Roland Martin Defines Real "Black Power" (Video)

Sources: Youtube

LeBron James Is No Longer A Slave! Miami Is Right Decision

LeBron James, King His Own World


LeBron James is a grown man who made a grownup decision to take his massive basketball-playing ability from Cleveland to Miami in a desire to get the one thing every true baller desires: the opportunity to call yourself a champion.

Forget all the nonsense about him "owing" his hometown and how his legacy could have been cemented had he stayed in the Midwest and continued to try to win a title in Cleveland. LeBron had the absolute right to pick up his things and go where he thought it was best to win, and he did it.

Enough with all of this ridiculous chatter that he's a selfish, spoiled basketball prodigy. LeBron was an employee of the Cleveland Cavaliers. He had no ownership stake and no control. Everyone talks about what his presence meant to the Cleveland economy. Did he own any of those businesses? No. But he made them, and the Cavaliers, richer by his play.

There is undoubtedly a tradeoff, because being a star athlete is a two-way street.

You become richer by virtue of folks coming to see you play, and the league, team, marketers and surrounding businesses get to piggyback off of your success. LeBron gave them a solid seven seasons, and everyone enjoyed the ride. Say thank you for the LeBron gravy train, and now, like any smart business owner, you need to figure out your next revenue stream.

Now, let's deal with the fans.

I read with fascination about how LeBron "owed" the fans. Really?

What exactly did he owe them?

We need to stop with this belief that fans in a city "own" a particular player. We get to sit back and enjoy the skills of these modern-day gladiators in our gleaming new Coliseums, while they bust their butts, play injured and have to take all of the criticism when things go bad.

As fans, we justify it all by saying, "Well, he's getting millions to play, so he should shut up."

We need to grow up and realize that once his playing days are over, we will say, "Thanks, LeBron, now move over so we can worship the next stud." In fact, when a particular athlete has overstayed their welcome, the fans are the loudest in telling him to leave the court.

To me, there is a huge difference between a player like LeBron James and Albert Haynesworth of the Washington Redskins. Albert has pocketed nearly $40 million and has refused to show up at training sessions with Washington because he doesn't like the defensive scheme. That is dumb.

LeBron showed up and did his part, and when his contract was up, he exercised his free will to do as he pleased and shop his talents. He did what every single American wants: to go to a new job where the desires you always wanted can be fulfilled. So how is that wrong?

No one -- athlete, stockbroker, Wal-Mart greeter, grocery store clerk, secretary, journalist -- wants to be treated like they are a piece of property. We all desire the freedom that comes with making our own choice as to where we want to work and achieve the goals in life that we all set.

I can identify with that. In 1993, I decided to leave the Austin American-Statesman, where I was the county government reporter. The then-city editor sat across from me and said, "I felt like it was a punch in the gut when told you were leaving." He had an indignant, paternalistic tone that I found offensive.

See, I was making $24,000. When the Houston Chronicle pursued me for a job a few months earlier that would be around $27,000, I was told I was talking myself out of a job in Austin. So when the Fort Worth Star-Telegram offered me a gig at $32,000, I didn't even bother seeing whether Austin wanted to counter. The new job allowed me to go to a bigger market and have the upward mobility I desired, so I took the job.

So I told the city editor, "Look, you didn't take some kid off the street, teach him how to talk, write and dress. You paid me for a service, and I delivered. Now I'm choosing to take my skills elsewhere." I then got up and left the meeting.

It was offensive to me that my bosses at the paper felt like I was being an ungrateful employee. I wanted to do more with my talents, and I refused to allow someone to make me feel bad about my decision. It's my life, my career, my choice. So how is that bad?

Now I get folks who didn't like LeBron having a one-hour special to announce his decision. But we are all used to the hype in sports. Do we really need a six-hour pregame show for the Super Bowl? Can't we play the NBA All-Star Game without all of the side attractions? Would boxing be boxing without the wild and crazy news conferences? Hype and sports go hand-in-hand.

That's why I found the letter written by Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert so pathetic. Here is a man who was enriched by the play of LeBron James; according to Forbes, the value of the franchise increased by $100 million with his on-court performance.

