LeBron and Melo: Coming Home

Lebron and Melo: Coming Home

LeBron James Carmelo Anthony

5% less males (and 5% more females) are talking about LeBron as a free agent

Before their decisions…

LeBron James

+3%

LeBron James

LeBron James is a controversial player, as shown above through the reactions to his free agency. Only 41% of the conversation is news sharing. Positive sentiment reflects people that want him on their city’s team, while negative sentiment reflects people making fun of him and LeBron-obsessed Heat fans.

Carmelo Anthony

Carmelo Anthony, on the other hand, is not as controversial of a player as LeBron. As depicted above, most of the buzz around his free agency is news-sharing (92%, more than double LeBron’s news-sharing percentage), rather than overtly positive or negative sentiment.

LeBron James

Carmelo Anthony

When the news leaked that LeBron was a free agent, chatter about him spiked to a huge volume for 1 day, but simmered down to essentially nothing after 2 days. On the other hand, the buzz around Carmelo’s free agency had two spikes: when the news leaked, and when other players, such as LeBron, announced their free agency. Unlike LeBron, though, the buzz around Carmelo has continued.

LeBron James

Carmelo Anthony

LeBron James Carmelo Anthony

LeBron at the center; affiliated with other basketball players as much as with his own name

Where did fans want them to go?

Unless LeBron goes back to the

And Carmelo either joins LeBron or goes back to the

LeBron will most likely go to the

And Carmelo will most likely go to the

Or Or

After their decisions were made…

Accurate Predictions

LeBron James went ‘home’ to the

And Carmelo Anthony returned ‘home’ to the

Accurate Predictions

LeBron James Carmelo Anthony

Miami Heat fans aren’t posting about LeBron

LeBron James

Carmelo Anthony

While LeBron is usually a more controversial player, his high volume is paired with a higher net sentiment

+12%

+2%

LeBron James

Carmelo Anthony

Post Volume Per Capita

Miami Heat fans are noticeably missing here as well

LeBron James

Carmelo Anthony

Analysis

After weeks of countless news stories and rumors, both LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony decided to ‘come home.’ For LeBron, that meant returning to the Cleveland Cavaliers, the NBA team he began his career with and promised a championship ring. Ohio is also LeBron’s home in the true sense of the word, as he grew up and played high school basketball in Akron, Ohio. For Carmelo, going home meant returning to New York; to the Knicks, the NBA team that he has been playing for since 2010, and to his roots as well. Carmelo was born in Brooklyn, New York and lived there for the first eight years of his life.

Analysis While deciding to come home was definitely a good decision for both players in terms of fan support, it was especially so for LeBron. Although he is usually seen as a very egotistical player, LeBron’s low-key announcement of his homecoming through a first-person article in Sports Illustrated sparked much positive sentiment, especially with male sports fans in Ohio and New York, from fans and celebrities alike.