans were bandwagoners. Of course, I know that we're not. Meanwhile, I'll stick to my assertion that Miami sports fans come close, but don't equal ATL sports fans in terms of being frontrunning bandwagoners. I've heard it too often in national sports media commentary. I've read it too often in national sports writing. I've seen it with my own eyes too often over the decades.
OK, so why did you even bring up TBS (or WGN) in regards to "fandom" then? You were the one who brought TV contracts up in the first place and I don't see how anyone reading that wouldn't think you were offering that as "supporting evidence" to your bandwagon argument. Ultimately, your only rebuttal is "everyone knows Atlanta fans are bandwagon."
To continue, you claim that Hokies aren't bandwagoners because "you know that we're not." Well that's great and all, but the facts show that home football games stopped selling out once the 10-win streak ended. Does that not indicate some bandwagon fans must have made it past your astute Bandwagon Detector and into the stands of Lane Stadium?
While I've provided statistical evidence contradicting your statement about Atlanta, instead of offering solid evidence backing your point of view, you've chosen to support your claims with "it's been that way for decades and everyone knows it." Sorry, but that doesn't suffice as proof seeing how you've done nothing to demonstrate yourself as an authority with a credible opinion on the subject.
Of course you're welcome to your maintain your opinion, but I'm not sure why anyone would change their own opinion when you haven't provided any compelling objective evidence.
Teams change stadiums all the time. Every year it seems a team in a major sports league is unveiling a new stadium or plans for one. They're still going to be the Atlanta Braves, they're still going to play in Georgia, it's not like low attendance and apathy has driven them out of the state. The Yankees recently went to the new Yankees stadium because the stadium was old and because it was more profitable and if you try to tell me New Yorkers don't care about the Yankees I'll never take a word you say seriously. If you want to counter 'But that's a move inside the city, what does that show? The Braves are moving outside of Atlanta to Cobb County because of fan base disloyalty', I'll stay with New York teams and mention how the Giants and Jets vacated New York to go the Meadowlands in New Jersey by the mid 80's. Teams move stadiums for different reasons, it happens. Not sure what the Braves did to offend you besides being on TV or not being sold out every day but you should probably get over it.
There are myriad reasons why they're traveling a few minutes up I-75. Do a little research.
If you lived in ATL, you'd know that
Haven't been to a Falcons game yet, but everyone here goes crazy for them. I will concede that the Hawks are pretty much ignored, but it was no different than Washington's support of the Wizards pre-John Wall.
I don't need to live in ATL to understand the fallacy that you're projecting. I've attended dozens of Braves games over the decades, and a handful of Falcons & Hawks games as well, while never living inside the ATL zip codes. The Atlanta metro area is the 9th largest in the nation, checking in at over 5.5 million. So, the false attempt to pretend Atlanta is not one of the largest metros in the nation fails. Your second point disengaged your first attempted point. The thing about Turner Field is not safety, it is about proximity to customer demographic. All that being said - this is still a tangent from my original point, which was that the ATL sports fan base in general is frontrunning bandwagoners. That doesn't mean that every ATL fan is, which seems to escape those insulted enough on here to argue, it means the fan base in general. As for attendance? The Braves, despite having 'one of the largest stadiums' and a much better than average team, continually report midlevel attendance numbers. The Falcons also remain firmly in the midrange of attendance totals, not selling out their stadium. The Hawks? Let's just say it's much worse, as was the failed multiple attempts at NHL. So, you can ignore those numbers, and the multiple reports of playoff games continuing to not be sold out over the decades. Or, folks can wrongly take it personally. It's no big deal - as the original post I made was merely in comparing Miami to ATL in frontrunning, before several Braves fans took it personally. No big deal either way. Enjoy the extra room at the games, those who attend. By the way - LeBron, Miami, fans leaving 2013 Game Six early...
Here's my source for Atlanta being the 40th largest city. You're right, I probably should've researched metropolitan area.
The two go hand in hand as the commute (whether it's the distance/inconvenience or the fact that you have to get off the marta and walk through the underground - which isn't that safe) makes going to games undesirable at times.