Yet instead of being a gracious owner and simply reaffirming his commitment to the fans to put a winning team on the court, Gilbert ripped LeBron to shreds, calling him "narcissistic" and his decision to leave a "cowardly betrayal" and "a shameful display of selfishness."

Gilbert even went on to trash all athletes by saying, "It's time for people to hold these athletes accountable for their actions. Is this the way you raise your children?"

In an interview, Gilbert later said LeBron quit on the team in the playoffs the past two years.

Really? So if he was all of that, Dan, why did you want to re-sign him? Who wants a quitter on his team? If LeBron had chosen to stay in Cleveland, rich boy Dan would have been all smiles, slapping his back, getting ready to count the money he could make off of the back of LeBron. So who would have been the real selfish, narcissistic individual, Dan?

Gilbert now says it's time to speak out against LeBron, yet as long as James made him richer, he would have kept quiet. Sorry, Dan, you've pimped LeBron long enough.

LeBron showed Dan Gilbert that only LeBron owes LeBron an explanation. No owner, CEO or boss has the right to demand that someone stay as an employee. The employee has a right to live their life as they see fit.

As the CEO of LeBron James Inc., he did what's in the best of interest of him. And as the most important shareholder, isn't that what he's supposed to do?

I'm sorry, folks, but the loyalty that used to exist from teams and companies is gone. Some still believe in it, but for many of us, we're simply a dot on the spreadsheet. Business is cutthroat, and we have to accept that reality.

So, King James, go to Miami and do your thing. Grow your corporation to be as big as you want it to be. And never look back at the haters who are mad you chose not to act like a highly paid indentured servant or 21st-century slave, held in place by the invisible shackles dressed up as loyalty to a city, owing the fans and satisfying someone who is clearly an ungrateful owner.








James' Show Draws Critics, But His Decision Will Bring Championships


LeBron James has redefined himself with his widely anticipated, and nonetheless, shocking decision to join the Miami Heat. In years to come, he promises to play less like Michael Jordan and perform more like an open-floor version of Magic Johnson, as he creates plays for Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh.

He has chosen to play basketball of the highest level, and to do so at the personal expense of rejecting the larger markets of New York and Chicago. Most of all, he has signaled that he is no longer seeking to be universally popular. He is not going to be all things to all people anymore.

He turned a lot of people against him by showcasing his choice to leave the Cleveland Cavaliers, situated less than an hour north of his hometown of Akron. The way he announced his decision is going to be more important to many people than his reasons for moving to Miami. Those reasons are understandable; some will call them laudable.

But this threatens to go down as a case of What You Say vs. How You Say It. How he said it drowned out the meaning of his words. If he was going to divorce himself from the fans who viewed him as one of their own, as a savior to their depressed region, then wasn't there a less painful way to do so? His former fans will make the argument that James was so concerned with the pursuit of his celebrity that he ran them over with this self-empowering TV special. A lot of people will be cheering against him now.

"Our former hero, who grew up in the very region that he deserted this evening, is no longer a Cleveland Cavalier,'' wrote team owner Dan Gilbert in a bitter open letter to Cavs fans Thursday night, in which he referred to James as "narcissistic, self-promotional" and "cowardly."

"This shocking act of disloyalty from our home grown 'chosen one' sends the exact opposite lesson of what we would want our children to learn ... But the good news is that this heartless and callous action can only serve as the antidote to the so-called 'curse' on Cleveland, Ohio.

"The self-declared former 'King' will be taking the 'curse' with him down south. And until he does 'right' by Cleveland and Ohio, James (and the town where he plays) will unfortunately own this dreaded spell and bad karma."

James surely turned many in his hometown against him. But other fans around the country can be reclaimed by simply winning in a big way. The amazing revival of Kobe Bryant's popularity had everything to do with triumphing in the last two NBA Finals, and James has now set himself up to do the same on terms that cannot be considered selfish. He has chosen to score fewer points, to adapt his MVP style of play, to accept not being the No. 1 player on his team every night and to leave money on the table by accepting a five-year deal (worth at least $30 million less than he would have earned in Cleveland) in which he'll share Miami's cap space with Wade and Bosh.

