Why do basketball players get b#$ched at for not setting a good example by fighting...

[NFS4]

First off, I can't stand the NBA. Haven't liked it since Jordan left, but regardless...

I was watching MSNBC yesterday afternoon and one of the news readers (I believe it was Chris Jansing) was bitching out a guest b/c he didn't see what the big deal was about NBA players fighting on the court.

She responds to Guest 1 by saying they're making all of this money and they're supposed to be role models and kids look up to them

Guest 2 says that's its the environment that these kids grew up. They grew up around violence, they see violence on TV, movies and everywhere so it's not surprising that they act out on the court.

Guest 1 responds with hockey, baseball and football players get into fights, but they are not subjected to the same kind of scrutiny for it. And they definitely don't get the "You're supposed to be a role model" lecture.

At that time, Chris Jansing says that "Well, we're out of time" and goes to commercial.


Now I was watching some different news programs on other networks in the past few days and it seems as though they carry the same attitude that NBA players should be held to some different standard. WTF?

 

[Phokus]

I think it's because of the 'thug life' imagine that the NBA wants to get rid of.

 

[slsmnaz]

All the others you mentioned do not spill into the stands and place fans at risk. Also, bball is not as violent a sport as hockey or football. And when was the last time you saw a good fight in baseball?? They charge the mound so slow a catcher in full gear usually catches them from behind.

Hockey players are on skates and it is 1v1 until they hit the ice. Football players are so padded up that a fight doesn't mean much. Like it or not, the NBA has that "thug" image they are trying to get rid of. It makes it very hard to change the image when this crap keeps happening. They are paid millions and should act like it.

 

[amish]

personally i think it is the thug attitude of the NBA players. they alway seem to have this mantra of "i need to keep it real." so when they get shown up on the court they resort to fighting instead of putting that person back in his place.

in football fights are rare, except for stupid FSU. when people have an axe to grind they solve it on the field during play. they seem to know that the team is more important than punching a guy in the face. mello on the other hand looked like he gave more of a slap.

fighting in hockey is part of the sport. it draws in fans. the refs and players do a great job of stopping once someone hits the ice.

baseball is held to the same standard of basketball players. people are suspended for long times and fined lots of money. however they don't bitch about it like basketball players do.

 

[Miramonti]

Agreed!

Its a buncha crap. Take a group of guys in their 20's, many from the ghetto, and expect them to be pansy choir boys. :roll:

If they want a pansy choir boy image, then get pansy choir boys to play the sport.

 

[JeffreyLebowski]

Well hockey really isn't a sport, it's a long fight. 3x 20 minutes rounds. Every once in awhile someone scores.

 

[slsmnaz]

Originally posted by: jjsole
Agreed!

Its a buncha crap. Take a group of guys in their 20's give them millions and millions of dollars, many from the ghetto, and expect them to act like members of society. :roll:

Fixed

 

[NFS4]

Originally posted by: slsmnaz
All the others you mentioned do not spill into the stands and place fans at risk. Also, bball is not as violent a sport as hockey or football. And when was the last time you saw a good fight in baseball?? They charge the mound so slow a catcher in full gear usually catches them from behind.

Hockey players are on skates and it is 1v1 until they hit the ice. Football players are so padded up that a fight doesn't mean much. Like it or not, the NBA has that "thug" image they are trying to get rid of. It makes it very hard to change the image when this crap keeps happening. They are paid millions and should act like it.

But let's break this down to an even simpler level.

The NBA players are being criticized simply for fighting -- unleashing their emotions and attacking an opponent.

On that note, what makes 'mello punching a player any different from two hockey players going at it (fighting is not a critical aspect in scoring points in hockey last time I checked) or if a player rushes the mound and tackles a pitcher in baseball. Or how about when a pitcher hits a player on purpose with the ball?

The physical act of fighting isn't setting a good example in any case, so why should BBall players be singled out.

 

[MrChad]

Originally posted by: NFS4
Now I was watching some different news programs on other networks in the past few days and it seems as though they carry the same attitude that NBA players should be held to some different standard. WTF?

