dolphin's the best.

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Sex isn't dirty, sex isn't a crime. It's a loving act between two or more consenting adults.

-Hank Kingsley

While I don't think its necesarily his fault, the media narrative sure made it seem like he was personally building it, footing the bill, etc. Seems like he didnt do much to dispel that either. Still doing a good thing however.

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Proud member of the white guy grievance committee

It aint the six minutes. Its what happens in those six minutes.

Completely fair.

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I don't disagree with any of this. There were articles that explained the financing but if you did read them there is no way you would know how much money he was contributing.

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Be well

GO BEARS!!!

he could be on video saying #cancelwhitepeople and the media would defend it. there's no risk in anything he does.

If it had been Donald Trump or the Koch brothers who donated a fraction of the operating costs for a school while putting their faces all over it I am certain that the media would have taken a far more critical view of the school. Saying you're triggered is just bullshit. I have clearly stated my position: LeBron donated a fraction of the operating expenses for a very expensive new school. The local district is now on the hook to finance it by diverting resources, and the small local college is on the hook for the free tuition.

It's virtually a no lose situation for LeBron, and he is treated like some visionary philanthropist. Michael Jordan did something similar here by sponsoring a Boys and Girls club, which I believe he put his father's name on. So the media fighting to lionize LeBron over this is certainly annoying.

Having worked in/with non-profits I can say that naming rights situations often end up costing the organization massive operating expenses over the long term for glamor projects. This benefits a small fraction of the students in Akron at the expense of the others. The operating expenses for 80 percent of this large new facility are going to run-up the bills. So while the headlines, and the concept look good- who is going to plug the gaps in the budget for the Akron students who are not attending this school?

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Why are only 14 percent of black CPS 11th-graders proficient in English?

That's interesting if true but it leads to the next question of why not just do a private school?

I think the fairest way to say it is that he simply bought naming rights for this school.

The media certainly missed badly on this story though.

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You do not talk to me like that! I work too hard to deal with this stuff! I work too hard! I'm an important member of the CSFMB! I drive a Dodge Stratus!

The media got the exact message they wanted to across. I especially enjoyed the "smart LeBron" costume he dons for the cameras.

The president doesn't put a dollar into or own MANY of the buildings that have his name on it and until recently the media didn't care to report that. The president also has proven that he wouldn't foot the bill for 25% of any charitable cause despite being a billionaire. He conned MANY with Trump University. The Koch Brothers are different. We can see and hear their work.

If the school fails LeBron will be blamed for not doing more to help kids who are in a similar situation that he was in. He would have thrown away 10's of millions. More importantly the kids wouldn't have gotten the help they desperately needed.

New schools cost a lot of money. LeBron is offsetting 25% of that cost. That's very charitable of him. I imagine that he will donate even more time that will have a significant impact on these kids lives in a very positive way. That should be celebrated.

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Be well

GO BEARS!!!

And it was celebrated. As if a god had touched down on Akron.

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Why are only 14 percent of black CPS 11th-graders proficient in English?

To those kids he is a God.

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Be well

GO BEARS!!!

Hope they understand who is really paying for the school, and the jobs they have to do to pay for.

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Why are only 14 percent of black CPS 11th-graders proficient in English?

I'm sure they will get to economics after learning the names of colors and shapes.

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They don't care that he's only paying 25% of the cost. They're just excited to know that someone cares. That goes a long way.

There isn't a school in a poor community that wouldn't take an extra $2M or have someone pick up 25% of their annual costs.

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Be well

GO BEARS!!!

I agree. This is still nice. It was just portrayed poorly by them. He didn't really open the school just like Derek Jeter doesn't really own the Marlins.

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You do not talk to me like that! I work too hard to deal with this stuff! I work too hard! I'm an important member of the CSFMB! I drive a Dodge Stratus!

I was under the impression that it was a private school, that LeBron dipped into his enormous cache of shoe money and straight-up built a school for needy kids. That is not the case. I'm in favor of public schools, don't get me wrong, but the dishonesty about how this was put together rubs me the wrong way. And the part about his foundation, which raises funds independent of LeBron's largesse, is a reprise of "PK (clap) SUBBAN (clap) BUILT (clap) A (clap) CHILDREN'S (clap) HOSPITAL" from a couple years ago.

But the media has a love affair with LeBron James that goes beyond the usual Appreciating Greatness we make fun of and into all sorts of political and cultural signifiers. There's the obvious, that like any sensible person, he dislikes Donald Trump. But the stuff about him being "a big ol' goofy kid who just wants to hang out with his friends" or whatever goes to another level that's a little harder to put a finger on, but is definitely part of a mindset among liberal journalists that celebrity and wealth can only truly be earned through virtuous behavior, which rockets LeBron past Michael Jordan, whose behavior has been anything but. You kinda see the same principle with Julie and her belief that the worst thing you can do to a bad guy who's famous is make him work in an office in the suburbs.

