LeBron James: Much More Than Just a Basketball Player
Written by Steven Mulvey
Many will say that LeBron James is one of the best basketball players ever in the history of the National Basketball Association (NBA). What many don’t know is that he was much more than your average basketball player and professional athlete; he affected Cleveland’s economy before his signing with the Miami Heat. The city of Cleveland, Ohio suffered greatly within the last few years having an unemployment rate of about 16.4 percent. When LeBron left Cleveland, Cleveland’s unemployment raised around 1.5 percent. Although that doesn’t seem like very much, it happened within the matter of three months. Also, to think unemployment was affected by the leave of a professional athlete is hard to believe.
An unemployment rate that grows 1.5 percent in just three months is unbelievably high, especially “for a city nearly half the size of Detroit, that’s a pretty big hit” (Cleveland Cavaliers). Also, one year later, Cleveland became the “eighth most dangerous city in America and rivals to Detroit for having the highest poverty rate in the country” (Cleveland Cavaliers).
During LeBron James free agency, the Chicago Bulls were competing to sign the NBA superstar. A Chicago business article stated that “James would bring 2.7 billion dollars” to Chicago (Cleveland Cavaliers). That is a lot of money to add to a city, but think of what that kind of money could do to Cleveland’s decreasing economy and growing unemployment rate.
LeBron gives many companies a lot of business. While in Cleveland, many citizens would buy tickets to watch their local basketball team, the Cleveland Cavaliers. Before attending the game, they may want to purchase some jerseys or other apparel to wear to the game. After the game, they may be hungry and want to stop at a restaurant near the arena. Right here in this situation, many different companies, businesses and restaurants were affected. With the departure of LeBron James, the team will not be as good, causing many to not want to go out and see their team. Of course a loss is not guaranteed because of one man, but without their team leader and league most valuable player, their chances of failure are much higher. Another important aspect is the postseason playoffs and finals. Since their chances of advancing to the finals are much worse, ticket sales will go down significantly. Since NBA finals tickets are more scarce, viewers are faced with the choice to pay much more to attend the games than they would pay for regular season matches.
LeBron was faced with a choice, stay in Cleveland which is hometown, or take his talents to South Beach. He made his decision to sign with Miami where the big three came together. Since LeBron has signed with Miami with the combination of the big three, they have had several successful seasons ending with a few championships. LeBron James and Dwyane Wade are both in the top 10 for jersey sales, LeBron James at number one and Dwyane Wade at number seven, giving Miami businesses a lot of money from jersey sales.
Giving companies business like this is what keeps an economy successful and growing. Professional athletes don’t always affect the economy but LeBron proved he made an impact. Nobody says is better than journalist Adam Miller, saying “if James thinks his effect lays strictly in wins and losses, he should think again” (Cleveland Cavaliers). It goes beyond sports for some athletes, showing that LeBron James did affect Cleveland’s economy and now affects Miami’s.
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