At 2:30 p.m. Thursday, the day of “the decision” the producer from WABC who set-up my interview for his evening news program emailed to cancel.  His source (ESPN) cited Miami as the winner of the LeBron James sweepstakes and thus, my opinions on the impact of LeBron’s hopeful signing with the Knicks became irrelevant.  That’s the media for you – turns out he made the right call. 

Like many, I maneuvered my evening schedule around LeBron’s self-promoting ESPN prime time announcement.  I recall a time once when only Presidents could make such a request (to go on TV).  I guess the rules have recently changed for global, iconic athletes.  We saw the world stop and watch as Tiger Woods broke his post scandal silence and the same thing happened last night.

More people probably tuned into his “decision” than watched Game 7 of the NBA Finals.  I can’t get the overnights fast enough and the advertisers, primarily brands he endorses, probably paid a fraction of what NBA sponsors paid for Game 7 units.  Couple that with his ability to integrate the products/services he endorses to a combined audience of 2.9 mm (and growing) via Twitter/Facebook followers and we’re looking at a new growth phase in “Brand LeBron” as he charts his course towards pre-scandal, Tigeresque levels.

To pull off this charade, demonstrates LeBron is the closest thing we have in our country to “America’s athlete.” Clearly his popularity transcends avid NBA fans.  I don’t think it’s necessarily good for a professional sport to be overshadowed by the popularity of one athlete, but let’s be honest; players like LeBron come along every other decade.

Whatever one’s opinion on his decision and his hijacking of the free agency spot light, the NBA easily handles any negativity because of their deep and diverse pool of talent.  There’s always one, right?  Unlike the PGA which was hurt immediately when the Tiger Woods scandal broke.

Hopefully savvy Cavalier fans will recognize what LeBron accomplished for their team and the City of Cleveland.  He made them relevant and compelling for seven years and brought them within a series of a championship.  He wants to win a championship and felt his chances were better somewhere else.  He made a business decision but how he handle it was amateurish at best.  Unfortunately, masses of Cavalier fans will look at LeBron as a villain, a sell-out whose decision leaves a horrendous taste in their mouth.  They won’t appreciate how he said goodbye nor will they ever forget….

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