LeBron had funded the well-conceived "King for Kids" program to donate bicycles to children as a motivation for them to work hard in school. He had raised money for the Gulf Coast after Katrina. I always thought highly of him.
LeBron's presence in the youth culture totally reinforces the Obama message and can only help to get out the vote.
Apolitical no longer: Cavaliers' LeBron James donates to Barack Obama campaign http://blog.cleveland.com/sports/2008/07/lebron_james_boldest_statement.html
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James has lavished a little more than 0.1 percent of his 2008-09 salary of $14.4 million on the presumptive Democratic presidential candidate, Barack Obama, according to Federal Election Commission records. In June, the Cavaliers star donated $20,000 to the Democratic White House Victory Fund, a joint committee set up by Obama and the Democratic Party for the presidential race.
Supporting a political candidate is a risky move for an athlete who has a $100 million contract with Nike, and depends on shoe sales for part of his income. But in this case it's not foolish, according to one sports marketing expert.
"If you're going to go with someone and be vocal about it, Obama does seem to be a pretty safe choice," said Bob Dorfman, executive creative director at San Francisco-based Baker Street Partners. "He's the candidate of youth and change, and the media darling. I can't see it really hurting LeBron that much to get behind him."
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James, though, appears to be vocal about his fondness for Obama. In June, he and girlfriend Savannah Brinson were part of a group that had dinner with Obama and his wife, Michelle, in New York.
"It was an unbelievable experience," James told the Associated Press. "It was mind-boggling."
At the time James said he wasn't going to campaign for either presidential candidate.
"I'm not so far into it, I don't feel I need to be hands-on into it," he said. "You want to keep athletics and politics separate. I don't want to start getting up on panels or talking about Barack or McCain. I'm aware of what's going on not just with the presidential election. You want to be aware of gas prices and other things. Being a father and being responsible for my kids, I want to know what's going on in our world."
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The recent moves to state his opinion might be early positioning for the 23-year-old's life after basketball.
"We know that LeBron has aspirations greater than basketball," Dorfman said. "He's lunching with Warren Buffett and things like that. You certainly could see him doing this as angling for some political clout when he gets out of basketball. In one sense it's kind of taking his brand and broadening it into the world of politics or government where he may have a future."
Still, James' political opinions so far haven't been that controversial. What would have been even more shocking than giving money to Obama? Try donating to the McCain campaign.
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