James has been more than just a prodigy

Sports prodigies can often be a hit or miss proposition. We can always look at athletes in the past for examples of this phenomenon. In tennis, we once saw a young Anna Kournikova take the women’s game by storm. However we soon found out that her looks were driving most of the hype and her game was anything but special. On the other end of the spectrum, Tiger Woods burst onto the scene winning major tournaments and improving his game even more. Woods became a sports icon and remains a prodigy not only just for his success on the course but for his affect on sports businesses.

Like Woods, LeBron James seemed bound to be more than just another superstar athlete. From his senior year in high school, ESPN televised James’s games live while he was playing for St. Vincent-Mary’s High School in Ohio. His name and reputation kept growing bigger as he entered his name into the 2003 NBA Draft, where he was chosen first overall by his hometown Cleveland Cavaliers.

James, only 18 at the time, went on to win the league’s rookie of the year award as well as many personal accolades. Recently he also became the youngest player in NBA history to score 10,000 career points, beating the likes of other young phenoms like Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers and Tracy McGrady of the Houston Rockets.

Yet, I was still not sure how LeBron stacks up against other sports prodigies and how much he has impacted the NBA.

Bill Wolfum, a writer and blogger for worldgolf.com compared the impact and hype of James and female golfer Michelle Wie on their respective sports in on of his blogs. “I think the biggest difference between James and Wie are their maturity levels,” Wolfrum told me on Monday. “LeBron has had this natural maturity that he has been able to keep and it has been fun to watch.”

Wolfrum also believes Wie’s inability to handle the media and play well stands in contrast to James. “In Wie’s case, they could have done some things different but it’s really just not living up to the hype,” Wolfrum said. “From day one, LeBron was charming and funny. That just drew you to him. He played the phenom role perfectly because people had a lot of expectations and he has met those and exceeded them.”

In comparing other prodigies in the basketball realm, I spoke to Garrett Nakagawa, a basketball and recruiting analyst for WeAreSC.com, where he covers USC guard OJ Mayo. Mayo unlike James, was playing against high school varsity teams as a seventh grader because of his advanced game and a rule that allows younger athletes to compete against older competition in Kentucky. Mayo went on to play five more years as a varsity player for two high schools in Ohio and West Virginia before committing to USC in 2007.

Despite the obvious connections between each other, Nakagawa is careful to point out that Mayo and James are two different types of players. As a result, he believes the comparisons of being prodigies coming from high school highly favor James because of his abilities on the court.

“They are not very close at all,” Nakagawa said. “Coming out of high school, LeBron was physically mature and ready to play. Mayo just doesn’t have that in athleticism yet.”

Nakagawa also thinks that James is the best basketball prodigy he has seen thus far through the history of the game.

“He is easily at the top because in the very first year he came in (the NBA), he was physically ready to contribute,” Nakagawa said. “In my mind, that makes him the best to come out of high school and make the kind of impact he has.”

As far as that impact, James has not only affected the game of basketball on the court but off the court as well. His uncanny ability to endorse many products has only raised his reputation in the sports world according to Jake Appleman, a SLAM Online writer, who has written about the rise of LeBron James.

“He has the perfect combination of street-cred and PR savvy,” Appleman said in an e-mail interview. “You combine that with an off-court sense that mirrors his play on the court, in that he sees everything a few steps ahead of the game and you've got a marketer's dream.”

Indeed, with endorsement deals with Nike, Coca-Cola and Upper Deck, James has transcended the sports advertising and marketing business by increasing profits and paving the way for other prodigies in the future.

While there are many prodigies that can be compared to LeBron but where does he really rank? That is where many of the sources are divided.

“He easily has to be in the top five,” Nakagawa said. “He is right there in front of Sidney Crosby of the NHL but behind Tiger Woods.”

“On par, LeBron is with Tiger,” Appleman said. “They both do things that nobody has before them and continue to set new ridiculous precedents.”

“I really don’t think you can compare (LeBron) and Tiger,” Wolfrum said. “Because Tiger has taken the golf to a level it’s never been before.”

In the end, the measuring stick for a prodigy is determined at least in part by the media, the public and the fans. In James’ case, he has been one of the most decorated figures in sports today.

At 22, he is still a prodigy because he is able to do things that many players could only dream about at such a young age and accomplish after decades in the NBA. Already, James has been able to carry his team to the NBA Finals, win the Eastern Conference title and be a contender for the league’s most valuable player award. James’ prodigy status is fueled by the massive endorsement deals he holds currently that are easily over $100 million a year which includes contracts for his own sneaker line, Sprite and Powerade campaigns and an exclusive deal with a trading card company.

I believe right now he is the second biggest sports prodigy only behind Woods but ahead of those like Crosby, Freddy Adu from the MLS and Andy Roddick of the ATP tennis circuit. His lasting impact on the game has become a worldwide effect because of the amount of products and reach he has right now. The scary part is that he has now reached his full potential yet because he is so young and should only become better as he gets older.

