http://www.cleveland.com/cavs/index...._lebron_j.html
"Tabloid TV news gives LeBron James a preview of New York: Brian Windhorst's blog
By Brian Windhorst
November 23, 2009, 5:31PM
CLEVELAND -- One of the arguments Cleveland makes in the forthcoming battle over where LeBron James plays after this Cavaliers season is the low-key and protective feel James' hometown market provides him.
For some who aren't from the Midwest, saying "Cleveland is no New York" is a rallying cry for why James will pack up and move to the brighter lights and bigger city, which certainly must be better in every facet than living in the rust belt. Meanwhile, many who have supported James since he was a teenager say the exact same thing, "Cleveland is no New York," where high-profile athletes are held to extreme standards and subjected to often endless presence in the tabloids that can ruin relationships and reputations.
Which brings up the point today. Because at home, where James is supposed to be able to enjoy a certain degree of normalcy, he's being targeted by a local tabloid. Tonight, WOIO Channel 19's Action News is planning a segment about James that they are promoting called "More Than A Mess."
According to multiple sources close to James, the report involves a two-year long dispute over memorabilia relating to the filming of James' documentary, which is called "More Than A Game." The sources said it involves James and the production crew filming a segment of the movie in the government-assisted apartment he lived in during his high school years with his mother. As a consideration for allowing the filming in the summer of 2007, some James memorabilia was supposed to be given to the family living there.
When Akron filmmaker Kris Belman was making the movie he was on a tight budget. He hadn't sold it to a studio or a distributor and was relying on some investors. Most of the locations used in Akron were used for free out of favors Belman and James called in, or in exchange for some James items and credits in the film.
Here is my disclaimer. I was in the movie and filmed several interviews with Belman over the seven years he put into the project. I never received, nor asked for anything for my time and most of the people who were in the movie didn't either. Nor did Belman's parents, who often put the crew up in their West Akron home for weeks on end. The interview scenes from the movie were filmed at St. Vincent-St. Mary High School and in a vacant apartment in downtown, where James and I recorded interviews during August of 2007.
For various reasons, the people who allowed James to use their apartment at the SpringHill complex in Akron were not satisfied with the memorabilia promised or provided, sources said. It might have been misplaced. It might never have arrived in the proper hands. The sources said the family has spoken to Action News about it and that is now being used against James in tabloid style, complete with three days of promotion on the channel.
According to a source close to James, when he was contacted about this story he had his personal staff send the family and building manager at SpringHill signed basketballs and signed jerseys to try and make up for the misunderstanding. Forget the sentimental value these items would have, their retail value on auction sites like eBay would be for more than $500. A source said they were sent registered mail and received last week.
However, it seems the story will air tonight.
James has a huge amount of respect for SpringHill and the families who lived there with him. He has never asked for recognition but has repeatedly given back to that community, especially for kids who go to schools in the area. He named his production company "SpringHill Productions" because of the effect living there had on his life.
In "More Than a Game," the scene in James' old bedroom and old living room with his mother describing how they lived before he became rich and famous were some of the best moments in the film. In one, he stands on his old balcony overlooking downtown Akron and it's one of the most stirring shots in the movie.
Now, though, he's apparently going to be taking some negative publicity because of it.
How is this matter different from the other non-basketball stories James has been involved with in recent months? The billboard downtown, his friend in an altercation with Braylon Edwards, his belief he could play in the NFL? In all of those, James brought the topics up in interviews with the media or was involved in a public setting with a massive corporation working with the City of Cleveland on a huge public space.
Behind the scenes fighting over memorabilia, or how much he tips a waiter, or which downtown apartment building he has a place in are the things usually saved for Page Six. Not in James' hometown"
