LeBron James Book “The Franchise” Outlines The King’s Meaning to City of Cleveland

February 15, 2009 By 4 Comments

New LeBron James Book - The FranchiseA few months back, when there seemed to be endless conversation about the possibility of LeBron James migrating to New York or New Jersey after next season, I wrote a post outlining why I think it is in LeBron’s best long-term interest to stay in Cleveland. Among the many reasons why I believe this to be true is the reality that LeBron James has the unique ability to single-handedly lift the spirits — emotionally and financially — of his quasi-hometown of Cleveland, which is just a stone’s throw away from Akron.

A book entitled The Franchise: LeBron James and the Remaking of the Cleveland Cavaliers, written by Terry Pluto and Brian Windhorst of the Cleveland Plain-Dealer, outlines exactly what LeBron James means to the Cleveland Cavaliers franchise, the city of Cleveland, and how important his long-term presence was, is, and will be moving forward for both.

The publishers of the book have been nice enough to send me a copy, which I cannot wait to tear into once it arrives. LeBron James is, in my estimation, the most compelling athlete in the world today. We have watched his every move on a national scale since he was a senior in high school. And he is one of the rare prep phenomens who has not only lived up to enourmous expectations, he has exceeded them.

The story of LeBron James’ basketball career, and its importance to the cities of Akron and Cleveland, is fascinating. Superstar athletes have always important to the people of the cities in which they play, but LeBron’s importance to Cleveland goes far beyond that; more than just being important, LeBron James has become almost essential to the fabric of a city that yearns like few others for a championship to lift up civic pride and spriit.

Just read the official description of The Franchise: LeBron James and the Remaking of the Cleveland Cavaliers:

When the Cleveland Cavaliers drew the top pick in the 2003 NBA draft, an entire city buzzed with excitement. After all, how often does a LeBron James come along? Especially for Cleveland, a midmarket Rust Belt city without a sports championship in forty years. Especially for the Cavaliers, a long-struggling team that had never reached the NBA finals.

Now, it seems everyone has something riding on LeBron—billionaire team owner Dan Gilbert looking for a return on his investment . . . teammates eager for a championship ring . . . the league in need of the next Michael Jordan to promote . . . the shoe company with its multimillion-dollar endorsement deal . . . even popcorn vendors in the stands of Quicken Loans Arena and servers waiting restaurant tables in a downtown that now booms every game night.

Award-winning sports journalists Terry Pluto and Brian Windhorst take an in-depth look at how a team and a city are being rebuilt around LeBron James. They tell the converging stories of a struggling franchise that had to get worse in order to get better and a highly touted teenage phenom, the local kid who became their future.

This book will fascinate any basketball fan who wants the inside story of how LeBron James became the young superstar shouldering the weight of an entire NBA franchise.

I’ll provide a review of the book once I receive my copy and read it, but I wanted to take a few minutes on a lazy, relaxing Sunday afternoon to do you and the book’s publisher a favor and tell you about it. For all LeBron James fans, Cleveland fans, and sports fans in general, the LeBron James bookThe Franchise: LeBron James and the Remaking of the Cleveland Cavaliers should be a worthwhile and compelling read.

Buy the LeBron James book: The Franchise

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Filed Under: Featured Column, NBA Tagged With: Cleveland, Cleveland Cavaliers, lebron james, NBA
About Jerod Morris

A proud graduate of Indiana University, Jerod Morris founded Midwest Sports Fans in August of 2008 and has been its Managing Editor every day since. Follow him on Twitter (@JerodMorris) for MSF updates, sports discussion, and a compelling daily assortment of funny and interesting links.
In addition to his work at MSF, Jerod hosts the fast-growing Indiana basketball postgame show The Assembly Call and provides regular music recommendations at IndieChristmas.com. He also helped develop the Synthesis Managed WordPress Hosting platform on which MSF and all of his other sites are run.

  • Tim Taranto

    This book isn’t new!It’s been out awhile,at least a year.Usually pretty good stuff here,so whats up with that?

  • Tim Taranto

    Hello again.Read you article about Lebron staying in Cleveland,and you nailed it.I hate to nitpick on you(see my previous post),but you state that the salary’s would be equal for LBJ between NY(or anywhere)and Cleveland,should he stay here or leave.Well that isn’t true.The Cavs would actually be able to offer more $ per season,and one extra year,which increases the total value of the contract considerably.The exact figures are not available yet,since the salary cap has not been determined yet for those seasons,but I’ve read numerous times that an extra 30-35 million is what the Cavs would be able to give him in total.I doubt that an extra 30-35 is gonna sway him either way,as crazy as that sounds.I think you are right and it will come down to him choosing his loyalty to Akron(and Cleveland) over everything else.Consider this:If he were to leave,he would be the new Art Modell in a sense.Probably even worse though.Just my thoughts.

  • http://www.midwestsportsfans.com JRod

    @Tim Taranto, good call. That’s just my mistake for misinterpreting. The publisher contacted me and asked if I would alert our readers to the book — which I had not heard of — in exchange for a copy, and then do a review good or bad. As a huge LeBron fan, I obviously agreed to do so, figuring that many of our readers here would also be interested. I simply assumed the book was new, but you are 100% correct: it was published in December of 2007.

    Thanks for calling me out and keeping me honest. That’s what the comment section is for!

  • http://www.midwestsportsfans.com JRod

    @Tim Taranto, good point on the $$$. I do not have a keen understanding of the NBA salary cap, but what you said sounds right. I know the league has tried to give teams an advantage in signing their own players.

    Perhaps you’d like to come on as editor at MSF?

    I disagree, however, that LeBron leaving would make him the new Art Modell. Maybe it is easy for me to say this since I do not and have never lived in Cleveland, but even though I want to see LeBron stay, and I think it is in his best interests, it would be hard to begrudge the guy for leaving if he views a move as benefitting himself and his family personally and financially. The thing is, I think LeBron really wants to stay in Cleveland. And as he grows more and more famous across the globe, being so close to where he grew up will no doubt prove to be a comfort. Hopefully enough of one to convince him to stay.