LeBron James unwittingly provided humorous visual and video evidence in my argument against Sports Illustrated naming him Sportsperson of the Year.
James was dressed like a Chicago Cubs player recently, the Ohio-born star paying off a World Series bet he lost to Chicago-born buddy Dwyane Wade.
Perfect. And, uh, perfectly illustrated.
SI picked James as its Sportsperson of the Year when I believe the choice should have been baseball's long-suffering, forever jinxed, adorably forlorn Cubbies.
The Cubs broke a 108-year drought to win the World Series, but that wasn't good enough for SI's panel of editors.
Apparently, the Cubs had to steady relations with North Korea to get the nod.
Chicago didn't beat the Cleveland Indians until Game 7 on Nov. 1, so maybe SI had early deadlines.
The honor usually goes to "sportsperson" of the year. But a national media outlet recognized the Boston Red Sox as "sportsmen" of the year after the BoSox won it all in 2004. Oh, yeah, that outlet was SI.
(And if you want to go to bat for a sportsperson, try Theo Epstein. Epstein was the executive genius behind the miracles in Chicago and Boston, but he isn't going to produce enough buzz or page views.)
King James is a universal brand. He moves the needle, although SI already honored him in 2012 after he won a ring ... with the Miami Heat.
SI's editor in chief Chris Stone said that in a crowded field of 2016 candidates, "In the end, LeBron James was the clear choice."
The clear choice?
I get it: LeBron delivered the city of Cleveland its first major pro sports title in 52 years; Chicago has witnessed a Super Bowl winner in Da Bears, three NHL Stanley Cup's with the Blackhawks and six championships under Michael Jordan's watch.
James fulfilled a promise when he decided to return after his 2010 exit devastated northeast Ohio. He rallied the Cavaliers from an unprecedented 3-1 Finals deficit in June against defending champion Golden State.
SI explained that James won out because of his impact on his community and our conscious, particularly in commenting about social issues. Call it the Kaepernick Effect of 2016.
"In a very crowded year of Sportsperson candidates, the connection between player and community, his community, can be fairly described as the tiebreaking vote," SI wrote.
A terrific, caring athlete and a heartfelt story, no question.
James was the best story in my mind, too _ until the Cubs came along.
I think ending a championship dry spell stretching more than a century would have been the tiebreaker to end all tiebreakers. Teddy Roosevelt was president and the Model T rolled out the last time the Cubs won it all in 1908.
Their World Series win affected generations of fans.
All that misery and loyalty and love was handed down from father to son and mother to daughter. After Kris Bryant fired to Anthony Rizzo for the final out, also completing an historic rally from a 3-1 deficit, many a Cubs fan wept. The folks who never thought they would live to see this day are still pinching themselves, thanks to a young, powerhouse ballclub.
My buddy Angelo comes from a long line of Cubs masochists. He high-tailed it to Chicago and paid a ransom to witness history at Wrigley. Frankly, he was so use to something derailing the cursed Cubs _ because something always had _ he didn't think twice about a promise he made to his two children: He'd get a Cubs tattoo if they ever won.
Last week Angelo's first tattoo was born of pain and immeasurable pleasure as his grown kids looked on in delight. And on his arm, on each side of the Cubs logo, are the initials of his late mom and dad _ forever Cubs fans.
The Cubs don't have to wait 'til next year to be sportsmen of the year _ except in the eyes of SI.
