Read the opposing arguments from Bleacher Fan and Babe Ruthless.
Nothing brings out the fire of Americans like a debate involving patriotism, huh?
LeBron James definitely turned some heads recently when he stated that he may skip out on the FIBA World Championship Tournament. The fact that Jerry Colangelo called him out on it erased any chance this had of slipping through the cracks. Colangelo backed down (somewhat), but it is an interesting enough situation to catch the attention of The Sports Debates.
Does LeBron James have a patriotic duty to participate in the World Championship Tournament?
Bleacher Fan believes that LeBron has the freedom to choose not to play, which is correct. It is also correct that LeBron has done his fair share of work to prove his loyalty to our fine country. He, along with being the face of the NBA, has been the face of Team U.S.A. for the past six years whenever the Stars and Stripes have participated in a tournament.
Babe Ruthless, in the role of U.S.A. cheerleader, breaks out the pom poms. He argues that the FIBA World Championship Tournament, like Ron Burgundy, is kind of a big deal. It’s the same way Joe Biden feels about health care reform. The Babe is obviously disgusted that King James wants to follow in the footsteps of The Worm and The Diesel and pursue a movie career, instead of suiting up for the Red, White, and Blue.
It is often said that the World Championship Tournament is held in the same high regard as the Summer Olympics. I would not go that far. Before all of this came up, I had absolutely no clue where the tournament was going to be played this summer. Either way, LeBron has made it clear he has a REALLY (times five) busy Summer. We all know his contract situation and how hectic that could turn out to be. And by all means, he certainly has the FREEDOM of choice to do whatever he deems appropriate with his spare time.
But the question centered on whether or not he has a duty to play, and he most certainly does. Therefore, I award the victory to Babe Ruthless.
I would not go as far as to say his reputation would take a big hit if he skipped out for a non-injury related issue. But people like Babe Ruthless will not forget. Another point that needs to be made is the fact that Team U.S.A. has worked extremely hard to put our country back on top in international basketball team competitions. The 1992 Dream Team was one of the most dominant forces in sports history in its pursuit of the gold medal. The 1996 team won also. But since then, the aura surrounding American basketball had slipped. Europeans and other nationalities began to infiltrate the NBA, and it became increasingly clear that basketball had become more of a worldwide sport. This was evident by an embarrassingly lackluster effort in the 2004 Summer Olympics, when Team USA brought home the bronze.
Things got so dire that Mike Krzyzewski was brought in to right the ship. Much more emphasis was put on tournament competition to get U.S.A. back to the top. The additional attention and effort showed in 2008, as the Americans cruised to the gold medal. Bleacher Fan pointed out that there are many other stars that could carry the torch for the U.S.A. That’s certainly true. But, what if the unexpected happens and the U.S.A. loses in the world championship tournament this summer if LeBron doesn’t play? Is it LeBron’s fault? No, of course not. But much of the blame would be put on him. People will say, “Well if LeBron would have played…”
No one is DEMANDING LeBron James play. This isn’t a dictatorship, thank goodness. But it is a duty that he needs to fully understand. You don’t have to vote in this county, but it is your duty as a citizen to do so.
I will use Babe’s quote, which has been said many times over. “With great power comes great responsibility.” LeBron James is the face of American basketball. He has the power. And with that power, it’s his responsibility to help keep U.S.A. basketball on top.
Posted by Loyal Homer 
