In perhaps a sign of things to come as the rich get richer and sports fans get more desperate, two web sites attempting to lure LeBron James to New York when he becomes a free agent in 2010 have popped up. The differences between these and some sort of fan dream site are, well, many (and are highlighted in bold). From the Cleveland Plain Dealer:

Traitorous former Clevelanders appear to be behind two Web sites recently launched with the aim of enticing Cavaliers star LeBron James to play for the New York Knicks when James is a free agent in 2010.

The first, nycforlebron.com, appears to be founded by a former Cavaliers employee, though he denied involvement when reached by phone in New York.

The second, nycforlebron.net, is a blatant spin-off of the .com site. And the founders, which include a Beachwood native, hope for the same result as the original: drawing attention to how much the citizens of New York would embrace the Cavaliers’ all-time leading scorer if he, like numerous Cleveland athletes before him, bolted for greener pastures.

“Why not jump on the bandwagon?” said Lindsay Pellegrino, a Los Angeles-based event planner originally from New Jersey who helped found nycforlebron.net. “The more word we can get out there, the better the chances are that maybe he’ll come [to New York].”

Both sites are accepting donations, and the .com site says it will shower any money received for luring James to the Knicks on making his stay in New York luxurious. It promises a “New York gift basket” consisting of high-end welcoming supplies like James’ own suite to watch his favorite baseball team at Yankee Stadium, courtside seats at Madison Square Garden for his mother, Gloria, and a Ferrari to add to his stable of speedy cars.

Will these sites have an impact on James’ free agency? Probably not. The guy has enough money to have a casino in his house, for the love of mercy. He doesn’t need free things. But it is another step in the Web 2.0 era (we don’t really know what that means) where fans feel empowered enough to try such a thing.

This entry was posted on Monday, April 14th, 2008 at 1:30 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.