Many people know the story of Lebron James — the age-old legend of a kid who grew up with nothing and became the king.
Raised by a single mother in Akron, Ohio, James brought himself and her out of grinding poverty by becoming the best basketball player in the world. People trying to beat poverty through basketball face the longest odds. Only 0.03 percent of basketball players who play for a varsity team their senior season will ever play in the NBA, and only 10.6 percent of those that make it to the NBA will play more than four seasons. Beating those odds, James became a hero to countless people.
James began dating his wife when he was 16 years old. Seventeen years later, they are happily married with three kids. During that time, he went from a broke teenager to a world-famous athlete. In a world with an infinite number of temptations, it is inspiring that a man who could have all of them stayed faithful to his wife.
The Lebron James Family Foundation makes James’ most visible positive impact. The foundation is a non-profit benefiting at-risk youth in Akron, Ohio. It works to combat high dropout rates through the “I Promise” initiative which supplies resources and guidance to children falling behind in school. The foundation also provides full, four-year scholarships to these at-risk youth if they attend the University of Akron. By 2025, the foundation will provide as many as 2,300 scholarships, each of which are valued at 38,000 dollars. James positively impacts these kids’ lives and sets an example for how other wealthy individuals can give back.
This may not sound all that remarkable, as James has done only what a good citizen should do. He is a responsible father, husband, provider, and philanthropist. Many others also live virtuously, but they aren’t written about. What the exemplar James has given the world can only be properly be understood by contrasting him with someone in a similar situation.
Floyd “Money” Mayweather Jr. is the best pound-for-pound boxer of all time. His professional record is 50-0, and his career earnings exceed 700 million dollars. He is an example of the dark influence athletes can have.
Mayweather pleaded guilty to three counts of battery domestic violence, including one instance where he beat his ex-girlfriend in front of two of their kids. He flaunts his wealth constantly and frequently posts pictures of his three Bugattis or his Gulfstream III. Mayweather’s favorite pastime is reminding everyone he is a great boxer and wealthier than they are.
Mayweather’s attitude toward charitable giving is also questionable at best. In an interview with radio personality Kelly Mac, Mayweather said, “I never got involved in the sport of boxing to say ‘I’m going to fight and make hundreds of millions of dollars and just give it all away.’ If I’m gonna mess money off in a bad way, I’m going to spend it on myself. I’m going to do what I want to do with my money.”
Mayweather makes me grateful for Lebron James. For every Mayweather, who acts like his prominence makes him better than the rest of us, there needs to be a James, who believes his platform comes with a duty to act responsibly.
Laura Ingraham recently told James to “Shut up and dribble,” on her show “The Ingraham Angle” in response to his criticisms of President Donald Trump.
Ingraham argued that because James has no advanced formal education, people should disregard his opinion of Trump’s character. This is an undemocratic, condescending, and elitist sentiment.
James’ main critique of Trump’s character was that he is a poor role model. During the interview Ingraham criticized him for, James said he used to draw inspiration from whoever was the president, but now he can’t.
A good role model is someone who inspires us to act better. We should all aspire to make the right decisions. It follows then, that a good role model is someone who can tell the right decisions from the wrong ones and choose the right ones even when it’s difficult. Whether or not someone makes the right decisions determines if he or she is a bad role model.
James doesn’t need an advanced degree to decide if someone is a good or bad role model, he just needs to be able to distinguish right from wrong. James has proven himself a good role model for people to follow, so he clearly has the ability to tell right from wrong.
When James says that someone is a bad role model, we should not ignore him simply because he plays basketball. Rather we should listen to him because he himself is a good role model.
Sutton Dunwoodie is a sophomore studying political economy.