Like it or not, no professional sport is followed more by young impressionable black men more than the NBA. My feeling is that because this demographic (more so than the target audiences of football, baseball and hockey) struggles to battle problems with violence, the NBA and its players are held to stricter standards.

 

[slsmnaz]

Did you see the fans get run over the other night? How many 1v1 fights are there in the NBA? I've never seen a fight where 10 guys didn't try and jump the other team. It sounds stupid but there are "rules" to hockey fights.

 

[NFS4]

Originally posted by: slsmnaz
Did you see the fans get run over the other night? How many 1v1 fights are there in the NBA? I've never seen a fight where 10 guys didn't try and jump the other team. It sounds stupid but there are "rules" to hockey fights.

Oh, so "structured" fighting in team sports makes it OK?

Fighting in any measure projects a negative image be it hockey or basketball. Just b/c it's more "accepted" for hockey players to fight doesn't make it right.

 

[TheSiege]

its because basketball is a black dominated sport and its what kids in the inner city play. the last thing the NBA commissioner wants in to set an even worse example for inner city youth. thats all i can think of

 

[meltdown75]

Originally posted by: JeffreyLebowski
Well hockey really isn't a sport, it's a long fight. 3x 20 minutes rounds. Every once in awhile someone scores.

haha.

 

[purbeast0]

I think that fighting in hockey is "part of it" an is just a normal old penalty is the dumbest fvcking thing. i really despise hockey and that's one of the reasons.

 

[slsmnaz]

Originally posted by: NFS4

Originally posted by: slsmnaz
Did you see the fans get run over the other night? How many 1v1 fights are there in the NBA? I've never seen a fight where 10 guys didn't try and jump the other team. It sounds stupid but there are "rules" to hockey fights.

Oh, so "structured" fighting in team sports makes it OK?

Fighting in any measure projects a negative image be it hockey or basketball. Just b/c it's more "accepted" for hockey players to fight doesn't make it right.

I see you ignore the fans safety part.

There is no image problem with the NHL, NFL or MLB like there is with the NBA. They have a rep that they need to get rid of before gaining new fans.

 

[Toasthead]

Hockey doesnt matter because no one watches it. Baseball players rarely fuight and when they do they are suspened and fined like everyone else. The drug issue has gotten many baseball players the ' you are a role model' speech. Football I dont understand, the players in the NFL get away with murder ( literally (see the entire Ravens team...I swear they need new uniforms with Black and white stipes)) and no one seems to care much about it.

 

[ElFenix]

Originally posted by: NFS4

On that note, what makes 'mello punching a player any different from two hockey players going at it (fighting is not a critical aspect in scoring points in hockey last time I checked) or if a player rushes the mound and tackles a pitcher in baseball. Or how about when a pitcher hits a player on purpose with the ball?

The physical act of fighting isn't setting a good example in any case, so why should BBall players be singled out.

a) people go to hockey to see fights, just like people go to nascar to see crashes.
b) no one watches hockey
c) baseball, football, and hockey fights don't have players going into the stands or fans going onto the field/ice. a few years ago in basketball this wouldn't have garnered quite the attention or the level of suspensions. but a couple years back players got into fights with fans (see: pacers-pistons). the NBA is still smarting from that, and so the NBA comes down especially hard.
d) this fight happened right in stern's backyard

 

[Jeeebus]

hockey has never had a commissioner take a strong stance against fighting. Is fighting in hockey any less deplorable than fighting in basketball? Both sides of the argument are valid in that hockey fans are generally a different demographic and the fights are executed in a much different manner, but at the same time... fighting is still fighting.

All our popular sports contain violence, but just because people fight in hockey does not make Stern's stance on violence in basketball any less valid. You can't justify Anthony's or anyone else on that court's actions by referencing another sport and saying, well, violence is ok there so violence is ok here. The head of American basketball has declared that this behavior will not be tolerated. Should the head of hockey, football, etc. do the same? Perhaps. But that's not the point.

 

[DieselUV]

Originally posted by: Toasthead
Hockey doesnt matter because no one watches it.

 

[Jfrag Teh Foul]

I say let them bludgeon themselves to death. At least then it would be entertaining.

Just don't see what the allure is to sports TV.

