I remember being in Jacksonville in my second year in 2007.
Week, I want to say right before week one
they cut Byron Leftwich, our starting quarterback.
And I was like, "Ooh! What was going on?"
There was no loyalty. So from that point on I knew.
No matter who I am, who you are,
it doesn't matter. Starting quarterback backup guy.
If you're not producing, they gonna get rid of you.
It's just the nature of the game. We can't play forever.
But organizations always have to think about, how to move on from that
franchise player that you've had a decade or so.
It's just a tough situation and we know as players, it's not personal.
They just have to do what they have to do.
So when I sign a contract somewhere else, you should not be mad at me just the same.
At the end of the day
I'm loyal to my family and making sure that I give my kids the best opportunity to be better than what I was.
These teams do what they want.
They trade you when they won't.
They under pay you when they won't.
They do all this. These teams hire these guys that never played basketball to scout players and
to run their organizations and they wonder why they sorry.
Wonder why they don't have the players to compete, because the people you have picking your players, the people you have watching your players.
I feel sorry for Demar Derozan, but I understand, because these teams been doing it to players for years.
The most important elements to achieving a healthy
fruitful relationship
are trust
sacrifice
and loyalty.
However, like anything,
relationships are not easy and in this modern day and age, those character traits are very rare to find.
According to Psychology Today, four of the ten reasons relationships are doomed to fail, are a product of
lack of communication
monetary differences
unrealistic expectations
and trust issues.
In sports, fans and the media have these
unrealistic
emotion-based
expectations that they set for both athletes
and franchises.
When you analyze the relationship dynamic between
athletes and the organization's they play for.
There is a clear lack of communication
lack of transparency
and lack of honesty.
The reality is folks
pro-sports is a business and the main goal of any business is to generate revenue.
So why is it that loyalty is held in such high regard?
When it pertains
to professional sports.
Fans will be so in love with a player, but if he goes to another team they boo him.
This is the same human being in a different shirt. They hate him now.
Booo!
Different shirt.
Booo.
When we look at athletes today
They are bigger faster stronger and more business-oriented than ever before.
One of the greatest things to happen to modern-day athletes, occurred on July 8, 2010.
LeBron what's your decision?
In this fall, this is very tough.
In this fall, I'm gonna take my talents to South Beach and join the Miami Heat.
Miami Heat?
That was the conclusion you woke up with this morning?
That was the conclusion I woke up this morning.
Remember how things were back then?
Remember how fans and the media portrayed LeBron
being soft
being selfish and being greedy.
He went from being Cleveland's savior to a Cleveland traitor.
All because he decided to change what team he was going to play for.
So let me get this straight.
Anyone can decide where they want to work and who they want to work with.
But when it comes to athletes it's like an act of treason.
What LeBron did was exposed fans
and exposed the media for how they truly feel.
So when it comes to athletes folks, I don't feel as if they owe sports fans
owe sports teams
or owe the media anything.
Especially not loyalty, because they'll love you one day.
Richard Lewis playing off the ball. Lewis, gets it to the LeBron.
For three, for the win
YES!
LeBron James!
At the buzzer!
As the Cavaliers, have pulled it off to tie this series.
What a miraculous shot by James!
But then, if you do or say anything that they disagree with, you're labeled an enemy.
LeBron James and the Miami Heat at Quicken Loans Arena on a night...
What should I do?
What should you do?
Is it even a question.
What happened to family?
You backed out!
Maybe I should just disappear.
It's...it's always what have you done for me lately.
A team will tell you that a certain player is not trade-able, but
We used to always say, that anybody can be traded for anybody
because if you take the best player in the league and trade him for
two of the best players in league that other team is gonna say we'll take the two over just the one.
So it's easy and it sounds good to say for teams or organizations.
But they'll trade anybody if a good deal is put on the table.
Any GM, they think about the PR behind it. But at the end of the day, they're gonna say
"This is gonna make our team good for a long run and we possibly can win a championship this year."
So saying loyalty to a person
is not relevant because we as players
the best we're gonna do is a 15 year career, in some cases 20 year career,
and the organization has to think about long-term. Where they can go from you.
When you examine the role of management in sports.
The ultimate goal is to build a championship contender either immediately or sometime in the future.
But during the construction process though, teams are faced with difficult
roster decisions that they have to deal with.
Take for example in 2013.
The LA Lakers signed injury-prone
35 year-old
Kobe Bryant to a two-year $48 million dollar extension.
That decision would have a negative ripple effect on
the Lakers salary cap
their free agent signings
and where they were finishing in the standings.
As one of the worst teams in the NBA.
Conversely though their rivals the Boston Celtics
that same year traded away Jason Terry
Kevin Garnett
and the face of their franchise, "The Truth" himself, Paul Pierce to the Brooklyn Nets.
The aftermath of that trade has resulted in the Celtics going to the playoffs
four straight years in a row.
Going to the Eastern Conference Finals twice and now
Now they're ready to compete for championships.
Not just right now, but potentially for the next decade or so.
One team was loyal to their star and suffered for it.
The other team made smart
calculated decisions to build a strong all-around team.
I guess what you was doing...
...that was like business right?
It wasn't personal?
My brother
it's always business
never personal.
Loyalty only works when there is trust and sacrifice on both sides.
But when the employee and employer have different agendas
neither side is going to be loyal to the other.
Which is perfectly fine.
because at the end of the day, this is the entertainment business.
In the business world
it's ruthless
cutthroat
and ice-cold.
Just remember when it comes to loyalty in sports,
there's no loyalty in sports. It's not about loyalty. It's about a business.
