'This Week' Transcript: Axelrod

TAPPER: All right. We have only a little bit of time, but obviously there was a big move in the sports world this week, with LeBron James moving from Cleveland to Miami. I want to do a quick whip-around on this.

George, should we feel sorry for Cleveland?

WILL: No, we -- well, yes, we should feel sorry for any city whose identity is bound up and who thinks its economy is bound up with one athlete.

TAPPER: Ron, what did LeBron do to his image this week?

BROWNSTEIN: I think he will be the Alex Rodriguez of basketball. He has gone from phenom to mercenary, and he will never go back on that continuum.

TAPPER: What's -- I always read your stuff to find out what I'm missing, what I'm not thinking about with -- with the narrative. What am I missing in the story? What are we not paying enough attention to?

SALAM: I think LeBron is a really impressive, bright kid who got in over his head. I think he didn't go for the most money. He didn't go for the highest profile. He did -- he wanted to play with friends, and he wanted to win some games, and I think it makes a lot of sense.

And I think that he was handled very poorly by his young team of handlers. And I think that that's the tragedy. It is going to do great grievous damage to his reputation, and it's totally unfair, because he did something pretty impressive and mature.

TAPPER: Give voice to the people of Cleveland who are hurting this morning. You wish he stayed?

MARCUS: I wish he stayed. I saw somebody from Cleveland saying, "We're from Cleveland. We're used to losing." And my heart really went out to them -- to them. I understand he wanted to go play with his friends. It would have been nice if he stuck around. You wouldn't have to put a little "dis" in front of the "loyalty" tattoo he's got on his chest.

And, also, it's not just -- it was the self-involved nature of the decision that really just turned me off.

TAPPER: A reminder that later today on ABC News, the World Cup final, if you're interested in athletics, and our roundtablers will give their picks in the world table -- in the World Cup in the green room at abcnews.com, where later you can also find our fact checks courtesy of PolitiFact.

Coming up here, the Sunday funnies.