Written by Charles Murdock | 22 July 2010

“Are you s#&tting me?” - Lebron James

With that firm statement LBJ has succinctly put into words what many of us are thinking. What kind of society do we live in the people are mandated to stay in the place they grew up. Let me make this very clear…Cleveland is not a great place to live. I have interviewed many Cleveland residents for this article and the most commonly heard phrase is, “Yeah, Cleveland sucks”.

This is not a new sentiment, as long before the Cuyahoga River burned, Cleveland was not exactly the envy of the New York’s, the L.A.’s or to a lesser extent even the Albuquerque’s of the world. Yeah, Cleveland had Lebron and high hopes, but as most people do when they get the chance…he got out of Cleveland.

“You kiddin’ me? I’m leaving as soon as my numbers hit!” exclaimed Mayor Frank G. Jackson. “Why they hell would I stay here?” During an election year this could be a tough scandal for many politicians, but the voters in Cleveland value a leader with similar ideals to their own, and there is no ideal more synonymous with the city than leaving. Many former mayors adopted similar policies, but like most politicians, were unable to fulfill their promises. The residents are claiming that it is just more ’mayor speak’ and that he should worry about the real issues, like how to get the rest of the residents out of the sinking ship.

Lebron James, like Art Modell before him, tried his best to navigate through the wreckage that is Cleveland, Ohio, but came up short, similar to every other resident of the city. The difference is that they have wherewithal to do something about it, rather than sink. Wouldn’t you?

[Disclaimer: Opinions in this article in no way represent the opinions of Major League Baseball, The National Football League, or the National Hokey League. The National Basketball Association has yet to way in on the topic, but behind closed doors supports every American’s right to leave Cleveland. Lebron James and Mayor Frank G. Jackson may or may not have been quoted accurately.]