James repeatedly said that he wasn't looking to leave Cleveland, but then he belied those statements when he began to discuss the NBA's leading partnerships of the last 30 years. He worked his way through a number of championship teams while pointing out that Magic had Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and James Worthy, that Larry Bird had Kevin McHale and Robert Parish and Dennis Johnson, that Isiah Thomas had Joe Dumars and on and on. "You become a superstar individually, but you become a champion with a team and I understand that," he said. "I understand the history of the game."

In other words, he never was supplied with a star in his prime. After seven years in Cleveland he was lured to Miami by the promise of playing with talented teammates. The natural concerns that he and Wade will struggle to play together are of no concern to him, James insisted.

"The only thing that may change is the points per game," said James. "The way you see me and D-Wade approach the game every night and have that never-say-die attitude will not change. We don't have to have the pressure of scoring 30 every night or shooting a high percentage or logging long minutes and worrying about our team suffering because of that. The way we approach the game -- the same demeanor, the same grit, the same swagger to our game will not change, and that's the same thing with Chris also."

What became clear from James' televised interview is that he, Wade and Bosh had shared conversations in which each talked of the burdens of carrying a team on his own, as each has tried to do to ultimately disappointing results in Cleveland, Miami and Toronto, respectively, over the last few years. The downside of this new AAU era is that these rival players are friends in a way that Magic, Larry and Isiah never could have been in their day. The upside is that James, Wade and Bosh have shown that they -- as friends -- are more concerned with winning than with their individual stats or with boasting the biggest salary.

Two other conclusions can be drawn. One is that this partnership was in the works years ago when all three agreed to shortened contracts enabling them to become free agents simultaneously, in the final summer before the anticipated 2011 lockout and the likelihood of smaller, shorter contracts. It may not have seemed likely a few years ago, but it surely was a goal.

The other conclusion is that Heat president Pat Riley dominated this free-agent market. He was better networked and a much more informed and charismatic recruiter than any of his rivals, and that's why he won at their expense.

So where does this leave Miami? James and Wade have insisted that Erik Spoelstra will remain as coach with Riley continuing to serve as his highly demanding mentor. Much of Spoelstra's success next season will be determined by Miami's ability over the remaining summer to fill out the roster with role players on veteran minimum contracts. Now that forward Michael Beasley's $5 million salary has reportedly been moved to Minnesota for a second-round pick in a move to clear further cap space, the Heat could have additional funds to pursue the following in addition to their three stars and point guard Mario Chalmers -- a starting center, two backup big men, a backup small forward and at least two guards, one of whom may need to start at the point. All of this to fill out the rotation, with at least two more players needed for the end of the bench. The quality of these acquisitions is almost impossible to predict because the Heat will have to wait and see which players are left unsigned through the end of the month.

Until we know more about the rest of the team, the Heat cannot be rated ahead of the Eastern champion Celtics or conference finalists Magic. But within a year or two, this surely will be a championship contender with the promise of a long run at the top.


<a href="http://msn.foxsports.com/video?vid=8f0fcea2-31ca-4aa8-a4d0-2495b7a7de8d&amp;from=IV2_en-us_foxsports_articles" target="_new" title="LeBron Tracker: Cleveland enemy No. 1">Video: LeBron Tracker: Cleveland enemy No. 1</a>



Cavs Owner Rips LeBron's "Betrayal"


Cleveland Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert posted this letter on Cavs.com after LeBron James decided he was leaving for the Miami Heat:


Dear Cleveland, All Of Northeast Ohio and Cleveland Cavaliers Supporters Wherever You May Be Tonight;

As you now know, our former hero, who grew up in the very region that he deserted this evening, is no longer a Cleveland Cavalier.

This was announced with a several day, narcissistic, self-promotional build-up culminating with a national TV special of his "decision" unlike anything ever "witnessed" in the history of sports and probably the history of entertainment.

Clearly, this is bitterly disappointing to all of us.

