Re: Is the reaction to the brawl... racist?! Yeah exactly, I'm so f*cking tired of hearing how minorities are oppressed, and how the players are all exploited because they're black, when you're making millions of dollars to play a game there's no exploitation involved.
Re: Is the reaction to the brawl... racist?! <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (JustBlaze @ Dec 22 2006, 07:49 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>This is the stupidest sh*t ever, they just try and make race a factor in everything.</div>This was my first time reading this thread, and as soon as I clicked on it, I thought the same thing. People try and cry racism over absolutely everything nowadays, and it's pathetic. I mean, every single rule out there, people call it "racist." No guys, it's called class.
Re: Is the reaction to the brawl... racist?! Well. That pretty much settles it. The whole point of the suspensions (however long they may have been) were to highly discourage fighting, thus the highly crucial punishments. Fighting is more harshly punished in the NBA because it is a truly unnecessary piece of NBA basketball that has no class, as defined by CelticBalla. Does this really surprise you? They make the players wear suits. That's for class. They have large suspensions for fighting: because they want the NBA to be known as a league of class. Respect that. Unless you think the NBA should have players wearing bandannas and jeans with holes in them to press conferences, and fighting each other every game for "territorial pride" like the Knicks did. In baseball, fights get started when a beanfest starts (hitting a batter, then that pitcher on the batter's team beans a batter on the pitcher's team in retaliation, so forth). In hockey, hardhitting is just part of the game, fighting is punished, but by in-game penalties, because it's almost expected. In basketball, fights don't happen that often, and the reasons for the fights starting just seem ridiculous. That's why the fights have so much attention given to them. Not because people think that the league is 75% black. There are many black players in the NBA. So what? The punishments might be large, in some eyes larger than necessary, but we can all agree that the punishments serve a great purpose, and that is to preserve the NBA's image as a league of class, and fighting is not part of that image.
Re: Is the reaction to the brawl... racist?! Black people always do this. Anything goes against what they want then it's racist. Not saying this to be racist, it's true.
Re: Is the reaction to the brawl... racist?! <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (falconman1130 @ Dec 23 2006, 05:15 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>After Detroit the league cracked down because in that situation it could have escalated to riotous levels and caused major property damage and loss of life. The fact that the fight was over and Melo reignited a tense situation is the major reason why he got such a strict punishment. That fight COULD have spilled into the crowds and potentially hurt NBA fans, which WOULD have caused a major black eye to the sport.In baseball, football, or hockey, do you ever have to worry about a fight between players spilling into the stands? Nope.And if it was a racial thing, why didn't Isaiah Thomas get ANY punishment at all?If it had been a bunch of white guys who got in a fight, and the same punishments had been handed down, would anyone be complaining? Our society seems to be very racially sensitive, where anything that has predominately one people group involved HAS to be about race. If two white guys get in a fight, it's a fight. If a white guy and a black guy get in a fight, it's a fight. If two black guys get in a fight, it's a fight.Sometimes, race doesn't play a role at all. Not a statment that modern society seems to favor...</div>If it had been, say, Shaq and Ben Wallace fighting, I could see how property damage and loss of life might be a fear. Realistically, none of those players were going to cause any real harm. There were about thirty people on the court trying to hold them back. Not a whole lot to worry about there.There was that issue between Sheffield and a Boston player a while back, which I already mentioned. I seem to remember something about a New York or Boston player getting into a fight with some personnel at the opposing team's field. Saying that it never happens is wrong. It's infrequent just like in basketball.Isiah Thomas didn't get a suspension because there wasn't anything to suspend him for. Not every black person in LA was beaten when Rodney King was. That doesn't make it non-racist... or racist, for that matter.There are obviously cases where race does not play a part, but there are indeed cases where it does. I am just questioning why everyone acts like this happens in basketball just as much if not more than in any other sport. It isn't necessarily a matter of race, but when someone brings up image as a factor of why they give a suspension in makes me wonder.