Sports Rhetoric

This is an interesting year in the NBA because there are plenty of notable names that will be free agents at the end of the season. The summer could bring on the ultimate game of musical chairs for players, swapping teams for more lucrative contracts and a better chance at winning a championship. Of all the free agents, LeBron James has probably been the most talked about when it comes to 2010 restricted free agency. There has been plenty of speculation about the teams he will go to next year if he decides to leave Cleveland. After a loss tonight in game 6 of the Eastern Conference semi-finals, the talk has already begun to escalate as LeBron’s decision becomes more imminent. For that reason I choose to evaluate LeBron’s post-game press conference from the game 6 loss to the Celtics. It is not the typical press conference because of the aforementioned free agency. Moreover, it is an opportunity for him to talk to the fans of Cleveland, and almost apologize for not living up to this year’s expectations. It is also different from the typical press conference because there is some persuading on James’ part. Convincing the reporters in the room, and consequently the people paying attention to the situation, that he has not given any thought to what team he going sign with in the off season.
There are some barriers that LeBron must overcome. Most people assumed that the Cavaliers would at very least make it to the Eastern Conference final for a rematch with Orlando. Furthermore, after being up 2-1 to the Celtics and a dominating performance by the Cavs in game 3 most people were ready to say Cleveland could be considered the overall favorite of the playoffs. Also, there were many people questioning LeBron’s focus on this series because of his pending free agency. The media accused him of being passive and less aggressive than the LeBron we’ve come to know in the NBA.
The conference opens with Lebron attempting to explain that he did not think about