I'm not offended/insulted by any means (I'm not a fan, I just really really like getting drunk at the games), I just don't agree with your assessment based on what I see everyday basis. If you watch most every game, but only buy tickets to big games, does that make you a fair weather fan? That's how I feel much of the Atlanta is. I don't know how many tickets the stadiums sell, but I can tell you that I meet more Braves fans day to day then I ever did Orioles fans when growing up near Baltimore.
From my vantage point, falcons aren't as popular as the braves, but they have more nearby markets. Lots of Panthers and jags fans. As for hockey, do many southern states have big hockey fan bases? No one grows up playing it down here, it's hard to be a fan. Then there's the Hawks... yea, people just don't seem to care about them; I don't think people would care even if they were good.
TL;DR Atlanta fans might not have the best attendance, but the city is genuinely interested in the success of their basketball and football teams, unlike Miami fans, who are merely looking for the most entertaining event in town (whether that be a heat game, a beach party or a pitbull concert).
Yeah... those Atlanta fans....
And, just to further the point, here's a pic from a 2013 NLDS Braves - Dodgers playoff game last fall:
Empty seats during a playoff game. smh. Point could be argued that Atlanta fans aren't frontrunning bandwagoners, they're just bad fans.
I think the last picture totally argues against the bandwagon thing. I know nothing about Atlanta sports enthusiasm, so looking at these pictures in vacuum, it just suggests that no one shows up. Bandwagoners would have packed the ALDS ("Yay, the team is good!") but been absent for anything else. The overall poor attendance just suggest overall lack of enthusiasm. But again, I know nothing about the Atlanta fanbase.
Yeah, as I said... the point can be argued they aren't bandwagoners, they're just bad fans.
Any city that has lost 2 separate franchises due to lack of interest of a major league doesn't really have much arguing they can do when its pointed out they have bad fans. They had both the Flames and the Thrashers in the NHL, and nobody showed up. And this is with one of the largest markets in the country, and certainly one of, if not the largest market in the Southeast. When there are numerous situations over your recent past when you can't even pack it in for playoff baseball games in a league where only 8 teams make the playoffs... You really don't have a leg to stand on anymore. And its not even like they came close to packing it in, there were entire sections in that pic from the NLDS that were empty. That's just bad.
Atlanta cares nothing about hockey, so there's that.
Regarding the NLDS games, my best guess is that since that was a day game, no one wanted to try to brave (no pun intended) the traffic to get there. Especially since most of the paying fanbase lives outside the city, as has been stated.
I'm sorry, but that just sounds like a list of excuses. Braves fans have a league wide reputation of simply not showing up to games, even in the playoffs. The team is still viable because of the television deal it has with TBS, but lets not pretend that the fanbase is some diehard entity that will show up rain or shine. Much like Miami Hurricanes fans, they don't show up, rain, shine, exhibition, or playoffs. If you can't fill a stadium in the playoffs, you simply don't have good fans.
Who's making excuses? I'm presenting a *possible* reason. I hated seeing the empty stadium myself and would have gone if I had money. That said, what really punches a hole in my unprofessional theory is the fact that more fans showed up to game 2 (6:30 start time) than game 1 (8:30).
(Sidenote: TBS hasn't aired Braves games nationwide since the middle of last decade.)
As others stated, if Braves and Falcons continually report midlevel attendance numbers, doesn't that dispute the bandwagon assertion? Nobody said Atlanta has the best fans. Clearly, they don't become frothing lunatics when the teams are good and sell out every game (i.e. Philadelphia), but the Braves didn't make the playoffs from 2006-2009, stopped being shown on TBS (and ended up in a horrendous TV deal that doesn't pay jack and has them shown almost nowhere), and lost two of the most recognizable people in Bobby Cox and Chipper Jones. Yet their attendance has remained incredibly steady. So sure, call them midlevel fans if you want, but I don't see much evidence for them being bandwagon other than you making the claim based on your personal opinion and the indisputable "that's what the national perception is" claim.
These numbers are a little bit skewed for ATL. To really show bandwagon behavior, a team has to go from really bad to good or mediocre to great. Since 1998 (the start of data collection in this study), ATL has been good to really good. Only two seasons were they below .500. They made the playoffs 11/15 years. Hard to describe bandwagoning, when the team is always winning.
