A City That Loved Its Son
Swen Nater

For decades, the Dutch have passionately followed their world cup soccer teams. But on the road to the 2010 World Cup, they didn’t just follow their team in spirit; thousands caravanned over 8,000 km, from The Netherlands to South Africa, in orange busses and cars. During the final game today, thousands of Dutch fans filled the squares of Holland to watch their team compete and hopefully win the World Cup. Those not in South Africa or out on the streets were watching at home, with equal enthusiasm and hope. In short, an entire country of highly-diversified people stopped what they were doing, came together as a family, and had something in common—cheering their home team to victory. 

For weeks, every Dutch fan ignored race, gender, and social status. For weeks, they were brothers and sisters. For weeks, there was excitement, anticipation, and hope because there was a chance, the pride they had in their country, would multiply if their team was victorious and they would have the respect of the world. They paid no attention to the odds the newspapers, magazines, and media announced. The odds were in their favor because they believed in their brothers out on the field.  

And they knew all of the players, perhaps not in person, but they knew more about them than they knew about themselves. Those players were almost gods to those fans. They were the players they could never be. They were the players they wanted their sons and daughters to be like. They were heroes. No, they were more than heroes. They were adopted family members because, like in any family, there was give and take. The players gave themselves for the country and the country gave itself to the players.

That’s World Cup soccer. Now for the NBA, particularly LaBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers. Since the day before The King held a press conference to announce which team was going to be the lucky one, the radio and TV stations covered the soap opera. The interviews and speculations were centered around the MVP and which team he was going to choose. In the end, he chose Miami and now they are talking about whether they will win it all or not. That’s the story we hear from the media. But that’s not the real story here. This story is not about one player at all; this story is about one city—Cleveland. I played many a game in Cleveland and I can tell you, those are some of the best fans in the league. They are loyal, proud of their city, and they love their team.

Sound familiar? Sound like the Netherlands? Like the Dutch players are Holland-born, LaBron is one of Ohio’s own. He was family. And when the Cavs became a contender, the entire city got behind the team, much like the Dutch did when their team went to the World Cup. Cleveland fans, like Dutch fans, found something to rally around together. They found something that was bigger than all the differences they had. From the poor areas to the very rich, they met at Quicken Loans Arena and helped their team win more games than any other last season. When the Cavs were on the road, fans met in pubs, sports bars, and homes to cheer LaBron and the boys on. They were so very proud of their team and, because of the success, so very proud of their city.

But, once again, Cleveland takes one giant step backwards. Will they regroup? I certainly hope so. I hope the Cavs get so good they meet the Heat in the playoffs and beat the snot out of them. This story is not about LaBron James; it’s about a wonderful city that trusted their son and had hopes something very special would happen. But King James left home. If he would have stayed, he would certainly have given his family of fans a championship somewhere in the near future.

James may win a championship in Miami (or whatever team he jumps to next if things don’t work out there), but that title will never be as sweet as the one he could have had with his Cleveland family. Who knows, like the Dutch players, he could have seen hundreds of Ohio fans caravan from Ohio to Staples Center to watch his team win the NBA championship.