 

[mugs]

Originally posted by: NFS4

Originally posted by: slsmnaz
Did you see the fans get run over the other night? How many 1v1 fights are there in the NBA? I've never seen a fight where 10 guys didn't try and jump the other team. It sounds stupid but there are "rules" to hockey fights.

Oh, so "structured" fighting in team sports makes it OK?

Fighting in any measure projects a negative image be it hockey or basketball. Just b/c it's more "accepted" for hockey players to fight doesn't make it right.

Do you have a problem with fighting in boxing? Fighting IS a part of hockey, I gave a long explanation of it in the first thread about the fight at the Knicks game.

My post from that thread:

Originally posted by: mugs

No, it's because it's part of the game. It is implicitly allowed due to the fact that the penalty for fighting is more or less inconsequential (matching penalties usually). Hockey is a full-contact sport, but you don't want to see your star players get injured. One way to try to prevent that is to create a consequence for putting a big hit on him - you send your enforcer out to beat the other guy up. In football there are rules to protect the quarterback and kicker - not so in hockey. You can't hit the goalie, but the offensive stars are fair game.

But mainly, I think it's because people want to see it. There's nothing wrong with fighting in hockey just like there is nothing wrong with boxing as a sport. There are unwritten rules - nobody touches the goalie except the other team's goalie (occassionally a goalie will get pissed at a player because of incidental or intentional contact and hit him, but before the other guy even has a chance to react it's broken up). If two guys are in a fight, the other players stay out of it - what you saw in this basketball fight was a melee, everyone hitting everyone. A hockey fight is generally more controlled, and almost only between only one player from each team. Some fights (between enforcers) are even implicitly agreed upon ahead of time. And hockey players don't always fight out of anger. I saw a great fight this year involving Cam Janssen - they pounded each other for a good minute or two before it was broken up, and afterwards both players were smiling and one of them slapped the other on the butt on the way to the penalty box. There are also written rules with serious consequences, and that helps keep the fighting under control. You don't EVER see a player leave the bench to participate in a fight or use a piece of equipment (stick, skate, helmet) as a weapon in hockey, because there are serious consequences. If you had melees in hockey like you see in baseball (and this basketball game and the Pistons/Pacers game), I don't think fighting would be allowed in hockey.

And BTW, it's only allowed in professional hockey.

And I don't think you're right that fighting in football isn't considered as big a deal as basketball. You saw the same reactions to the fight at the Miami-FIU game this year, and the same reaction when that thug on the Titans stomped on some guy's head.

 

[Al Neri]

How many times has a hockey player went into the stands and hit a fan?
(do i really need a link)

How many times has there been a baseball player on a DVD hanging out with a scum of the earth drug dealer?
http://www.thedenverchannel.com/sports/3967329/detail.html

Basketball has a classless, ghetto image, no other sport does. Hockey has the most comraderie ... i've never seen a pro sport where players shake the other teams hand as much as in hockey. Football is verging on going where basketball is going... baseball policies itself.

That's my answer to your question.

 

[Al Neri]

nm

 

[tfinch2]

Because no other sport does a hit and run like the NBA.

 

[Syringer]

Do you not follow sports?

First off, I can't stand the NBA. Haven't liked it since Jordan left, but regardless...

Oh okay, apparently not

But in any case, did you see the backlash and news that the Miami/FIA (?) brawl spawned off? That incident, like the NBA's, was noteworthy because of the baggage and history of Miami players having a "thug" image, similar to that of the NBA's. Or the Haywood (?) incident where a guy steps on another guy's head with his cleats?

Also, basketball is the only sport where the fans are not separated from the players other than the out of bounds line, and when you're endangering the safety of the fans..who, if they're sitting in the front rows are in a position to be able to afford such tickets, hence they are the biggest monetary assets to the NBA..if they feel their safety is at stake because of the players, they might be less inclined to go.

After the Malice at the Palace incident, you'd think players would learn that there can be severe consequences for getting into an altercation on the court--and it perhaps stands as one of the worst incidents in (American) sports history--so anything to prevent that from happening again would be very advantageous to the NBA..

All in all, it's a combination of things really.