NBA urges players to voice themselves on social issues.

[Falsedawn]

Guys like him are always trying to shoehorn in the "need a safe space, snowflake?" type of shit into anything they can. As if making a thread on Sherdog and saying "hey I'd rather not hear political commentary when I'm watching sports" is the same thing as burning the flag and destroying property when an election doesn't go your way, or rioting and no-platforming speakers who you disagree with. Or needing colouring books, etc.

"Guys like me" are here to point out where your logic regarding valid concepts tends to go fucky when you apply it to things you like. You think safe spaces are idiotic, so logically you should say the same to politics at a sports event. It's not any different, you're just way too dense to see the irony in you crowing about snowflakes and then blowing a gasket about people protesting at MUH SPORTS GAEM.

It becomes even more hilarious when you guys bitch about athletes having opinions and then post every black person you can think of (rappers and entertainers included) when it comes time to hold up your token to validate your opinions.

The simple fact that you don't see how these situations are more alike than not is indicative of a sheer lack of self awareness on your part. It's a real shame, because I hate making you look dumb when you're too dumb to realize it.

 

[lil billy]

Pre-approved social issues that will fall in line with those of the Dem party of course.

Also, you can bet those who wish to not take a stand on a particular issue will be heavily criticized. For example, not wearing the NBA sponsored SJW shirts of the day will be excoriated. Like when the teams wore the "I cant Breath" shirts:



Also:

and you can bet that when any black player does not want to participate in the celebration of another culture, that celebration will be removed.

Like when the Sacramento Kings were marking the Chinese "The Day of the Monkey" and that piece of shit Demarcus Cousins cried that it was demeaning to blacks and the team cancelled the promotion.

 

[KONG-D'SNT-TAP]

This is the big reason that viewership of professional sports is significantly down. People want to root for a hero and this is getting more difficult to find in today's professional sports!

NFL viewership is down. Lmao. From what? It's down in the sense that zillions of people watch it

 

[Falsedawn]

NFL viewership is down. Lmao. From what? It's down in the sense that zillions of people watch it

Isn't it amazing that protest makes you "not a hero" in some of these people's eyes? They like players when they're doing mad shit and destroying their bodies for these mooks' entertainment, but have an opinion that isn't "Yessa, I catch the balls boss" and all of a sudden they're public enemy number one.

It's very telling. Very telling. I think Jay Z made a song that mentioned that phenomenon recently.

 

[KONG-D'SNT-TAP]

Isn't it amazing that protest makes you "not a hero" in some of these people's eyes? They like players when they're doing mad shit and destroying their bodies for these mooks' entertainment, but have an opinion that isn't "Yessa, I catch the balls boss" and all of a sudden they're public enemy number one.

It's very telling. Very telling. I think Jay Z made a song that mentioned that phenomenon recently.

White america has always hated outspoken black athletes but still love Joe Namath, who was about as flashy and outspoken as they get.

There are many many cases since the 80s that black athletes have been discriminated against for being outspoken and flashy. College football, Michigan state basketball are 2

 

[HereticBD]

It's vanishingly rare for anybody to get seriously injured in a hockey fight. 99 out of 100 times neither guy even has a scratch, and if they do, it's a smashed up hand from slamming it off a visor or a helmet. The real serious injuries in hockey are from hits. If anyone dies in hockey it'll be from a skate to the neck, it's already almost happened a bunch of times, remember McQuaid last year?

True, but if and when that happens, there will at least be an open dialogue about the risks involved that a hockey player must accept, and how vital a part of the game that is. Body checking is a vital part of the game. Skates are a necessary part of the game. Fighting? Not so much. For revenge for a cheap hit from behind, or whatnot, sure, and it won't ever go away even if they do start handing out mandatory suspensions. Those fights will happen no matter what, just like they do in baseball and basketball on occasion.

What I think they could do without are "motivational" fights, or the agreed upon fights. Fighting shouldn't be part of a strategy to get back into a game, if your team is getting their asses kicked. Only in hockey is that kind of mentality acceptable. If a first baseman just started kicking the shit out of baserunner as he was running up the line, because he got a hit and tacked on a few runs in a 12-0 game, you'd think the first baseman was insane, and he'd probably be kicked out the league, because that fight culture is just not normal in baseball, or any other sport, really. Not even in the roughest of all sports, can you just stop what you're doing and beat the piss out of someone on the other team because you're mad about the score. It's kind of silly when you think about it.

 

[nstig8]

Personally, I think Gilbert Arenas and Javaris Crittenton are upstanding citizens. Any notion that they are "thugs" is because white people are racist as fuck.

 

[RIPWarrior]

I agree with the NBA. White people are racist.

 

[RIPWarrior]

Progress is progressing at ludacris speed now. Brace yourselves!

