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Most colleges can't even get their games on ESPN and here's a high school team doing it. It seems everyone is making money off Lebron except Lebron.
That is until recently, when Lebron showed up to school is his new 2003 Hummer H2 Vehicle.
It's listed at a base price of $50,000 - that's if you don't include the three televisions, embroidered seats and computer hook ups. (I guess he had one of those car dealers who sold him on all the options.)
The vehicle was purchased for him as a birthday present by his mother Gloria James. (All I get every year is a card.)
His mother states that she was given a loan by a bank for this vehicle even though she is currently unemployed. (Imagine how much you can get from this bank if you had a job.)
This has caused the Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA) to look into whether Lebron violated his amateur status. State officials were concerned that James, a senior, might have violated a state bylaw that says an athlete forfeits his or her amateur status by "capitalizing on athletic fame by receiving money or gifts of monetary value.'' So if the OHSAA makes money off Lebron's fame that is good but if Lebron makes money off his fame that is bad.
Show me where being an amateur also means being a sucker.
.
Besides how do they expect Lebron to get to school? Haven't they heard how hard it is for African Americans to get a taxi?
Lebron's mother has cooperated with the investigation by providing documentation of how that car was bought. If it were me, I would have stated I bought my son a car and it's none of your business.
Thousands of parents buy their teenagers cars - why aren't you bothering them?
If they gave me that line about amateurism, I would have told them that they're behaving like amateurs. I would have further stated that I would return the vehicle after they return all the money that they made off Lebron.
Someone should tell these state officials that this is a capitalist society and that if you have an extraordinary skill you are allowed to make money off it.
If Britney Spears had wanted to sing in the high school choir would they first ask her to return the money she made from selling millions of records?
As far as college, Lebron has given up that idea long ago. Not that he doesn't have the grades but millions await him in the N.B.A. As Charles Barkley said "College is a great thing, unless you can run and jump over buildings."
Lebron is one of the few people who is not a cartoon superhero who can do all that. However this has caused a lot of debate because a lot of people would rather see him play college basketball. Anyone who thinks that should have seen the Fiesta Bowl and Willis McGahee.
McGahee, a running back for the University of Miami, was regarded as the top five draft choice and sure to sign a multi-million dollar contract. During his last game at the Fiesta bowl he tore three ligaments in his knee. He is now out for the year and will be lucky to even be selected in the N.F.L. draft. He did take out a two and half million dollar insurance policy but that only protects him if he can't play again. It appears he will be able to play again but with these injuries you never know if he will be the same type of player. One columnist commented that what happened to McGahee was like "Having a winning lottery ticket and watching it fall down the sewer." What is McGahee to do about all the millions he lost? Maybe he can ask the OHSAA since they have loads of it from Lebron.
So for now the OHSAA will continue their investigation of Lebron. My guess is it will be completed once the basketball season ends and they're finished using Lebron. In the meantime, Lebron will have to keep slumming around in his Hummer H2 until he finishes high school when he can buy a real car. A lot of commentators say this is sending the wrong message. Once again they are correct, because it should have been Lebron buying his mom a car.
NEW YORK, NY, USA - If you haven't heard of Lebron James you probably will soon. James is currently the top high school basketball player in the country. He is expected to be the number one overall pick in this year's NBA draft. He currently has sneaker companies offering him millions of dollars to endorse their shoes. Due to his popularity, his high school basketball team is playing in a bigger gym, teams are charging five times the amounts they normally would for tickets, and ESPN has even televised two of his high school's basketball games.
There are plenty of amateurs making money off their fame and not a word is said about it because they're in different sports. Just look at the millions of dollars that figure skaters Michelle Kwan and Sarah Hughes pull in and no one questions their amateur status. Now that a basketball player is doing it, lets start an investigation.
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