Medeiros 1

Brian Medeiros

Professor Williams

ENGL280

11 Dec 2010

Lebron James’s Q Score has gone down from 24 to 15.

What the hell is a Q Score?

And as a sports fan, why should I care?

In the aftermath of Lebron’s infamous “The Decision” TV special, and his subsequent

departure from the Cleveland Cavaliers, James has fallen from grace in the eyes of die-hard NBA

fanatics, casual sports fans, legends of the game, and even those with no interest in sports. It is a

story as old as sport itself: America, with the power of the media, builds up a sports star to

almost unimaginable heights, waits for the star to slip up, and then razes him down faster than a

demolished, abandoned old building. Just in the past few years, we have seen it with Michael

Vick, who was convicted of bankrolling dog fighting, and Ben Roethlesberger, who was accused

of sexually assaulting a college student on more than one occasion. But how can Lebron James,

whose decision to “Take his talents to South Beach” was admittedly was done in a crass manner,

be lumped in with these two scumbags? He was not charged with Operating Under the

Influence, nor was he involved in any performance enhancing drug scandals, which seem to pop

up in the sports section about as often as box scores. He was simply showed to be a narcissistic,

self-centered egomaniac. In the world of professional sports, narcissistic, self-centered

egomaniacs are a dime a dozen. In this era (error?) of 24-hour sports stations, countless websites

and blogs, and sports radio talk shows needing something to gripe about, Lebron James has

turned into sporting America’s number one villain. It is fascinating to observe, because perhaps
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no other athlete in history, save for maybe Michael Jordan, has used the media to create, mold,

and shape his public persona to the degree that James has.

It didn’t take long for the media to wrap its hands around young LeBron James. He

graced the cover of Sports Illustrated on February 18, 20002…as a high school junior! He was

the first high school player to be on the cover since Kevin Garnet in 1995, who was a senior.

The cover features LeBron in his St. Vincent-St. Mary uniform with the title in big, bold

lettering: “The Chosen One.” In the cover story, Grant Wahl recounts a story of Michael Jordan

coming to see one of LeBron’s games, and compares the moment to the historic photograph of a

teenaged Bill Clinton meeting John F. Kennedy, saying it had “the same vibe.” James was

already using the media to create a larger-than-life persona, even as a high school student-athlete.

When quite possibly the greatest basketball player who ever lived is attending your

games, it soon becomes the place to be. Everyone wanted a piece of LeBron, and he was only

happy to oblige. Soon enough, the swarm of the media closed in for some of the action. ESPN

televised some of his games, which was unprecedented. In fact, just the idea of televising high

school basketball was almost laughable. But it was ESPN who got the last laugh. Broadcast on

sister station ESPN2, the first St. Mary-St. Vincent game received ESPN2’s highest rating in two

years, drawing a 1.97 rating, equivalent to 1.67 million homes. With all this notoriety came

attention and scrutiny that no high school athlete has ever faced, and soon the controversies came

with them. Gloria James, LeBron’s mother, received a bank loan on the basis of her son’s future

earning potential, and bought LeBron a $50,000 Hummer. This prompted an investigation by the

Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA), because, according to their bylaws, no

amateur athlete can receive a gift value at over $100 as a reward for athletic performance. At

this same time, he was also under investigation for receiving two throw-back jerseys (of Gale
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Sayers and Wes Unseld) from an urban clothing store in Cleveland. He was found in violation,

and suspended for the rest of the season. On appeal, his suspension was reduced to two games

and he was able to make it back for the next scheduled televised game for St. Mary-St. Vincent.

How convenient.

The snowball was on its way down the mountain, picking up momentum and speed.

LeBron James was a full-fledged celebrity now. The hype around this wunderkind was almost

impossible to live up to, but it looked as if the persona both off and on the court that he had

cultivated was the real deal. His basketball instincts were off the charts; his game was described

as a mix between Magic Johnson and Michael Jordan (a hoop aficionado’s wet dream). Off the

court, he was smooth, polished, and well-spoken. However, he still had street credibility in a

way that appealed to the new-school, hip hop generation of fans. This led to heated bidding war

between Nike, Reebok, and Adidas to get James affiliated with the shoe company. Nike won

out, investing in James, who had yet to step on even a college court much less a professional one,

$90 million.

