Lebron James was on the cover of Sport Illustrated when he was still in high school. He was drafted number one overall straight out of high school and was dubbed "The chosen one" by the media. Then before playing a single game, signed a multi-million dollar contract with Nike. Lebron is considered by some to be one of the greatest basketball players of all time. He has won numerous of individual accolades, however now in his ninth season he has not yet won the championship.
Michael Jordan was a guest on the Oprah show and talked about how young athletes today are handed endorsement contracts before even playing a single minute of professional ball. He stated that they are paid on their potential rather than their work. I believe this applied to Lebron. Today he has proved that he is worth the millions that Nike, Gatorade, and McDonalds pays him. However, before he even graduated his mother took out a loan based on his earning potential to buy him a Hummer for his eighteenth birthday. This actually caused an investigation to see whether Lebron was receiving illegal benefits. I don't believe companies should endorse athletes before their career actually starts. Many sponsors have lost money on a "bust." I believe that there are plenty of proven athletes out there to endorse already. I would want to make sure the athlete has a good morality and has proven himself on the field of play. Do you think athletes of high profile should get major endorsements before they even play?
-Derek Flores
Michael Jordan has a good point. He had to work hard and prove himself before anyone would offer him any kind of endorsement. It only feels right that athletes should get rewarded after they achieve success. I feel that athletes should be required to play professionally at least one year before being allowed to endorse any product. In LeBron's defense, he is a talented player, and obviously Nike didn't want to loose signing him to another basketball shoe endorsement. In my opinion, Mom was so wrong in getting a loan to buy LeBron a Hummer for his birthday. What was she thinking? Who does she think is going to end up paying off the loan?
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