But, this also proves you can't call ATL Braves fans Bandwagoners, because, well, they haven't ever sucked. Falcons and Hawks, on the other hand, anecdotally I would describe them as bandwagoners, but I have nothing to back that up.
DC is definitely a bandwagon town for baseball. This has more to do with the fact that baseball was gone for 40 years and when it returned, the team was historically bad (although they almost made the playoffs that inaugural year). Now they're good, tv ratings and game attendance has gone through the roof. Being a fan of the Nats, I'm really excited to see the city bandwagon around the team. The real question, though, is what happens when they fall off.
Why did you skip '91 through '97 for the Braves? Count the ring, man, count the ring!
A family member of mine lives in Miami (doesn't care about sports though) and even says that it is a bandwagon town.
Thats simply not true
Why would you think such things?
Great response! If I could give you ten legs up, I would. A picture = 1K words, you've just put out thousands of words of proof. Every pro sport, same behavior. As for the Braves, I'm old enough to remember when the Braves wouldn't sell out playoff games until time to clinch.
This is amazing.
so how bandwagon are we hokies?
At least they still have football!
I'm a Heat fan. It bums me out that he's gone, and probably that means Bosh is gone too. Wade and Bosh might have worked pretty well together.
The thing that grinds my gears the most is all those douchebag fans that burned his jersey, called him a traitor, disowned him, called him classless, etc. are now all back in on the KingJames bandwaggon. The same people, including the owner, who were calling him names and wishing ill upon him will now be celebrating him and acting like they're best friends and always been down with LBJ.
its sports, i have seen a lot of heat people today on the internet burning/trashing lbj. Imagine if Lebron quit on the heat in game 3 on the finals, took his jersey off and threw it on the ground in the arena.. Then a little later held a press conference glorifying him and why he is such a good player all to then say screw it I'm going to Cleveland. you would be pissed especially because he quit and basically said screw it i'm done.
I think both instances are day and night different. Lebron was born and raised in AKron, Ohio. Went to school there and everything. It was more than a basketball thing for the city of Cleveland, it was betrayal and lies. Imagine if D-wade had done the exact same thing lebron did in 2010. How would the fans take it?
Here's hoping KD goes home in 2016...
I bet Hornets fan feel the same are Steph Curry as well.
Don't forget about CP3. He needs to come back and play for the Hornets as well
Cleveland fans, as a Clippers and Mets fan all I have to say is enjoy this day. At least your franchise isn't known by the whole country as the "little brothers" haha.
Clippers and Mets fan? Ouch. Why not root for the Browns too to complete the terrble-organization trifecta
Haha I'm a Panthers fan too so take it FWIW and at least the Clippers are getting better, disregarding the whole Sterling fiasco.
Why do you think Lebron needs to bring his athletic supporters from Miami?
Can't he get new ones in Cleveland?
If LeBron wins no titles in Cleveland will he be remembered for being a Cav or a Heatle?
LeBron just changed his legacy with this action. He'll be remembered for his skill, and also for 'going home'... even if he never wins another title. He's got two, that's enough to silence critics who only seem to measure stuff in that manner. LeBron will be remembered for sacrificing 'bright lights, big city' for 'home town', knowing his challenge ahead.
I think this epitomizes why I love college football so much more than pro sports... You are committed to the team. I, and most of us, spent 4+ years of our life at Tech. Cheering for the football team means more to us then just wins and losses. This school shaped us. I wouldn't work were I do without Tech. Excluding the outliers (like Russell Wilson), players begin and end their careers at one place.
No one lit their T-Moble jersey on fire after he graduated. A Wahoo doesn't get to bring his talents to Blacksburg, only to pick up a few championships and then switch back to Hooville. There are a million other examples of pro athletes switching teams. The commitment to one team, for life, is why I love college sports so much more than pro.
"A Wahoo doesn't get to bring his talents to Blacksburg, only to pick up a few championships and then switch back to Hooville."
^can you imagine how confusing rooting interests would get
You really should update your thumbnail. May I make a suggestion?