Why do bloggers and fans get all uppity when players start jawing a lot and carrying on during the course of the game? I submit to you this as Exhibit A. The title of the video is "Ron Artest: Still Crazy", and Hardwood Paroxysm brought this to my attention. If you look at Ballhype's links, most bloggers took a negative slant to this video.
However, pay attention: those are Utah Jazz announcers, and the poster appears to be a Jazz fan. Also, if you listen carefully, the fans are getting into it with Ron Artest just as much as Ron is getting into it with the fans. And Mark Harpring is being just as physical with Ron as Ron is with Matt, if not more. Watch Harpring bumping Martin later in the clip. Yet it's Ron who's the crazy guy, eh?
I personally see a guy who is a little too intense on the floor, a little too angry at all the losing the Kings have done, maybe trying to fire up himself and his team the wrong way for a meaningless game in Utah. But I don't see crazy, I don't see weird, I don't see socially inappropriate. We've all gotten chippy while playing a game just because things weren't going our way. And at least, when Ron did get ejected, he left quietly.
Same thing for Philip Rivers: you must see this video below, titled "Rivers Anger"
Hilarious! Rivers is shouting at fans, slapping his center's butt, being overly intense. But I WANT Philip Rivers to be that way, as long as he isn't so hotheaded that he costs the Chargers games. Football is boring, with its lengthy delays and helmet-clad players. I want the game livened up by some authentic attitude rather than choreographed celebrations.
We want our favorite players to care more about the games, right? So why the sudden snobbery when a Rivers or Artest or Garnett shows real passion? I seem to remember a certain gentleman who did a lot of trash-talking back in the day, initials MJ:
And what about Tom Brady? (first part of video) Why is his trash-talking ok?
I think in the end, you fans and bloggers only respect trash-talking if perennial winners like Jordan or Brady trash-talk. I say, let every athlete get into it! If they win, I respect them; if they lose, I might laugh a bit, but I still respect the passion.
For the record, we don't take issue with Ron Artest talking trash.
ReplyDeleteWe take issue with Ron Artest is completely batshit insane.
But only if by "take issue with" you mean "think it's totally awesome that."
And Artest is indeed batshit loony.
ReplyDeleteOn Rivers, that incident evoked such a visceral reaction in most.
You know, the kind of reaction that says, "Just playing the fucking game. Grow up."
And mostly that reaction is embedded in the notion that Rivers doesn't seem to understand that the fans he was yelling at are, most likely, themselves batshit loony. Why give it time?
Me likes bookended 'batshit loony' comments.