The good news is that the ownership team and the rest of the hard-working, loyal, and driven staff over here at your hometown Cavaliers have not betrayed you nor NEVER will betray you.

There is so much more to tell you about the events of the recent past and our more than exciting future. Over the next several days and weeks, we will be communicating much of that to you.

You simply don't deserve this kind of cowardly betrayal.

You have given so much and deserve so much more.

In the meantime, I want to make one statement to you tonight:

"I PERSONALLY GUARANTEE THAT THE CLEVELAND CAVALIERS WILL WIN AN NBA CHAMPIONSHIP BEFORE THE SELF-TITLED FORMER ‘KING’ WINS ONE"

You can take it to the bank.

If you thought we were motivated before tonight to bring the hardware to Cleveland, I can tell you that this shameful display of selfishness and betrayal by one of our very own has shifted our "motivation" to previously unknown and previously never experienced levels.

Some people think they should go to heaven but NOT have to die to get there.

Sorry, but that's simply not how it works.

This shocking act of disloyalty from our home grown "chosen one" sends the exact opposite lesson of what we would want our children to learn. And "who" we would want them to grow-up to become.

But the good news is that this heartless and callous action can only serve as the antidote to the so-called "curse" on Cleveland, Ohio.

The self-declared former "King" will be taking the "curse" with him down south. And until he does "right" by Cleveland and Ohio, James (and the town where he plays) will unfortunately own this dreaded spell and bad karma.

Just watch.

Sleep well, Cleveland.

Tomorrow is a new and much brighter day....

I PROMISE you that our energy, focus, capital, knowledge and experience will be directed at one thing and one thing only:

DELIVERING YOU the championship you have long deserved and is long overdue....

Dan Gilbert
Majority Owner
Cleveland Cavaliers



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Sources: CNN, ESPN, Fox Sports, MSNBC, Roland Martin Blog, Sports Illustrated, Google Maps

Eliot Spitzer To Replace Campell Brown? Or Roland Martin?

Campbell Brown Leaving CNN


Campbell Brown said Tuesday that she's quitting her prime-time show on CNN primarily for one reason: Not enough people are watching her.

CNN has struggled in the prime-time ratings as cable news viewers have increasingly sought edgier, more opinionated programming. Brown, a former NBC News reporter, advertised a "no bias, no bull" persona in a straight news and analysis program with a concentration on politics.

Brown said it was her decision to leave. She said she could say she was leaving to spend more time with her two young children or pursue new opportunities, and both would be partly true.

"But I have never had much tolerance for others' spin, so I can't imagine trying to stomach my own," she said. "The simple fact is that not enough people want to watch my program, and I owe it to myself and to CNN to get out of the way so that CNN can try something else."

(Msnbc.com is a joint venture between NBC and Microsoft.)

Nancy Grace on CNN's sister HLN network averages 745,000 viewers in the time slot, according to the Nielsen Co. Brown's show stands at 574,000.

CNN's prime-time problems with Brown, Larry King and Anderson Cooper have given rise to dozens of armchair program directors who have published advice this spring. Now CNN's executives will have their first shot at doing something new.

CNN/U.S. President Jon Klein said he respects Brown's decision and wishes her well. "We will announce our programming plans in the coming weeks," he said.

Brown's decision comes at a time when CNN has reportedly been talking with CBS News about ways to combine forces, although nothing has been publicly done.

CNN has tested its own ideas, and there's been talk of reviving some version of its old "Crossfire" political debate show, which was a template for opinionated talk on cable in the 1990s. CNN canceled the series soon after Comedy Central's Jon Stewart ridiculed it.

One segment that has appeared on Brown's show features Mary Matalin and Roland Martin in a political debate, an idea that could potentially be expanded.

Brown, who is leaving CNN entirely, noted in a statement her "indomitable" rivals on the other networks.

"Shedding my own journalistic skin to try to inhabit the kind of persona that might co-exist in that lineup is simply impossible for me," she said. "It is not who I am or who I want to be, nor is it who CNN asked me to be at any point. This is the right decision for me and I hope it will be a great opportunity for CNN."