Still I think the best way to determine the prominence of a prodigy is by analyzing their field of sport. The NBA has never been the same because of James and will continue to advance much more because of his name. But in the world of sports prodigies, James has been able not only to affect the game with his amazing skill set but with his ability to have a lasting effect with his endorsements, visibility and image on the sports industry we know today.

Could Bush affect USC football history?

It happens to athletes at small colleges and universities across the nation. Many times it is due to boosters, agents, marketers or even family connections. However in the case of NFL star Reggie Bush and his alleged gifts at USC comes up, it’s an issue of national importance.

First, Bush is one of the most celebrated players in Trojan history as he led them to two national championships and became the seventh recipient of the Heisman Trophy in the school’s history. Secondly, the men of Troy have reigned as one of the best Pac-10 conference teams and a persistent national contender for the past six seasons.

As a result, Bush is still under fire for alleged agreements with a former colleague, Lloyd Lake and with San Diego businessman Michael Michaels. The controversy began on Apr. 23, 2006, when allegations surfaced that Bush’s family was living in a home belonging to Michaels in San Diego, which is considered an extra benefit and a clear violation according to NCAA policy.

Both Lake and Michaels joined in creating New Era Sports & Entertainment, a marketing company that intended to have Bush as their first client. However ties seemed to be strained when Bush allegedly broke an agreement to sign with New Era and found new representation before entering the 2006 NFL Draft.

On June 1, 2006, an FBI investigation was launched into a possible extortion scheme on behalf of Lake, Michaels and New Era. However Lake has claimed to have recorded conversations with Bush that could reveal that gifts were given to him and his family. Among the alleged gifts to Bush include over $300,000 in cash, rent and $12,000 car that is believed to be financed by Michaels.

More gasoline was poured on the fire when author Don Yeager released his book, “Tarnished Heisman” on Jan. 15 of this year. The book includes transcripts and claims made by Lake, in addition to alleged instances in which USC coaching personnel were involved with Bush and his potential link to extra benefits.

If any of these allegations are found to be true, Bush will surely be in trouble but what will happen to USC?

On May 2, 2006, head coach Pete Carroll told the Associated Press that he is not concerned that the program will face any penalties from the NCAA due to these allegations.
Yet with the ongoing probe by federal authorities in addition to independent investigations by the NCAA and the Pac-10 conference, there is still a chance that USC could face the repercussions of Bush’s actions. As a result, there could be a domino effect that results in both governing bodies setting forth penalties that could allow others like the Heisman committee to rescind their trophy they awarded Bush in 2005.

Still I investigated how many in the USC community like those close to the situation and others with outside knowledge would react if such a catastrophic after effect would occur from the Bush controversy.

Brandon Hancock, a teammate that shared the backfield as a full back with Bush in the 2003 and 2005 seasons at USC, offered that if the school did know about the alleged gifts it would be a black eye but he maintains that the program never suspected anything in his time there.

“I would be upset if there was knowledge on behalf of USC,” said Hancock, who received his master’s degree from USC in December 2007. “I would be disappointed in that regard but we never suspected any foul play or anything of that nature.”

Still, Hancock believes that does not take away from the achievements made by those national championship teams in 2003 and 2004. “They are not going to come to my house and take my ring away,” Hancock said. “It’s not going to take away from what we accomplished then.”

The same sentiments were emphasized by Adam Rose, a graduate of USC, who writes for his Los Angeles Times blog, “All Things Trojan.” Rose deems that it is improbable that the school will face any consequences on the behalf of its former star running back.

“I think it is very unlikely that USC will be sanctioned by the NCAA at this point,” Rose said. “I think the allegations are not really evidence and I believe USC knew nothing about it.”

Rose puts forth the notion that USC is in the same predicament as other schools have been in the past, such as Michigan, who had no knowledge of one of their own star players, Charles Woodson, receiving gifts while still at Ann Arbor.

But Rose thinks that the likelihood of USC having to rescind their national titles because of these investigations is very slim.

“It would be difficult for this to happen because A. there is no precedent for this, B. they don’t have method to do this and C. it is more of a headache than they want to deal with,” Rose said.

As for those bleeding cardinal and gold currently, many of them differ in feelings if USC was affected by potential sanctions. Junior Jeremy Hall thinks despite the allegations against Bush, his school was not aware of his dealings.

“I still don’t see anything USC knew about it,” Hall said. “There is no way that they can keep track of every player 24/7.”

But if the school does face punishment from governing bodies for its knowledge in this case?

“They can’t really complain about it,” Hall said. “It has happened to other schools so why should USC be any different?”

Although there is still reason to believe that Bush may have violated NCAA rules, USC should and probably will not face any penalties. Coach Carroll and entire athletics program at USC are very open and willing to help if they had any information. But clearly this is a situation between Bush and his former associated parties.

The school itself should not have to pay for Bush’s actions if he did in fact take gifts while still in college. I believe when it is all said and done the school will be found innocent of any wrong doing and put all this behind them. As for Bush, it remains to be seen how it will play out if he did in fact get involved in some shady practices while in a Trojan uniform.