lebron james ARLINGTON, TX – SEPTEMBER 8: LeBron James of the Miami Heat looks on from the sidelines before a game between the Dallas Cowboys and the New York Giants at AT&T Stadium on September 8, 2013 in Arlington, Texas. The Cowboys defeated the Giants 31-36. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)
NBABy David Lauterbach on

LeBron James grew up in Akron, Ohio. LeBron’s hometown is about 40 miles from the home of the Cleveland Browns, FirstEnergy Stadium.

Typically when you’re born around 40 miles from an NFL stadium or a city that has an NFL team, you’re a fan of that team. Then again, LeBron James isn’t the typical person.

LeBron’s hometown is 40 miles from the home of the Browns and about 1,180 miles from the home of the Dallas Cowboys, AT&T Stadium. Despite being around 1,140 miles farther from the home of the Cowboys than the home of the Browns, LeBron James is a Dallas Cowboys fan.

Let’s just say LeBron’s excitement for the Cowboys’ rookie running back didn’t sit well with some Twitter users.

https://twitter.com/SplitzMcGee/status/798008575519928321

Now it’s important to note the people who responded to LeBron’s tweet didn’t all accuse him of being a bandwagon Cowboys fan. Instead, they pointed out that LeBron has been Dallas fan for quite some time.

https://twitter.com/Ibj23/status/797962119882874880

It is a well known fact that LeBron is a Cowboys fan after all. As a result, that begs the question of:

Is it ok that LeBron James is a Cowboys fan?

The answer? Well yes technically this is a free country and LeBron can be a fan of whoever he wants. But at the same time, to pick the Cowboys is quite bandwagony.

When LeBron was born in 1984, the Browns were on the verge of winning three straight division titles. However, the Browns then picked up and town in 1996 and Cleveland didn’t get a football team again until 1999. Since then, the Browns have only made the playoffs once.

From 1996-1998 when Cleveland was without a football team, Dallas made it to the playoffs twice and the year before that stretch started in 1995, the Cowboys won the Super Bowl.

So what does that mean? Well during that four year stretch from 1995-1998, LeBron was 11-14 years ago and those are important years for developing fandom. Since LeBron was in fact without a team in his hometown “well close to his hometown” it only makes sense he would begin to root for “America’s Team.”

While that nearly convinces me to say yes, it’s okay for LeBron to be a Cowboys fan, I’m still not ready to give it to him and I’d like to think most people would agree here.

Cleveland did return, and even though they have been terrible since, they are LeBron’s hometown team. As a result, it means he should be at the least a semi-Browns fan, and therefore it’s not okay he’s a full fledged Cowboys fan.

Plus, we have some evidence that LeBron’s bandwagoning is about more than just the Browns moving away. Witness baseball.

When LeBron was growing up, the Indians never won a World Series (heck they haven’t since 1948). However, while in middle school right after the Browns left town, the Tribe went on a tear.

The Indians won five straight division titles from 1995-1999, then finished second in 2000 and first again in 2001.

After their most recent postseason run to the 2016 World Series, it seems odd to bring up LeBron’s Indians fandom. Well that’s because LeBron isn’t really an Indians fan.

LeBron James is a Yankees fan.

https://twitter.com/HoldenMorrissey/status/794042337089425408

It’s easy to understand why someone born in the 1980s or early 1990s, but with no ties to New York, may be a Yankees fan. The Bronx Bombers won the 1996, 1998, 1999, and 2000 World Series. On top of that, the Yankees also made it to the World Series in 2001 and 2003.

What’s not easy to understand is how someone born in the 1980s or early 1990s IN CLEVELAND could become a Yankees fan when despite not winning a World Series, the Indians were still REALLY FREAKING GOOD.

Anyway, the point of bringing up the Yankees is this: If it’s not okay that LeBron is a fake Indians fan who went crazy for Cleveland’s 2016 World Series run (which it’s not), it’s not okay that LeBron is a bandwagon Cowboys fan regardless of how bad the Browns are.

About David Lauterbach

David is a writer for The Comeback. He enjoyed two Men's Basketball Final Four trips for Syracuse before graduating in 2016. If The Office or Game of Thrones is on TV, David will be watching.

View all posts by David Lauterbach