An article at CNN caught my eye: LeBron James is more than the GOAT. He's the Anti-Trump.
A bigger lie has rarely been told at CNN. LeBron James and Donald Trump are two sides of the same coin. If you google their names and their net worths, you get 1/2 a billion for James and 2.5 billion for Trump. You may or may not agree with Google's numbers, but at the very MINIMUM, both men are members to the 1% Club, Americans who earn over $425,000 a year.
Trump started out rich, James started out poor. But as teenagers, both attended private schools, Trump at the New York Military Academy and James at St. Vincent-St. Mary's High School. Currently, both men send their teenage sons to private schools, St. Andrew's Episcopal School for Barron and Sierra Canyon School for Bronny.
Today, LeBron is on the opposite side of the political spectrum as Trump, James being a left-leaning populist and Trump being a right-leaning populist, but James is certainly not the Anti-Trump. He is simply a different shade of Trump. The Anti-Trump would be humble. The Anti-Trump would be poor in wealth, but rich in spirit. The Anti-Trump would be transparent. The Anti-Trump wouldn't know about branding. The Anti-Trump would be someone like Gandhi. NO ONE worth around a billion dollars is the Anti-Trump. Billionaires are all in the same category: Businessmen.
Remember Trump owning a team in the USFL back in the 80's? Well LeBron's ownership stake in Liverpool has seen a six-fold return in value in the past decade, culminating with this year's Premier League Championship. Why so pissy about James' Liverpool team? Just yesterday, this was one of the top stories at ESPN "Sources have told ESPN that the American owners of both United and Liverpool have given their full backing to plans devised by EFL chairman Rick Parry that will see the EFL's 72 clubs receive an instant £250 million bail out and 25% of future Premier League earnings in return for the top clubs having a greater control of the game....but sources have told ESPN that the majority of Premier League clubs are against the proposals which, while giving immediate help to the lower leagues, would ultimately hand increasing powers to the "Big Six."
I am pretty sure many LeBron apologists don't see the problem in England, but the fact is that the owners of Liverpool (and Tottenham, Arsenal, Man City, Man United and Chelsea) are trying to strong arm English Soccer into slanting the Football Pyramid in their favor. If NBA owners tried a power grab in America like this, LeBron James, the player, would have an aneurysm. But in England, LeBron's ownership group isn't facing the same scrutiny from the press as in America.
LeBron James tries to convince Black People that he is one of them.
Donald Trump tries to convince White People that he is one of them.
They are both businessmen first. LeBron builds his Brand. Donald builds his Brand.
You could argue that Trump parlayed his monetary head start into the presidency, but not every
rich kid can become president. To me, the fact that America voted a Billionaire into office is more an indictment on America than on Trump.
And you could argue that James parlayed his physical skills into being the best basketball player in the world, but not every athlete can rise to be the best in their sport. To me the fact that America listens to the politics of a Basketball Player is more an indictment on America than on James.
Let's use social justice issues as an example of Branding:
Trump comes down on the side of the Police
Since Donald Trump first started flirting with running for President in the late 1980's, he has consistently sided with the Police in any controversial cases between the law and citizens. On the record, Donald Trump stood firm with the Police in the case of the Central Park 5 way back in 1989. Don't forget that Donald Trump ran for President under the Reform Party banner back in the year 2000. Go ahead and scroll through some of his other platforms and proposed cabinet member back in that race HERE. If you have any questions about Trump being a Right-leaning populist, that 2000 race should answer them for you.
James comes down on the side of the Black Citizen
Now LeBron James has consistently sided with the Citizen in some controversial cases between the law and citizens. Black Lives Matter clearly delineates that defunding the police is one of their goals. That is some far-left rhetoric, but let's be clear here, LeBron doesn't cite all cases in reference to citizens, just citizens that could have been him or his Mom. LeBron, on the record, backing other citizens?
Hispanics? Doesn't happen.
Chinese? Doesn't happen.
Whites? C'mon now.
Both Trump or James are using police reform as a divisive issue. It shouldn't be a zero sum game.
This is what THE ANTI-TRUMP would say: I believe that there needs to be police reform because there has been a disproportionate number of police abuses against minorities and the mentally ill in this country. Now most cops are good people, but there needs to be mechanisms and levers to expel bad cops from police forces just like any other profession in this country. Just because some cops abuse power, doesn't mean they all abuse power. Just like some citizens of any given race are criminals doesn't mean all citizens of any given race are criminals.
See. How hard was that?
Because the President wants Whites to keep building the Trump Brand.
And the Laker's Star wants Blacks to keep building the James Brand.
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