America knows. LeBron James took his talents to South Beach. He met up with a guy with the last name of Wade. Chris Bosh signed up, too.

This was all very exciting, but at the end of the day, basketball in Florida belongs to the collegiate ranks.

Billy Donovan has built a program that might be the envy of many colleges across the country. There is something to say about the purity of college basketball that strikes a cord with the residents of Florida.

Florida is a state that has many residents that came from somewhere else. That said, it’s almost ironic that Florida denizens don’t get behind the Miami Heat team. But maybe that’s the exact reason. Locals in Florida already have their professional team. If you’re a snowbird from New York, you’re a Knicks fan. You came here from Chicago – how ’bout those Bulls?

Pulling for the collegiate team, though, is easy. A college team strikes a sense of community. People don’t grow as attached to a college team in their hometowns, unless they’re a graduate. This leads to an easy jump to the collegiate team in their new state.

Thus, the Miami Heat will never be the emperor in South Florida. Or any part of Florida. But God bless them for signing LeBron.