Earlier this week, LeBron James was recognized as one of the world’s best leaders by Fortune magazine, where his work with the LeBron James foundation landed him at number 11 on the list. Helping youth and leading in his community has always been important to LeBron, and he demonstrates that daily with a foundation that provides scholarships and mentoring to kids in his community.
Perhaps this latest accolade got him thinking about some of the problems with youth sports, because LeBron went on a Twitter rant that highlighted some of the exploitation that exists in high school and college athletics.
Man if it wasn't for Big Frank, Bruce Kelker, Willie Earl, @CoachDambrot @CoachDruJoyce I wouldn't be the player/man I am today! As a kid…
— LeBron James (@KingJames) March 27, 2017
they showed toughness and stayed on me every single day! Never sugar coded nothing, told me to real and lit me up when I wasn't applying….
— LeBron James (@KingJames) March 27, 2017
Reason I'm saying this is I believe this is a major part of the reason why kids don't succeed as much because the leaders, coaches, etc…..
— LeBron James (@KingJames) March 27, 2017
won't get on them because their afraid of losing the kid, or losing the sponsorship that comes with the kids, or have their own agenda……
— LeBron James (@KingJames) March 27, 2017
And here we have the crux of the issues with high school and college athletics. Do the leaders that are teaching/coaching/parenting, have the kids best interests in mind, or are they out for their own personal gain? LeBron is addressing this front and center and isn’t pulling any punches. He lauds the authentic leadership he received in his youth, and sees it as a necessary path to true development as a player and a person. It’s not clear if the recent back and forth with LaVar Ball spurred LeBron to share these feelings, but it’s hard to argue with his position. Flip the pages to see the rest of his Twitter rant.