Sportsmanship article in SI

[Mark Padgett]

Originally Posted by M&M Guy

Geeze, how old are you?! Does anyone in school now know what a slide rule is? Perhaps a press conference is needed to remind people what one looks like?

I had a math teacher in HS that had a slide rule tie bar. We didn't use the word "geek" back then (we mostly still spoke Latin ) but if we did, he'd have been one with a capital G!

[M&M Guy]

Originally Posted by Mark Padgett

I had a math teacher in HS that had a slide rule tie bar. We didn't use the word "geek" back then (we mostly still spoke Latin ) but if we did, he'd have been one with a capital G!

I know that guy! He also had a pocket protector for his pens, right?

[JRutledge]

Originally Posted by rockyroad

But you will probably boo more against a player who first says he will go to Michigan and then changes that later - right? Especially if that player makes a big show out of it and has a big media circus surrounding the whole changing and signing thing, than if the kid just quietly signed with Ohio State or Purdue or whoever...

And that's my point. When these "big name" athletes and their families do all this media-grabbing, they have to expect that there will be the negative sides to that also.

Just to be clear, since we seem to have some people on this thread who didn't do so well in their reading comprehension classes, the idiots who were talked about in the article should be dealt with. But the booing and catcalls should be expected by the people who put themselves out there.

For the record I am going to boo them because they are going to Ohio State. And who cares about Purdue, we beat them all the time anyway.

And I do not agree about the term "media grabbing." The media is in their face anyway. I go to games during the summer with some of the "bigger names" and it is amazing who is in their face from the Dad to the siblings. And now that high school games are on national TV, the media is even more in their face. Kevin Love played a game in California and there was so much hype around the game, fire codes were violated and the game was delayed for about 45 minutes. I do not think he brought that on himself, the media made a connection and anything the kid did was under a microscope.

Peace

[fullor30]

Originally Posted by M&M Guy

I was responding to fullor's comment about Gordon not wanting attention. If he and his family truly did not want attention, they would not have called a news conference to sign the letter of intent. They would not have spoken to spoken to the media at all. If he truly did not want attention, he would've attended a less-visible school. So, in that respect, I agree with rocky - if you want the attention, you have to be able to take the boos with the cheers.

Absolutely he and his family should never be subjected to obcenities and things thrown at them. The people that did that were idiots. Those were not the average Illinois fans that I know. The ones I know just booed. Should Gordon and his family not expect to get booed, given the circumstances and how they played out? Nope; too bad for them they don't get love everywhere they go. But, you're right in that there is a line that should never be crossed.

You're also assuming along with RR that he and his family called the press conference. Indiana is one crazy basketball state and any time anyone of the magnitude of an Eric Gordon announces that he's going to Mecca of basketball schools in the state, it's big news. I'll bet a shiny new quarter that the media outlets called for the press conference, after all it's what they do. I'm sure they were also drooling over the fact that he opted out of his oral agreement with the Illini, again a big story on a national level. Let's not forget that Indiana lost Greg Oden, another homey a year before to Ohio State, so they were estatic that he was staying put.

I agree, you can boo him all you want for reneging on Illinois, I'm sure he expected that, but not the other stuff.

[fullor30]

Originally Posted by rockyroad

You know, there have been times when reading your posts where I have thought "this person just doesn't get it."

Now I know for sure that you don't get it.

I can only respond to what you post. If you didn't mean what you wrote, I can understand that.

[Drizzle]

Going back to general sportsmanship decorum by fans, I definitely think it's getting worse. Why are parents screaming "MISS IT!!!" in a junior high girls game with the score 20-5? I stopped sitting in the student section at my college for basketball games because I just got so tired of all my classmates screaming at the players & officials. IMO, there's nothing more garbage than chanting "Bulls***! Bulls***!" after a call, or calling someone on the other team some pretty awful names. Get behind your team, and for more competitive levels (i.e. above junior high!) provide a tough atmosphere for the other team, but stop with the personal attacks.

[fullor30]

Originally Posted by rockyroad

You know, there have been times when reading your posts where I have thought "this person just doesn't get it."

Now I know for sure that you don't get it.

"but come on, those players wanted attention in the first place, so now they can deal with some of this stuff. Life ain't all a bed of roses"

Sounds like they get what they deserve?

Try and twist this one.........

[Mark Padgett]

Originally Posted by M&M Guy

I know that guy! He also had a pocket protector for his pens, right?

Sorry. Togas didn't have pockets. Besides, they were quill pens.

[Adam]

Originally Posted by fullor30

I can only respond to what you post. If you didn't mean what you wrote, I can understand that.

Show me where he wrote that he thought they deserved the "other stuff."

[Adam]

Originally Posted by fullor30

"but come on, those players wanted attention in the first place, so now they can deal with some of this stuff. Life ain't all a bed of roses"

Sounds like they get what they deserve?

Try and twist this one.........

He doesn't need to, you already have. Here's his whole quote, Ms. Dowd. I've taken the liberty of highlighting the relevant portions.

Originally Posted by rockyroad

While I agree with Scrapper that the universities need to do something about this behavior, I just think it's a tad bit ironic that the people who WANT all the attention turn around and cry about the negative backlash. Think of all the big newsconference style letter of intent signings we have to endure, and all the self-posturing and styling done by people like Kevin Love and Eric Gordon, and then they want to cry about negative attention...don't get me wrong, these fans went way over the line when they started throwing stuff at families, and chanting "F--- you, Gordon", but come on, those players wanted attention in the first place, so now they can deal with some of this stuff. Life ain't all a bed of roses.

Your welcome.

[JRutledge]

What does wanting attention have to do with sportsmanship? Someone needs to make the connection. I do not give a damn if someone stood on top of the scorers table and jumped up and down 100 times, what the heck does that have to do with telling them to F-off or throwing stuff at their family?

And the fact that people keep talking about what press conference these players had just boggles the mind. Just because you are not coming out and saying it is OK, does not mean you are not implying it.

Peace

[fullor30]

Originally Posted by Snaqwells

He doesn't need to, you already have. Here's his whole quote, Ms. Dowd. I've taken the liberty of highlighting the relevant portions.


Your welcome.

"but come on, those players wanted attention in the first place, so now they can deal with some of this stuff. Life ain't all a bed of roses"

Forgot to post in red for effect.

This is the passage I was referring to.

[fullor30]

Originally Posted by Snaqwells

Show me where he wrote that he thought they deserved the "other stuff."

"but come on, those players wanted attention in the first place, so now they can deal with some of this stuff. Life ain't all a bed of roses"


It implies to me that that's the accepted consequence for seeking attention.

Also ironic about bed of roses as Illinois and Indiana both lost out on Derrick Rose.



.

[Adam]

Originally Posted by fullor30

"but come on, those players wanted attention in the first place, so now they can deal with some of this stuff. Life ain't all a bed of roses"

Forgot to post in red for effect.

This is the passage I was referring to.

Still doing your best to misquote him. If you're not reading his entire post. BTW, I changed the applicable part of your partial quote to black. "Some of this stuff," in the context of what he wrote, obviously doesn't include the death threats and physical assaults on the families.

[fullor30]

Originally Posted by Snaqwells

Still doing your best to misquote him. If you're not reading his entire post. BTW, I changed the applicable part of your partial quote to black. "Some of this stuff," in the context of what he wrote, obviously doesn't include the death threats and physical assaults on the families.

How can I misqoute him? it's all in red and black?

You're not his consiglieri are you?