Should Webster join Lebron and switch #'s?

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=4650907

Thoughts?

 

I think MW has to wear that number for four(?) years, since he switched.

 

What exactly did Jackie Robinson do? I have always been amazed at the way he is looked upon. I understand that he was the first black man to play Malor League Baseball, and got a ton of idiots sending him death threats, but all he did was accept an invitation from Branch Rickey? Shouldn't all of the knocking out segregation praise be thrown upon Branch Rickey? Leo Durocher is another guy who made it possible for Jackie Robinson to play. Withstanding all of the stupid racism that he had to would be miserable, but I have never understood why Branch Rickey hasn't been given the same type of honor? It was afterall him that signed Jackie Robinson in the forst place.


And what about Larry Doby? He was signed a mere 11 weeks after Jackie Robinson made his debut. He was in the American league, and suffered the same crap Robinson did. Shouldn't he have his number retired in all of the American league parks?


Ok, now you can all hammer me down for being a racist or whatever.

 

You racist!

I don't think any player should have to change their number. Also, I don't like how LeBron said "if I should change my number, then every player should change their number." You're not god LeBron.

 

Lebron's probably just realizing that every 14 year old fan boy has bougth his jersey, so if he switches numbers, that's 3 more(home, road, alternate) that every kid will have to buy.

 

bingo.

 

F-U Lebron.

 

Jackie Robinson had the weight of a nation on him (back then, especially, baseball was much more mainstream and a part of the culture than it was now and Robinson made it even moreso as even non-baseball fan racists took angry notice). Branch Rickey didn't have that weight. Rickey deserves a lot of credit for making the initial move. He was not a racist in a society with many of those.

But Robinson had to endure more than death threats. He had to endure being both one of the most hated and scrutinized people in the country. Tons and tons of people were hoping for him to fail. Opposing teams often tried to hurt him in game. He couldn't eat or stay with the team on the road, because they were "whites-only" establishments.

But, to me, this is the mind-blowing thing (and this is also the reason Robinson was tabbed first, not Doby): Rickey told him, when he came up, that he could never, ever lose his temper. If he got into an altercation, verbal or physical, it would be twisted into the instability of the "negro race" and an example of why they couldn't be a part of the highest callings. Doby was known for his temper, so wasn't seen as the best choice for being the pioneer. Personally, I can't imagine taking constant abuse (of the most personal, demeaning sort, not just trash talk) from fans, opposing players and people on the street and never lashing back. But Robinson managed it. To me, that's an utterly amazing feat.

Oh and he also managed to play brilliant baseball under all that pressure (pressure no other player has ever had to endure) which was also absolutely necessary. Through both his temeperment and on-field play, he gave racist critics absolutely no avenue to attack, to show how he had failed. It wasn't just a big moment for baseball, it was a big moment for race relations in the US. It was one of the few high-profile "experiments" (to those who felt this needed to be shown) of a black competing at the highest level with whites in an arena where whites were supposed to be clearly superior. Succeeding in every respect was a watershed moment. And, really, it was unfair. It wasn't "scientific" at all...logically, Robinson was just one data point, not a surrogate for the entire demographic, and under pressures that the white players weren't. He could easily have failed despite blacks not being inferior. But he didn't, and it made a huge difference to society.

So while Rickey deserves a lot of credit (and gets it...he's often considered one of the greatest GMs in baseball history and his elevation of Robinson to the majors is one reason why), he doesn't deserve credit like Robinson. He didn't do as much, he didn't have to go through as much.

I absolutely agree with Robinson's number being retired throughout the sport. I don't believe in retiring the number of merely great players (Ruth, Jordan, Gretzky, etc) league-wide. But Robinson transcended the game and had a big effect on wider society.

 

I don't. That guy's ancient history. I think about Martell Webster, the guy wearing the #23 for my team.

So what's next? Clearly, no other player should be allowed to make game-winning shots, or fly through the air, or do 'fly kicks' (whatever the hell that means) in honor of the great MJ. After all, if it weren't for MJ hitting shots, jumping high and kicking flys, none of the players who came after would be able to do those things.

F-U Lebron.

 

It's an interesting idea. I wouldn't be totally opposed to it, but it seems kind of silly.

I can't think of another player who was on MJ's level that wore 23.

#32 was worn by Magic, Karl Malone, Shaq (at one time). I'm sure I'm forgetting some others.

#33 was worn by Bird, Kareem, etc.

#34 by Hakeem, Barkley, Shaq (in LA)

It would be difficult to retire those numbers league-wide, in the name of Bird or Magic, because of how many great players have worn them.

 

But maybe if Webster keeps 23, and Lebron ditches, all the power of the number 23 will be focused into Martel.....

 

I believe there's a word somewhere in the English language that sums this guy up almost perfectly:

Douchebag.

 

i got no probs with it, MJ was a beast and if bron wants to change - sweet as, doesnt mean everyone else should have too though - but if they wanted to and honor MJ i think that'd be a cool thing to do.

amazing how much bron hate we're cooking up here though

 

The whole spiel by James is pretty stupid. But this trail of logic amuses me:

-He believes without Jordan, "there would be no LeBron James, no Kobe Bryant, no Dwyane Wade"

-Therefore, he's going to change his number to 6 so as not to use Jordan's 23, as tribute to Jordan

-The reason he wants to use #6 is because it was Julius Erving's number

-A much better case could be made that without Erving, there would be no Jordan, at least stylistically

Now, personally, I don't think it's true that "without X, there would be no Y" in sports. Elgin Baylor was playing a high-flying game all the way back in the '60s. Still, Erving was probably the guy who most made dunks and above-the-rim play mainstream and acceptable forr the professional game, not Jordan. Erving likely has a greater stylistic impact on the league than Jordan, in my opinion, yet James wants to honour Jordan by stopping using Jordan's number...and do Erving the (honour? dishonour?) of using his number.

James is great at basketball. Doesn't seem very intelligent or well-versed in basketball history even though this move (among other things) seems like it's designed to show how he's cognizant of the players who came before him. The bigger thing, though, is that I think James is trying to put his imprint on the game...show that he's big enough to make things happen within the sport.

 

he should have just came into the league with a different number, 23 is played out.

99 would have been dope in honor of gretzky, " the great one".