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I don't disagree but ultimately to the people who matter (the kids) I'm confident they don't care. Kids love LeBron.

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Be well

GO BEARS!!!

Agreed. We should be highly skeptical of these "foundations" too. Some are better than others but much of the money "raised" is simply money that would have otherwise been a charitable donation that gets pooled together in the name of an athlete in exchange for having parties and events people pay big money for or they are part of a PR campaign that is funded by companies they just so happen to have business relationships with. I know people got mad when I mentioned that about the Rizzo stuff but it's true with a lot of them. At a minimum, it's an excuse to get some friends to do a fun job of throwing parties where people overpay "for charity" and then a celebration by the media about the "good guy" who did this. Here is just one example: http://www.lebronjamesfamilyfoundation.org/post/panerabreadraisesdoughforljff

So, these types of things slowly add up to a lot of money not coming from the guy who gets ALL the credit for the charitable contribution. Now, maybe LeBron is giving millions himself, and Panera is helping cover the costs of some other initiative but the ultimate point still remains that these types of foundations most often exist to enrich the brand of the athlete, or provide easy jobs to family and friends, or to simply have an excuse to throw fun parties and other events. It's often a combination of those things too.

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You do not talk to me like that! I work too hard to deal with this stuff! I work too hard! I'm an important member of the CSFMB! I drive a Dodge Stratus!

Everyone is a cynic.

Who cares as long as good is getting done.

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Rick Hahn is the best GM in baseball.

If a thousand kids get less funding who cares? “Good” is being done.

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Why are only 14 percent of black CPS 11th-graders proficient in English?

“LeBron spending millions of his own dollars to help fund a public school for Akron children is Actually Bad for Akron children.” is the type of quality trolling I can support.

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Fare you well, fare you well
I love you more than words can tell
Listen to the river sing sweet songs
To rock my soul

Ever since The Decision LeBron has been extremely sensitive about his public image. He grew up fatherless, he never experienced that kind of love and all the money in the world can't make up for it. That's not his fault to be fair. But you saw a window into the insecurities of his soul when he had to react on live TV to people burning his jersey. I vowed never to like him again after The Decision.

His ego and phony philanthropy should rub you the wrong way. His constant need for validation in the media is bizarre. His constant team changing is tiresome. He has a need to control every facet of whatever franchise he is playing for while making sure there is a stooge in place to take the fall when max Tristan Thompson deals and other idiocy has utterly foreseeable consequences. He is a terrible teammate who insults his own fellow players on social media. I go on forever with the behavior this guy exhibits on a constant basis that make him very obviously an ego driven maniac, but what makes that fact worse is that he can't own it. He craves the adoration of the crowd.

I know my pointing out of this fact is what finally sent jbi11s on his psychotic break where virtually tore open the file cabinets of the message board, but LeBron is an unequivocally blacker player than Jordan, Kobe, or any number of Golden State Warriors, and that means a lot to people in the media. I mean, Jesus Christ, his name is LeBron! LeBron isn't just from the ghetto but sort of brought it with him via all those people who manage him. Jordan made friends with old Jews from Northbrook from like the day he got here. Kobe half-grew up in Italy, Steph grew up rich as the son of an NBA player. Klay Thompson's mere existence is race treason, but Deadspin writers and commenters can't say it out loud.

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That reminds me of working in corporate America and the annual united way fundraising drive. Make the employees contribute through guilt, contests and threats so the company can claim all the good work it does.

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Be well

GO BEARS!!!

He spent almost none of his money for incredible gain.

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Why are only 14 percent of black CPS 11th-graders proficient in English?

That's worded in a way where it's meaningless and either way it doesn't challenge my post. I'm enjoying your stance here. Keep going.

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Fare you well, fare you well
I love you more than words can tell
Listen to the river sing sweet songs
To rock my soul

Maybe the problem is in the way that the math is being taught ? They need to incorporate real world scenarios. LaTronicus carjacked 5 people and held up 4 others earning $625 . If Latronicus did this for 11 days , how much would he have earned per hour keeping in mind the 3 times he was arrested he spent a total of 47 minutes off the streets ?

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Proud member of the white guy grievance committee

It aint the six minutes. Its what happens in those six minutes.

why would it have been more noble for him to fund a private school? the whole point of public schools is to help people who dont have the means to attend private.

btw i donate to public schools every year against my will and they underperform too. i guess im the problem?

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the world will always the world. your entire existence is defined by your response.

Why is there a roman gladiator in this scenario?