It's always a joy to see a new person catch the bike commuting bug, suddenly realizing that their trip to work doesn't have to be an expensive drag.
But it's a little more exciting when that person is three-time NBA MVP LeBron James. Florida reporters and national sports networks have been buzzing with the news that King James is biking to and from Miami Heat practice and games with increasing frequency, to the point where he's doing it just about every day.
Craig Chester at Transit Miami weighs in on the coverage and LeBron's potential as a role model:
So LeBron James biking to work on the reg is making national news which is terrific. Though while reading through some of the coverage, a particular comment caught my attention, reading, ‘It’s great to see LeBron biking to work just like an average Joe.‘
Now wait a second. Since when do ‘average Joes’ bike to work here? That’s exactly the problem. ‘Average Joes’ don’t bike to work. ‘Average Joes’ drive alone, sit in traffic and wonder why they are overweight and unhappy.
Don’t be an ‘average Joe’. Be a LeBron.
LBJ and his teammates Dwyane Wade and Mario Chalmers have been riding in Miami Critical Mass as well. It will be interesting to see if this helps elevate the cause of safer streets in motor-happy Florida. It's hard to see how it wouldn't.
Elsewhere on the Network today: Los Alamos Bikes reflects on the similarities between the tolls imposed by gun violence and car collisions in the U.S. Rails to Trails tells us about the campaign to make Camden, New Jersey, a great place to bike. And MPC's The Connector says Chicago's younger generation isn't too interested in driving, and the city is working to accommodate them.
