LeBron James: Why just be a good athlete, when I can be a good, all-around person. The making of a man.
From the dawn of time, everyone has sought to do a few basic things; acquire resources, procreate, and simply survive. Life and relationship dynamics were different at the time, due to a lack of resources, or a lack of ability to acquire said resources, we had to utilize other means (relationships) in order to get our needs filled. I’ll save the sociology/anthropology classwork and shorten this by saying an imbalance was created; one that continues to permeate society today. This imbalance has an effect on politics, marriages, sports dynamics, and many other things; and it’s causing some significant issues. Lets look at one of the issues that has been a huge part of our summer sports reading: The signing of LeBron James by the Los Angeles Lakers.
“Lead the team; lead the franchise; lead the league/sport”; these notions are rarely applied to multiple people who play on the same team. Many, as in LeBron’s case, have to deal with the perks, as well as to hate that comes with the position. With that being said, we can start to break down the toxicity of masculinity; in which case what follows is: “I’m weak because I have to rely on others for my success”. Our society places a premium on scoring points, as they feel that this is the most important factor when trying to win a game. This hierarchy with respect to factors that can influence winning both stems from, and results in a lack of perspective on the more important factors on both winning, as well as being an effective leader. In short: The best/most important player isn’t necessarily the one who scores all of the points.
Players that have understood this concept well have often times been seen as people who have established a great balance between individual accolades, and doing what’s best for everyone involved; both on, and off the court. Estimates suggest that by the end of his career, LeBron will finish in the top 10 all-time in at least 4 different cumulative statistical categories (points, assists, steals, games). LeBron also continues to do extensive charity work for the his community (recent construction of new school; scholarships; other community actions), his work for his fellow basketball players (NBAPA), and his recent work as a political activist (BLM, statements in support of other minority athletes). This complete body of work puts him more towards the conversation that includes Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Bill Russell, and other athletes who show leadership by doing more work as collectivists. Simply put: He’s finding more ways to win than just scoring points and winning games. He’s making sure that everyone has a seat at the table, while helping to facilitate the opportunity to even get to the table. He might not have enough championship rings to fill spots on every finger on one hand, but every day he leads one more step in the direction of building a stable foundation for the future of others. That’s what truly leading is about.
