Miami Fans Burning LeBron Jerseys & Defacing Murals After James’ Decision

As expected, LeBron James‘s decision to return to Cleveland is not going well in Miami. The level of hate spewing forth so quickly in Miami after the LeBron news broke might surprise some who thought juvenile reactions were only relegated to Northeastern Ohio.

Four years ago, the scene in Cleveland after The Decision was met with dejected fans and a lot of LeBron jerseys burning in the streets. Within hours of James’ Sports Illustrated piece announcing he was going back to Cleveland, we’ve gotten to that same point in Miami, with James’ Heat jerseys currently engulfed in flames.

Plus, there are the Heat fans screaming, “F**k LeBron” during local TV broadcasts in front of American Airlines Arena.

A Big 3 mural featuring LeBron and the rest of the Heat team, and which took three years to complete, has already been defaced:

//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

We’re guessing Chris Bosh‘s face will be the next to be defiled if he officially signs with Houston. Of course, defacing a mural that an artist has gone through painstaking efforts to create seems like the wrong way to express your anger at LeBron.

But this is sports, so there’s no rationale when things like this happen. Just emotion, and anger being expressed in all different kinds of manner.

Of course, a mural doesn’t compare to someone who has something more permanent, like a tattoo of LeBron in a Heat jersey on his back:

//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

You win some, you lose some, but the frayed nerves of Heat fans have exploded in anger, not unlike the scene four years ago.

What do you think?

Follow steven lebron on Twitter at @steven_lebron.

Follow Dime on Twitter at @DimeMag.

Become a fan of Dime Magazine on Facebook HERE

×