Public Violence
If Ron Artest thought he had a problem when he needed days off to rest because of a hectic rap album release schedule, he doesn't have to worry about that anymore. Now he has the whole season off.
I feel no sympathy for any of these millionaires who think it is OK to hit people.
Of course some of the fans are at fault for enticing the players. But unfortunately that is part of the game. It always has been and always will be. Part of your million dollar salary is to stay in control or at least in enough control to stay out of the stands. Even worse, not sure who did what; the players attacked some of the wrong people. There is no excuse for such behavior. Stupid fans that get drunk and act out deserve and should be punished. But the penalty cannot be players acting as police, judge and jury.
Even though Indiana won the game Detroit comes out on top. Ben Wallace is suspended for 6 games and three other Detroit players for 1 game. For Indiana? Well Artest is out for the rest of the year with O'Neal out for 25, Stephen Jackson 30 and other players out for 1 to 6 games. The Indiana players have hurt themselves and the team. Can they recover and make it to the playoffs? Who knows and too bad whatever happens. I just hope the players and fans have or will learn a lesson.
Then Saturday we have a game between the SC Gamecocks and the Clemson Tigers breakout into a fight. Interestingly as I look around the web to find more info on the disruption and the only place I can locate an account of the melee is on foxsports.com. All the descriptions of the game I have found so far make no mention of the 10 plus minute delay as "security, state troopers and other law enforcement officers could break things up." I am not saying there are not reports out there, but I can't find them and I am not going to spend anymore time looking. But why leave it out of any report?
Anyway, we obviously have a problem right now that must be addressed. Our nation is at war killing innocent, not so innocent and guilty but not proven guilty, people in Iraq. War is the ultimate most costly and immoral form of violence. Perhaps our international action is affecting our behavior here at home. I don't know, but I do know we have a problem.
Also as a Black male I find it sad that so many Black males have been acting out in public. There are enough manufactured images created by Hollywood and the music industry depicting people who look like me as violent out of control animals. Here we have several real life instances that help confirm the stereotype. Not to mention irresponsible comments by players trying to downplay their behavior. This does not help parents trying to teach their kids responsibility. The players may not want to be role models, but they are no matter how they feel about it.
Perhaps this publicity will help Artest album sales. I believe the release date is tomorrow, November 23. One thing is for sure, it will not help him get a ring. The question is do you want to be a champion or a Gangsta Rap Star?
There is an incredible amount of name calling in this country of certain people. Ron Atest and the other basketball players were certainly wrong to go into the stands and fight the fans. The fans were wrong to throw drinks, ice and debris on the players. The first thing I heard was the players being referred to and being called \"thugs\" over and over by the news media. The white fans should have been referred to as \"thugs\" also, in fact \"drunken thugs.\" Hockey players fight each other to hurt and draw blood at every other Hockey game and it\s viewed as sportsmanship. Why are African American males and third world leaders referred to as \"thugs\" by whites and the news media in this country? George Bush used name calling in referring to Saddam Hussein, he called him a \"thug.\" Regardless of the millions these African American basketball players make and how well they perform, they certainly are not perfect, no more than the white fans, hockey players, George Bush and the news media, yet this country continuously views and makes reference to them as \"thugs\" and without respect.