Introduction
LeBron James is an American proficient basketball player born in December 1984 in Akron, Ohio. Basketball is his whole life, having started playing in his high school team. He currently plays for the Cleveland Cavaliers which is in the national basketball association (NBA). He is arguably one of the best players in the world having won countless awards in his basketball career. He has won a total of three national basketball association championships; he has also won four awards for the NBA most valuable player, two Olympic gold medals, three awards of the NBA finals MVP, an NBA scoring title as well as the NBA rookie of the year award (Kim,2015). As a professional athlete, James LeBron has a very active social life that has made him one of the best prominent basketball players in the United States. Having accumulated a lot of wealth as well as fame from the countless endorsement contracts, he has appeared to the top ranks of the most famous as well as influential athletes in the United States. Therein, with that influence, he has started a charitable foundation under his name called the LeBron James Family Foundation.
The LeBron James Family Foundation
The Foundation is one of the most influential charitable organizations in the education sector in Akron Ohio. Started by LeBron James with the intent to enhance the education of children in the district, the foundation has grown to encompass a large proportion of children in Akron. James had initially worked with children in Akron in a program that involved bike riding with the intent of helping the children at risk. With the realization of the vulnerability of the children, he pioneered and started the LeBron James Family Foundation to work with the kids extensively. The foundation recognizes that vulnerability by identifying the vulnerability status of children likely to drop out of school (Brown, Dickhaus and Long, 2012). Faced with numerous problems such as their performance in school as well as other social issues such as poverty, and absent parents, children often drop out of school. With this information, the foundation, therefore, set out a program named wheels for education. The primary purpose was to foster the transition of children from one level of education to the next while increasing the number of children at risk who graduate from high school.
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The LeBron James Family Foundation and LeBron James values
Having been born in Akron, LeBron James intends to give back to the society and contribute meaningfully to the society that had a significant percentage of promoting and making who he is today. He is a believer in the value of education as well as the society. The foundation under his name reflects his intention in the society as well as his value and vision that he has in Akron. Akron being his childhood place, James intends to foster the accessibility of education to children who are labeled as at risk children. With that, his intention is the provision of equality of opportunity to gain an education as well as a better chance at life. The foundation represents that value in its vision and mission. LeBron James is one of the most famous and influential athletes in the United States as well as the rest of the world. With his influence, he wants to leave an impact that lasts in the society for several generations even after his basketball career is over. Therein, the foundation is aimed at creating sustainable programs in the community that would be influential and stable to impact the society even in his absence (Mocarski, and Billings,2014). Therefore, through the LeBron James Family Foundation, the mission exists, and the value of lasting impact is being constructed. In recognition of the power of education, the foundation invests heavily in the learning capacity of children starting from the third grade. Therefore, the impact is intended to shape the lives of the future adults who previously are promoted in the program.
Leadership and integrity
The LeBron James Family Foundation is a great indication of LeBron James’ leadership capacity. As the founder of the organization, James has been a key facilitator of the foundation's activities. Springing his vision for the community, James has been able to demonstrate his ability and capacity for leadership in the community by the vision and mission adopted by the Foundation. Therein, the success, as well as the growth experienced by the foundation, is a clear indication of the leadership quality and integrity. Being a person who lives his life out loud, he is under scrutiny by many. He has therefore used his influence as a celebrity and an athlete responsibly to become a mentor and a positive role model for children in the program (Mocarski, and Billings,2014). In the set, he has been able to expand the base of sponsorship of the foundation by appealing to the partnering companies to raise funds for the organization.
LeBron James image
Image of athletes stands at the core of the fame and career of a star like LeBron James. By the value allocated to the person himself, he has been able to become very influential in the United States. The LeBron James Family Foundation has had a significant role to play in his image as an individual who cares about the society. By working with at risk children, he is admired as one of many individuals who is investing in the future of the United States. Therefore, his national appeal as a person of stature in the society increases. It’s imperative to understand the importance of integrity in enhancing the image of an individual. LeBron James image has been created by the reputation he has had as the mentor in his foundation. Therein, he has been able to mesh his social responsibility to work as his image management strategy. The more socially acceptable and influential he becomes the bigger and better his image grows.
References
Brown, K. A., Dickhaus, J., & Long, M. C. (2012). LeBron James and" The Decision": An empirical examination of image repair in sports. Journal of Sports Media , 7 (1), 149-175.
Kim, M. J. M. (2015). The NBA & Lebron James article.
Mocarski, R., &Billings, A. C. (2014). Manufacturing a messiah: How Nike and LeBron James co-constructed the legend of King James. Communication & Sport , 2 (1), 3-23.