Spitzer’s Name Arises as CNN Tries To Fill a Seat



As CNN moves to replace Campbell Brown in its struggling prime-time lineup, the most intriguing name on the channel’s list is Eliot Spitzer, the disgraced former governor of New York, The New York Times’s Brian Stelter writes.

Mr. Spitzer has held conversations — but so far only informal ones — about becoming a regular contributor to the cable news channel, The Times said, citing two people who were briefed on the matter. But the people said he was not being courted for an anchoring job, meaning he would not directly replace Ms. Brown in the channel’s 8 p.m. time slot.

That word sparked talk inside CNN this week, and even appeared in David Letterman’s monologue Tuesday night. His punch line: “That would be a switch — somebody paying him for an hour.”

Mr. Spitzer resigned the governorship in 2008 after it was revealed that he solicited prostitutes. As attorney general of New York, Mr. Spitzer earned the nickname the “Sheriff of Wall Street,” after he attacked what he considered to be rampant conflicts of interests at big Wall Street firms, winning settlements from many of the big banks.

Now, seemingly wrapping himself in the redemptive spirit of television, Mr. Spitzer is a budding pundit, and he has even tried his hand at anchoring on MSNBC, one of CNN’s competitors. His first two times as a substitute for the anchor Dylan Ratigan were well-received inside MSNBC last month, and he filled in again on Monday.

“He’s a smart guy, extremely smart, and he communicates well,” a cable news executive said of Mr. Spitzer. “The question about him is, how much stench is on him, and is he likable enough?”

MSNBC declined to comment on Mr. Spitzer’s status at the channel, The Times said. But two news executives said MSNBC was not in talks with him about a paid position at the channel. Like the people briefed on Mr. Spitzer’s conversations with CNN, the executives requested anonymity because they were not authorized by their employers to speak on the record.

“I am simply not saying anything about this issue,” Mr. Spitzer said in an e-mail message on Thursday.

As it contemplates what program to place in Ms. Brown’s time slot, CNN is considering a panel discussion program with various political voices. Mr. Spitzer could conceivably be a panelist.

A CNN spokeswoman said the channel would not comment on speculation.


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Sources: CNN, MSNBC, NY Times, Youtube, Google Maps

Elena Kagan's Diversity Record vs Roland Martin

If Elena Kagan Is U.S. Court Pick, Diversity Must Be Front And Center


If a white Republican U.S. president appointed a white male as his next Supreme Court justice, and upon the inspection of his record, it was discovered that nearly all of the 32 full-time tenured or tenured track faculty he hired were white men, this would dominate the headlines.

It would be reasonable to conclude that the special interest groups that vigorously fight for diversity — civil rights organizations, feminist groups and other liberal institutions — would be up in arms, declaring that this person’s records show him unwilling to diversify academia and unqualified to consider diverse views as one of the nine members of the U.S. Supreme Court.

There would be widespread condemnations of Republicans having no concern for the non-white males in America.

But what if the choice was made by a black Democratic president and it was a woman? A white woman? A white Democratic woman?

Some of you may not like the fact that I am focusing on the race of the individual, but when diversity is raised, the person’s skin color, gender and background is considered germane to the discussion. And if there is silence from black and female organizations, their race and gender matters as well.

We may witness this if President Barack Obama selects Solicitor General Elena Kagan to replace the retiring Justice John Paul Stevens.

Guy-Uriel Charles, founding director of the Duke Law Center on Law, Race and Politics, has heavily scrutinized Kagan’s hiring record as head of the Harvard Law School.

In a scathing blog post, he has asserted that of the 29 positions Kagan had a chance to fill, 28 were white and one was Asian-American. And of the group, only six were women — five white and one Asian-American.

These numbers on the surface are appalling and would be ripped to shreds by those who value diversity. But my gut tells me that if Kagan is tapped by Obama, the normally vocal and persistent voices in this area will be tight-lipped and quiet, unwilling to oppose or heavily criticize the nomination of a woman to the court, especially one made by an African-American Democratic president.

If that were the direction taken, Republicans would rightly cry foul, saying it was a double standard.