 

[kahiljabroni]

Aka...it's ok to bitch about whitey. Probably not a great idea. ..saw GS at the garden last year and it was a 90% white crowd.

 

[Big_Chief_Stove]

NBA commissioner Adam Silver and National Basketball Players Association executive director Michele Roberts co-signed a preseason letter to the league's players encouraging them in the pursuit of social consciousness.

In the letter, obtained by ESPN, Silver and Roberts told the players, "None of us operates in a vacuum. Critical issues that affect our society also impact you directly. Fortunately, you are not only the world's greatest basketball players -- you have real power to make a difference in the world, and we want you know that the Players Association and the League are always available to help you figure out the most meaningful way to make that difference."

Michele Roberts and Adam Silver are encouraging NBA players to be socially conscious. Jennifer S. Altman/Washington Post/Getty Images
The NBA's letter comes as the NFL grapples with its players' social expressions, including players kneeling during the national anthem.

http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/20621478/nba-union-pen-letter-players-urging-social-awareness

Soon opinions on social matters will be more important than talent.

 

[rokzilla]

Isn't it amazing that protest makes you "not a hero" in some of these people's eyes? They like players when they're doing mad shit and destroying their bodies for these mooks' entertainment, but have an opinion that isn't "Yessa, I catch the balls boss" and all of a sudden they're public enemy number one.

It's very telling. Very telling. I think Jay Z made a song that mentioned that phenomenon recently.

Yes, because that's what people are complaining about... you boast about making people look stupid, look in the mirror. Players are free to have opinions and I actually applaud those that do and stand up for what the believe in. The problem most of us have is, do it before or after the game. I don't want to have the political bullshit going on during the games. They have every right to do whatever they believe in, but people also have every right to be turned off and change the channel. Again, people use sports to get away from the 24/7 world of politics and now we can't even enjoy a game without having it shoved down our throats now. ESPN should be a case example of the fact sports fans don't want to hear this shit anymore.

 

[Lord Commander Palis]

I took a knee during the National Anthem wowww I'm soo edgy.

Why do none of the black athletes speak out against black on black violence? Or the lack of co-operation with Police in black communities?

because that would be putting the blame on them instead of the others.

 

[sangreporsangre]

"Guys like me" are here to point out where your logic regarding valid concepts tends to go fucky when you apply it to things you like. You think safe spaces are idiotic, so logically you should say the same to politics at a sports event. It's not any different, you're just way too dense to see the irony in you crowing about snowflakes and then blowing a gasket about people protesting at MUH SPORTS GAEM.

It becomes even more hilarious when you guys bitch about athletes having opinions and then post every black person you can think of (rappers and entertainers included) when it comes time to hold up your token to validate your opinions.

The simple fact that you don't see how these situations are more alike than not is indicative of a sheer lack of self awareness on your part. It's a real shame, because I hate making you look dumb when you're too dumb to realize it.

Hey man I don't even care about guys kneeling for the anthem and all that. You're our of line attributing all that crap about blowing a gasket about this stuff or holding up rappers as tokens or whatever to me. I'm just pointing out that making a thread on Sherdog and saying "what do you guys think about this? I don't really like it" isn't anywhere near the actual safe space sjw bullshit. Burning flags, shutting down streets, pulling fire alarms, getting counselling when someone speaks at your campus, etc. To make such a silly comparison just shows that you have a massive chip on your shoulder about the whole thing. I notice it in a lot of threads here and I think a lot of left-wing type people are really defensive about the whole sjw culture to the point that they shoe-horn in this projection bullshit every chance they get, like I was saying before.

 

[Lord Commander Palis]

Sure, you can no problem.

But if you're requesting a space where people can accommodate your needs, then it sounds like you're asking for a safe space. Grow a thicker skin?

Everyone wants to act like their safe space is somehow different, doesn't work that way.

wow lol...

do you honestly think all this crying for minority pro athletes is going to do good? people are sick of this shit, some minorities as well.

 

[Falsedawn]

Yes, because that's what people are complaining about... you boast about making people look stupid, look in the mirror. Players are free to have opinions and I actually applaud those that do and stand up for what the believe in. The problem most of us have is, do it before or after the game. I don't want to have the political bullshit going on during the games. They have every right to do whatever they believe in, but people also have every right to be turned off and change the channel. Again, people use sports to get away from the 24/7 world of politics and now we can't even enjoy a game without having it shoved down our throats now. ESPN should be a case example of the fact sports fans don't want to hear this shit anymore.

Then why make threads crying your guts out if you can just "change the channel"? Why not change the channel?

It's amazing how you guys bitch about all this stuff "the left" does, but it's YOU that's even making it a thing. Do you honestly think anyone else but a butthurt conservative would create this thread in here? Do you think leftists or centrists actually give a shit about small potatoes like this when we consistently shit on you guys for bringing it in?