<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (LiveAtTheHardwood @ Dec 24 2006, 08:46 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Well. That pretty much settles it. The whole point of the suspensions (however long they may have been) were to highly discourage fighting, thus the highly crucial punishments. Fighting is more harshly punished in the NBA because it is a truly unnecessary piece of NBA basketball that has no class, as defined by CelticBalla. Does this really surprise you? They make the players wear suits. That's for class. They have large suspensions for fighting: because they want the NBA to be known as a league of class. Respect that. Unless you think the NBA should have players wearing bandannas and jeans with holes in them to press conferences, and fighting each other every game for "territorial pride" like the Knicks did. In baseball, fights get started when a beanfest starts (hitting a batter, then that pitcher on the batter's team beans a batter on the pitcher's team in retaliation, so forth). In hockey, hardhitting is just part of the game, fighting is punished, but by in-game penalties, because it's almost expected. In basketball, fights don't happen that often, and the reasons for the fights starting just seem ridiculous. That's why the fights have so much attention given to them. Not because people think that the league is 75% black. There are many black players in the NBA. So what? The punishments might be large, in some eyes larger than necessary, but we can all agree that the punishments serve a great purpose, and that is to preserve the NBA's image as a league of class, and fighting is not part of that image.</div>So, is your argument that fighting in basketball is "less classy" than in other sports, thus making the suspensions justified? There's no difference. A reasonable suspension would discourage fighting too, would it not?I don't see what being surprised has to do with it. There is nothing wrong with asking the players to dress more nicely, but let's get one thing straight. It's not about class. It's about money.I fail to see the difference in someone making a hard foul and/or talking sh*t in basketball and a hard hit in hockey or a beanball in baseball. And yeah, all of them are mostly petty, so that really doesn't matter.Usually I would not take something like this seriously, but if you look at it objectively, it at least can be seen that there is something wrong with the whole thing. I honestly don't care that much if it's racist or not, but I think there is some validity to that idea. You can throw out the thought because you're sick of hearing it and OMG BLACK PEOPLE ALWAYZ SAY DAT sh*t, but it's pretty clear how the NBA likes to whore the media to get publicity. Black players aren't being exploited, but black fans sure are. Eh well.
Re: Is the reaction to the brawl... racist?! <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Justice @ Dec 26 2006, 09:33 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Isiah Thomas didn't get a suspension because there wasn't anything to suspend him for. Not every black person in LA was beaten when Rodney King was. That doesn't make it non-racist... or racist, for that matter.</div>So you wouldn't consider him telling his player to intentionally injure an opponent an adequate reason for suspension?
Re: Is the reaction to the brawl... racist?! God Dam I had no idea this thread was still kicking- Why on earth is it? that is retarded, this thread is retarded, who cares and everyone stop playing the race card all the time.
Re: Is the reaction to the brawl... racist?! <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (JustBlaze @ Dec 26 2006, 09:43 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>So you wouldn't consider him telling his player to intentionally injure an opponent an adequate reason for suspension?</div>As far as I know, they didn't have any proof. If they had proof, that would be good reason to suspend him, yes.
Re: Is the reaction to the brawl... racist?! <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Justice @ Dec 26 2006, 10:04 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>As far as I know, they didn't have any proof. If they had proof, that would be good reason to suspend him, yes.</div>Well of course they'll never get it, but as usual it was his fault. That guy's terrible for the league, I hope to God that he never gets another job in the NBA after the Knicks fire him.
Re: Is the reaction to the brawl... racist?! Justice, you started this by saying, in core value, that the suspensions were too long. That can be agreed on. Apparently what can't be agreed on is why the suspensions were so long. So, I gave you what I believed to be the reason. Argue against that all you want, but I'm done with this discussion. Arguing about this any longer is just stupid. So if anybody wants to argue, here's what you should argue about:Why were the suspensions so long?a) the league was being racistb) the league was protecting its image of being "a league of class"c) some other reasonpeace.