Their actions would be shameful and seen as merely partisan hacks more concerned about not offending the Obama administration rather than the ideals they hold near and dear.

Although not revealing that she is the choice, the White House is already fighting back against the attacks on her record by Charles, which have been amplified by Salon.com.

According to the site, the White House is disseminating talking points by stressing that the real issue is not those who took the jobs, but instead the offers Kagan made. In addition, they highlight the number of other African-Americans on the faculty, as well as the percentage of minority students during her tenure.

So, basically the White House wants everyone to believe that Kagan made offers, but nearly all of the minorities chose not to go to work for the most prestigious law school in America.

Folks, I wasn’t born yesterday.

The real issue will be reaction from the left.

It is shameful and disgusting when civil rights organizations, feminist groups and others lose their conviction and sense of purpose when a Democrat gets in the White House. They need to decide what matters: their principles or their politics; their mission or their liberal money; their convictions or chicken dinners in the White House.

Some have already spoken up.

The Black Women’s Roundtable has advocated the inclusion of several black women on the court’s short list. Based on the interviews revealed to the media, none were African-American or minority, but two of the three were women.

Credibility and consistency are vital for any organization. And if the leaders of civil rights and feminist organizations do not demand strong and clear answers from the White House about Kagan and her diversity track record as dean of Harvard Law School, they are failing the people they claim to represent.

Demanding the accountability about diversity isn’t a one-way street meant only for Republicans. Democrats should never get a pass, either.

Roland S. Martin is an award-winning CNN analyst and the author of the forthcoming book “The First: President Barack Obama’s Road to the White House as originally reported by Roland S. Martin.” Please visit his website at www.RolandSMartin.com

To find out more about Roland S. Martin and read his past columns, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com


Sources: Roland S. Martin Blog, Black Women's Roundtable, Colored Demos, Duke Law School

Charlie Crist's Switch Brilliant! Denies Sour Grapes Was Reason

Crist Reacts To Criticism He Quit GOP Primary Because Of Sour Grapes


The Governor of Florida, now running an Independent bid for senate, says sour grapes didn't lead him to leave the Republican primary.

Gov. Charlie Crist told CNN Chief Political Correspondent Candy Crowley that he is aware of criticism that he withdrew from the primary only after his political fortunes fell against former Florida House Speaker Marco Rubio, who is expected to win the Republican nomination handily.

"That's what parties do and that's part of the biggest problem … all they're going to do is attack each other all day long. People like this, they go home and watch cable television, watch broadcast television and they see those kinds of arguments and it breaks their hearts," Crist said in an interview to be aired Sunday on CNN's State of the Union. "They see bickering, and they see nobody standing up and saying, 'We're all Americans, we've gotta to work together.,'"

Crist will face off against the party nominees – likely Rubio and Democratic Rep. Kendrick Meek - in November. Several other candidates have qualified for the election without party affiliation, but none are expected to seriously contend for the seat.


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Sources: CNN, Google Maps

Obama Tells Roland Martin Harry Reid Is A "Good Man"

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Obama: Reid Is "A Good Man"


In a sit-down interview at the White House with CNN Political Contributor Roland Martin, President Obama defended embattled Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid for describing Obama as "light skinned" and "with no Negro dialect, unless he wanted to have one."

"This is a good man who has always been on the right side of history," the president said in an interview taped Monday for TV One.

"For him to have used some inartful language in trying to praise me, and for people to try to make hay out of that, makes absolutely no sense," Obama said. "He's apologized, recognizing that he didn't use appropriate language. But there was nothing mean-spirited in what he had to say and he's always been on the right side of the issues."

In the interview, Obama also described Reid as "a friend of mine" who has "been a stalwart champion of voting rights, civil rights."

The president's vote of confidence - in Monday's interview and in an official statement over the weekend - comes one week before Senate Democrats return to Capitol Hill to flesh out a final health care reform bill. Obama told Martin that Reid "is spending a lot of his political capital in the middle of an election year to provide health care to every American."

"That's going to have a great impact and African-Americans and Latinos around the country," Obama noted.


Sources: CNN, TV One, CBS News, Third World Press