Hey man I don't even care about guys kneeling for the anthem and all that. You're our of line attributing all that crap about blowing a gasket about this stuff or holding up rappers as tokens or whatever to me. I'm just pointing out that making a thread on Sherdog and saying "what do you guys think about this? I don't really like it" isn't anywhere near the actual safe space sjw bullshit. Burning flags, shutting down streets, pulling fire alarms, getting counselling when someone speaks at your campus, etc. To make such a silly comparison just shows that you have a massive chip on your shoulder about the whole thing. I notice it in a lot of threads here and I think a lot of left-wing type people are really defensive about the whole sjw culture to the point that they shoe-horn in this projection bullshit every chance they get, like I was saying before.

The problem with your whole "this is why it isn't a safe space" diatribe is that it has no bearing on what a safe space is commonly understood to be, nor does it have congruence with previous issues raised along these lines. A safe space is literally a place where one group chooses to isolate themselves while excluding those that they believe are either antagonistic or add nothing to their discussion. The rest of the stuff you're trying to add to draw a difference is extraneous. So you can try and act like they're different all you want, but that doesn't change the essential meaning of the term, which definitely applies to people crying about politics being injected into their sporting events. In fact, you have your priorities ALL fucked up because with political action meetings or group discussions, you can at least point to a motive or reason(s) to exclude the outgroup. The only reason you can come up with as to why we should keep politics out of sports is that you don't like hearing it. No real meaning to it, no constructive reason, it just aggravates your feelings.

That's not only requesting a safe space, it's requesting a safe space because your fee fees got hurt. Are you any better than the college students you so bemoan?

 

[panamaican]

You know, when I look at all of these pro-atheletes with IQs < 90, most of which barely passed college with throwaway degrees, even with the institution basically forcing professors to pass them...I always think to myself I would be very interested to hear this man's political insights.

Most professional basketball players come from traditional family backgrounds and while the story of the kid who's getting passed along to stay eligible is a popular one, it's not as prevalent in real life as people would like to believe. At the high school level, even the basketball and football players get better grades than the non-athlete students on average.

Now, once they get to college things change because college athletics is about athletics first and academics second. The school's dont' want kids skipping practice to study so they incentivize behavior that prioritizes one over the other.

But the problem with this narrative is that is people confuse performance with ability.

It doesn't make logical sense students who are in college to achieve one thing to perform at a high level at the things they're not getting truly graded on. A college basketball player is evaluated on his athletic talent, it makes no sense to expect him to put similar effort into something that won't help that like chemistry. The same way, I would never expect a chemistry major to put a lot of effort into intramural sports. They are motivated by different goals.

People sometimes point to SAT scores but the same evaluative bias applies there. A heavily recruited high school athlete knows that he is getting an athletic scholarship long before he sits down for the ACT or SAT. He knows that he only needs a good enough score to remain eligible - so what is the incentive to try for the best possible score? Of course, there are those students who are truly struggling and getting passed along but that narrative is more fiction than fact.

All of that makes sense since there is no reason to believe that athletic ability is negatively correlated with intelligence. At best, there is some positive correlation since smart people tend to have slightly faster reaction times. So, the IQ range of athletes, even pro athletes, should follow the same curve as the general population. OTOH, the desire to be good students is probably tied to how much it affects the ability to become a professional in that sport (matters more in high school, less in college).

 

[Hankooks]

Who the fuck thought it was a good idea to make @panamaican a mod?

Fuck this shit, I'm headed back to the stormfront sports section.

 

[rokzilla]

Then why make threads crying your guts out if you can just "change the channel"? Why not change the channel?

It's amazing how you guys bitch about all this stuff "the left" does, but it's YOU that's even making it a thing. Do you honestly think anyone else but a butthurt conservative would create this thread in here? Do you think leftists or centrists actually give a shit about small potatoes like this when we consistently shit on you guys for bringing it in?

Hahaha, right on. So we should only post threads and have discussion YOU deem appropriate? This is a message board for political discussion. Maybe you should grasp that fact before you continue to visit the War Room.

BTW I am a centrist. You can dress up your shitty, smug, condescending attitude all you want, you're a garbage poster. If you want to create an echo change I'm sure there's plenty of people that will oblige.

 

[Devout Pessimist]

Isn't it amazing that protest makes you "not a hero" in some of these people's eyes? They like players when they're doing mad shit and destroying their bodies for these mooks' entertainment, but have an opinion that isn't "Yessa, I catch the balls boss" and all of a sudden they're public enemy number one.

It's very telling. Very telling. I think Jay Z made a song that mentioned that phenomenon recently.

Entertainers of all colors and genders are taking heavy criticism for trying to cash in on the current social justice fad. People like Meryl Streep, Lena Dunham, JK Rowling and Joss Whedon have faced a heavy backlash for kowtowing to the social justice morons. I am not seeing where only black athletes are facing criticism for being idiots.