The Decision was off the court, correct?

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.

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.

You still haven't explained how this makes the school look worse. What does this say about you that you're triggered by this? His name and his money is attached to the success or failure of the school. That's a huge risk whether he's funding 25% or 100% of the school. It is laughable that you or anyone else has an issue with him spending $2M of his own money annually and giving his time. I mean it's not exactly Trump University.

You still haven't explained how this makes the school look worse. What does this say about you that you're triggered by this? His name and his money is attached to the success or failure of the school. That's a huge risk whether he's funding 25% or 100% of the school. It is laughable that you or anyone else has an issue with him spending $2M of his own money annually and giving his time. I mean it's not exactly Trump University.

I've read that he's paying the most he can without it being considered a private school.

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?

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

To those kids he is a God.

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

Everyone is a cynic.

Who cares as long as good is getting done.

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.

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.

“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.

He spent almost none of his money for incredible gain.

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 ?