LeBron James Influential in NBA, but the World?

LeBron James has just been selected as one of Time Magazine's 25 nominees for the Person of the Year Award. And during a time where his popularity rating, according to Q Scores, dropped from one of the most popular athletes to the sixth most hated athlete in a matter of weeks, I can only expect the hailmary that's coming his way.

The world has been holding a magnifying glass on James' every move since this summer, hoping to find any kind of dirt that could his name even more. A no-show in the second round of the 2010 playoffs against the Celtics, sending his top-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers to an early playoff exit: disappointing. Flirting with a number of NBA teams around the country, giving many of them false hope: classless. Of course the self-indulged one-hour ESPN special, The Decision, that would publicize to the world where he'd be taking his talents to: arrogant. A commercial that tries to better his image, by playfully taking shots at his critics, himself, and all of the events that took place this summer: desperate. His star-studded Miami Heat team is, to say the least, average at 5-4 after nine regular season games: overrated.

With all these bold-faced words labeled on him these past couple of months, I can only imagine what everyone's going to say about his Time's Magazine selection. He's an athlete who altered the course of the NBA, not the world. His name is on a list that includes Barack Obama, the Chilean miners, Mark Zuckerberg, and Steve Jobs. And James agrees, calling his nomination "crazy" and "too much." This is a perfect chance for LeBron-haters to add more fuel to their already filled-up "hate-orade." This is also a perfect chance for LeBron-supporters (Miami Heat fans and whoever else dares to join this group) protect their poster boy, claiming the negative backlash that James is receiving stems more from the media's overanalysis of James over the past couple of months, rather than James' actions themselves.

There's no point to argue who's right. One thing's for sure: James does not deserve to be on this list, and he certainly does not deserve to win. It should really challenge where people's attentions lie these days - more in the fascinations of entertainment than in the real-life crises, landmark events, and historic people that are altering the world with incredible perseverance (Chilean miners), brilliant entrepreneurial ideas (Mark Zuckerberg), and a powerful auroa that mobilizes a mass of people (Barack Obama). I would love to see James object to being put on this list, if that's even possible. Not just say it ("I'm extremely humbled"), but actually file a legitimate objection just out of respect for the other individuals on the list who have influenced the complexion of our world in more ways than James could even think possible.


- Leather Head