LeBron was building his brand, and turning it into an empire. He was “the chosen one”

to succeed Michael Jordan as Nike’s alpha dog, and drive the company’s success into the new

millennium. Nike released popular commercials in which James acted out as members of a

family, titled “The LeBrons” (think Eddie Murphy in “The Klumps”). LeBron’s sneaker line

was the most popular outside of Air Jordans, and things looked good for “The King.” He was

more than just a basketball player; he was a celebrity in a celebrity-obsessed country. All these

accolades and attention, and yet, he hadn’t won a thing since entering the National Basketball

Association.
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Despite all the not winning championships he was doing, LeBron was celebrated as one

of the top two basketball players in the country (along with Kobe Bryant). He had escaped

controversy since his days at St. Mary-St. Vincent, until he posed for the cover of Vogue

magazine in 2008. On the cover, he is pictured with supermodel Giselle Bundchen, with one

arm around her waist, the other dribbling a basketball, and a menacing look on his face. Many

felt it was racist. Some compared the image to a classic movie poster for King Kong, and

admonished LeBron for allowing himself to be photographed in this manner. It was LeBron’s

first taste of having the media that he had so comfortably manipulated turn against him.

The media was soon back on his side, however, as soon as the games began again. He

was still dominating the regular season, and shrinking in the playoffs. His Cavaliers failed to

make it to the NBA Finals the next two seasons, and the media was there to have LeBron’s back.

His team wasn’t good enough. His coach didn’t have a clue. His elbow was hurt. His socks

were too tight. The stream of excuses for LeBron’s struggles when the games mattered most was

to be expected; after all, he had the media’s back, and they had his. But, if the story turned in the

other direction, and the reason James would sell magazines and draw ratings was because he was

the bad guy, you could expect the media to run with that, too. And ran they did, with the first

major misstep of James’ professional career. A free agent for the first time, he decided to leave

his hometown Cleveland Cavaliers for the Miami Heat, joining Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh to

form a new powerhouse in the NBA. What seemed like a noble gesture, sacrificing money and

statistics in the search of championships, came off as anything but. This was all because of the

way James decided to announce his decision: By having a one hour special on ESPN titled, “The

Decision.” James and his advisors came up with the idea, and hosted it at a Boys and Girls Club,

with the advertising proceeds going to the Club. Despite those proclaimed intentions, most saw
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it as the height of arrogance, an unprecedented one-hour special just to say where you are going

to play. It was a slap in the face to his hometown team, the Cavs, and he had now joined Arthur

Modell, who moved the beloved Cleveland Browns to Baltimore in the 90’s, as public enemy

number one in Cleveland.

The backlash James faced was unlike anything he had ever dealt with. All those

apologists who defended him to the death were now the ones piling on. Negative coverage begot

negative feelings. James, because of one ill-advised decision, was now a pariah. Not the

decision to leave the Cavs, mind you, but the decision to forge ahead with “The Decision.”

James’ Q Score, as previously noted, has dropped from 24 to 15. “A Q Score is a measurement

of consumer familiarity with a particular brand, combined with the consumer response to that

brand,” according to QScores, the company that tracks down these ratings. According to

CNBC’s Darren Rovell, LeBron’s 24 was the highest of any athlete ever, so LeBron’s fall from

grace was certainly precipitous.

Throughout the history of sports in America, it is difficult to imagine Lebron’s story play

out at any other time but now. With so many different forms of media, and the public’s thirst for

sports at an all-time high, a perfect storm was created for the rise and fall of LeBron James.

From his junior year of high school, when he was dubbed “The Chosen One” on the cover of

Sports Illustrated, to his current status as the most-hated superstar in sports, James and his

handlers have cultivated his image through the media with success until this last year. But,

James is only 26 years old, and there is time to rehabilitate his image. The best way to do that is

to, as Al Davis says, “Just win, baby.” America loves a comeback story. Of course, you can be

sure that the media will be there every step of the way.
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Works Cited

Jones, Brent. "LeBron James' 'Vogue' Cover Called Racially

Insensitive." USA Today 24 Mar 2008: n. pag. Web. 11 Dec 2010.

<http://www.usatoday.com/life/people/2008-03-24-vogue-

controversy_N.htm>.

Rovell, Darrell. "LeBron's Q Score Takes Huge Hit." CNBC.com 14

October 2010: n. pag. Web. 11 Dec 2010.

<http://www.cnbc.com/id/39170785/LeBron_s_Q_Score_Takes_Huge

_Hit>.

Rovell, Darren. "'King' James Proves a Ratings Bonanza for ESPN2."

ESPN.com 13 Dec 2002: n. pag. Web. 11 Dec 2010.

<http://espn.go.com/sportsbusiness/s/2002/1213/1476503.html>.

Wahl, Grant. "Ahead of His Class." Sports Illustrated 18 Feb 2002: n.

pag. Web. 11 Dec 2010.

<http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG10249

28/index.htm>.