Lebron James Return to Cleveland a Positive Change for the City

LeBron James return to Cleveland a positive change for the city

David Gatheright

COMM/215

October 1, 2014

University of Phoenix

LeBron James return to Cleveland a positive change for the city

Friday, July 11, 2014. I was visiting in my hometown, Cleveland Ohio when I heard the breaking news. King James is coming home. I was so excited; I rushed into the streets to feel the excitement of the city. As I left the hospital (I was visiting my mother) you could hear the roar of the people in the hallways. It had been years prior to this that you were ridicules for even speaking about LeBron in Cleveland. Unless you were in the mood for an exchange of some harsh words most Clevelanders knew this unwritten rule and refrained from commenting. With the announcement of the return King James, strangers were compelled to conduct pulse surveys and impromptu interviews. You were peppered with questions like, “How do you feel about the return of King James?” “What number would he wear on his jersey and why?” “Who else would he bring with him to build his winning team?” and “What do you think the impact to the city will be?” The city was excited again and it felt good, like it did in the early 1970’s till late 1980’s.

LeBron was drafted to the Cleveland Cavaliers basketball team in 2003 straight out of St. Vincent - St. Mary High School in Akron, Ohio. President George W. Bush was in office and Cleveland’s economy was at an all time low. The local steel mills industry was closing plants, the automotive companies Ford, General Motors, and Chrysler alike were reducing work shifts, middle class families were losing their homes and public schools were shutting down.

In the mist of all of this somehow the community found hope by watching LeBron’s success. It gave the community a sense of hope that the economic state of the city would improve and begin to thrive again. The enthusiasm in the city, growth in economic, the new stadium things were starting to look good again. After King James came to play for the Cavaliers, you couldn’t find an empty parking space for your car. The Flats (a night life area that’s sits along the Cuyahoga River in the heart of downtown) were full of life again. We saw companies from all over open business in the city. Entertainment and Sports Programming Network (ESPN), Sports Illustrated even FOX sports had an office. There so were many five star restaurants in the area; they built several new buildings just to house them.