LeBron James Might Be an Ohio Traitor, According to Fellow State Natives the Black Keys

For those of you that haven't turned on the TV, listened to the radio, read a newspaper, or spoken to anyone else today, Ohio native LeBron James is signing with the Miami Heat. There have been numerous celebrations, outcries, outrages, jersey burnings, and then some since last night's announcement, but...

By Christine Borges

July 9, 2010

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For those of you that haven't turned on the TV, listened to the radio, read a newspaper, or spoken to anyone else today, Ohio native LeBron James is signing with the Miami Heat.

There have been numerous celebrations, outcries, outrages, jersey burnings, and then some since last night's announcement, but what we found most interesting was Black Keys' drummer Patrick Carney's opinion piece on the LeBron situation.

The fellow Akron, Ohio native took to the WSJ music blog, Speakeasy, just a few hours before the official announcement, and wrote

in the third person about how Akron is a hard place to grow up with

"very few jobs, the economy has been struggling for years and most of

Patrick Carney's favorite places growing up have since closed."

But

we can't really tell if Carney is bashing James or accepting his

decision. One minute Carney (who just recently moved to New York,

himself) says,

"The difference between Patrick Carney moving and LeBron James is

obvious. Patrick Carney just moved. The band will always play shows

there - The Black Keys will always be an Akron band. If LeBron leaves

he will never be able to be as close to his fans as he is in Ohio - he is

one of the few bright things to come from a struggling town."

The next, he counters with,

"LeBron-if you choose to stay you just made a whole state have a

reason to feel proud. If you choose to leave, you just made a few

salesmen at a Ferrari dealership in Miami wet their lips.

Either way, these decisions are hard. He is 25 and has spent his

whole life in one town. No college. No Peace Corps. Maybe he needs to

explore the world, and you can never fault someone for that."

Is Carney hating? Or is he just trying to make peace with the fact that LeBron James is now part of a dynasty?

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Christine Borges is an award-winning writer and editor from Miami. She has over a decade of experience reporting on music, fashion, and the arts. When she’s not exploring new scenes and cultures, she’s petting dogs.

Contact: Christine Borges