LeBron the Victim?

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I'm sure NBA fans are well aware of LeBron James' interview with CNN in which he played the race card, stating that he believes a lot of the backlash--criticism--he's received over his decision to jump ship and head to Miami is tinged with racism. First off, what a ridiculous question to ask an athlete. Talk about giving them an out! Soledad O'Brien brings up race for every single topic on the planet. There's zero factual basis here. Zero. But never mind all that. How do white NBA fans feel to know that, if you begrudge a black athlete due to his or her choices, it goes beyond the pale in terms of basic passion for the game and becomes racist? How does it feel to know you can't come down on LeBron James like you come down on Brett Farve, because you're a racist if you act FANatical about a black athlete? Is this fair of someone in LeBron's position to do? I'm writing this while asserting little to no reaction LeBron has received has been based on his skin color. Why? Well, Babe Ruth wasn't black and, per the era, was under far, far, far more scrutiny than James for his jump from Boston to New York. And this is in an era where racism was running rampant and media was not. Johnny Damon caught enormous flak for the same move. Brett Favre, another white athlete, has been habitually torn apart by media for the past four years due to his on-again, off-again love affair with retirement. Roger Clemens, after the steroid controvery, is baseball's ubervillain keeping Barry Bonds company. Am I racist for saying Bonds did it but just a conclusion-hopper for saying Clemens did it? Of course, it's absolutely absurb to suggest racism plays a role in any white athlete getting his or her a$$ chewed for a decision. But when a black athlete says it, the entire sports media world--white reporters specifically--put on the kid gloves and bend over backwards to placate sensitivities. While Josh what's-his-face was interviewing Jalen Rose on the subject, the poor guy could barely get a sentence out. I don't know if he was embarrassed or scared, but it was uncomfortable. Here's the reality, as I see it. Feel free to disagree. LeBron James was handed the keys to the world while still in high school due to his undeniable talent. He never, ever balked at the idea of being America's basketball sweetheart - the next Michael Jordan. In fact, he embraced it so much that he enjoyed calling himself the "King," enjoyed shooting commercials, signing endorsements, plastering his face on billboards and making more money than 99.9% of all Americans regardless of race. LeBron James did all this. LeBron. Not some suddenly black guy. "Black" isn't who he is. He's LeBron first - a charismatic basketball player whom America and the rest of the world fell head over heels in love with. So, when he shows that he's not what everyone thought, and broke Cleveland's heart and made it all about him and his winning legacy in the process, of course people are going to turn on him. You mean to tell me that, even though he's always been "black," people loved him then but suddenly decided they don't like a black man having "power" now? He's had the power since he was 16. That's absolutely absurd. Absolutely. James is trying to find a scapegoat here. And with the racial climate we live in today, simply saying that it's racism will get some people off his back. LeBron is doing a great disservice to every man, woman and child in the world who's ever faced real racism. By playing the race card so media stops crucifying him for his brat level of selfishness, he's attempting to turn it around on the public at large. This is horrible for his image, and even more horrible that a nation comprised of 66% whites, many of which promoted James to stardom, is blamed when he can't take the heat for a personal decision.