Miami, Lebron and the Passing of the Boss

Lebron James is now a member of the Miami Heat and I have some comments about the free-agency acquisition and the PR fallout from his departing the Cavaliers.  But, first-things-first, I CAN’T get you tickets.  I often tell people that my firm is more of a corporate public relations firm.  We represent banks, real estate companies, small businesses and law firms.  We don’t do club openings or have any clients on South Beach.  And I always say that I can’t get you tickets for anything unless I buy them myself.

That’s gonna go double/triple for Heat tix.  A friend of mine who already had season tickets told me that Heat tickets will likely go for three-times face value during the season and likely 10-times face value for the playoffs.  Better to invest in a new recliner.

Now the real story: Was I the only one who thought it was an interesting coincidence that George Steinbrenner passed away just days after the "Three Kings" coronation that made the Heat the most hated team in sports not called the New York Yankees?  Was there a passing of the torch?

Miami’s public relations position in all of this is very simple.  We are going to be reviled but very popular.  And we should embrace it.  The Wade/James/Bosh trio will sell out everywhere they go, and we should just hope that they will be cheered for as loudly as Yankee/Mets/Jets fans cheer for their teams when they visit Miami.

It’s unfortunate that James departure was met with such vitriol.  I agree that the tv special was over the top, but James certainly didn’t deserve to be publicly brutalized for making his decision.  I know that Cleveland feels that James was their community treasure, being the hometown boy and all, but he never chose to be a Cavalier.  Remember, James was a lottery pick for Cleveland.  There was a significant amount of luck that played into their acquisition of him in the first place.  Cleveland was fortuitous and Lebron obliged, but he never had much of a choice on who he would play for originally.  A ping-pong ball had more say.

Eventually, time will heal all of Cleveland’s wounds.  If the Cavs can quickly figure out how to win without Lebron, the wounds will be gone even sooner.  (Many Florida Gator fans thought they would never forgive Steve Spurrier for leaving for the NFL.  However, national titles have a way of fixing such things.)

--John

www.miamipublicrelations.com