LeBron & Manny

It has been confirmed that LeBron James was dunked on by Xavier's Jordan Crawford. Apparently we will never see this though because after it happened LeBron told some Nike people to get the videos from the photographers and get rid of them. The issue here is image. Lebron understands that he has a huge following and that already beautiful image cannot be tarnished by some video at his skills camp.

Well one thing is for sure, I would have loved to see this. I certainly disagree with his decision to tell Nike people to get the tapes from the people there and make sure they do not make it to the internet. If anything, he should have endorsed it. Not that he needs more exposure, but this would have increased engagement to his brand and made people talk more. He didn't hit anyone with a car or dangle his child over a hotel overhang, he simply got dunked on. His brand would not have been tarnished if the videos were posted, in fact it would have been great exposure. It kinda makes him more human-like. He would have been on the radio, an interview on Sportscenter, and a ton of views on YouTube, all directed at the Lebron James Brand.

Now, he is left looking almost foolish because he needed to tell "his people" to rid of the evidence. This now makes his brand look weak, like he can never do anything wrong. Great story, questionable advice. Where were "his people" when he walked off the court and failed to address the media when the Cavs lost to the Magic in the Eastern Conference Finals? Obviously they still have some things to learn.

If I happened to be in a basement for my entire life and had no idea who Manny Ramirez is, I would certainly think he was a God and saved the country of Darfur from all the genocide. The media is promoting his use of banned substance and 50-game suspension. It's a joke. He's a great personality and probably an even better hitter but this is so sad. In his first game back, whatever channel was televising a game and would cut to Manny's at-bats. Are you kidding me? Yeah, let's tell those 11 year-olds watching that its ok to juice it or put something in your body that is illegal or frowned upon. We are now comparing Manny's return to Cal Jr's consecutive games played record for example, along with many other great accomplishments in sports. Barry Bonds was HATED because he was accused of juicing. No one liked him and now he will always be remembered by the asterix instead of when he played baseball. Manny was actually caught and suspended, yet he's back playing. This is what the world of media has come to. If you have a personality, no matter what you do, you'll be ok.

Until next time...