I’m trying to understand the commotion.
Rocker has always been an idiot and his latest remarks shouldn’t surprise anyone, but I think people here and elsewhere are looking to take offense at the slightest thing.
Get over it - if you don’t like what Rocker said than don’t go to the Braves games and don’t support whatever products it is he still promotes. It’s as simple as that - he’s free to say incredibly childish things and you’re free to ignore them and not provide economic sustenance to his employers.
John Rocker is a citizen of the United States of America and therefore under its Bill of Rights has the right to say anything he wants to say.
John Rocker plays for the Atlanta Braves. You have the right to buy or not to buy a ticket for any Atlanta Braves game, whether at home or away. You also have the right to watch or not to watch Atlanta Braves games on TV. Your buying tickets to Braves games and watching Braves games on TV pays Mr. Rocker’s salary.
John Rocker is a premier relief pitcher. Having or not having Mr. Rocker on your team may mean the difference between making the playoffs or staying home during October.
I bet point number two is forgotten long before point number three becomes important in the Braves’ postseason chances late in the 2000 season.
The Bill of Rights, as with the rest of the Constitution, applies to non-citizens in the United States also.
The management/owners of the Atlanta Braves also have a right to fire any employee, including Rocker, if that employee’s actions are detrimental to the corporation.
Sorry, no. The Bill of Rights prohibits only the Federal government (and, by extension, the states) from restricting free speech. It cannot and does not govern the activity of private entities like the Atlanta Braves or your own employer. It also does not keep the government from prohibiting obscenity, libel and slander.
Why do otherwise intelligent people have such a hard time understanding this, and scream “Free speech! Free speech!” like idiots whenever a private entity takes action against one of its employees?
“It’s my considered opinion you’re all a bunch of sissies!”–Paul’s Grandfather
I bet that if John Rocker were fired he would sue the Atlanta Braves and win. He would say that he had not been fired because of poor job performance but because he had expressed ideas that his company’s management disapproved of.
I bet he’d lose, because I’ll bet his contract contains clauses to the effect of not disparaging or poorly representing the team or the league in public, under penalty of fines or release.
Either way, it still wouldn’t be a First Amendment issue. The First Amendment applies to government action, not to what your boss does.
“It’s my considered opinion you’re all a bunch of sissies!”–Paul’s Grandfather
Has he said stuff like this before, but it was underreported? Or was he an idiot in other ways?
Phil – I’m pretty sure you’re right about his contract. I mean, MLB punished a team owner (Marge Schott) for saying racist things, so I would think they, or the team, can punish a player.
He’s not going to get fired, he’s going to get traded. SOME team will pick him up. He will be a continue to be a kick-ass relief pitcher. His mouth will continue to be a buttfuck of team PR troubles.
And, unfortunately, he’s going to make a shitload more money than most of us will ever see.
Mmmmmm…No it’s not. You try to make it sound as if Rocker is a plumber or something spouting off racial slurs in some bar at two in the morning. He happens to be a professional athlete, and a rather gifted one, which endows him with many many privelages. And as we all know, all privelages come with responsibilities, and those of a sports star are no exception. He took advantage of Sports Illustrated (who, as a member of the press, had a responsibility to publish his comments) and offended a huge number of people for his own demented reasons. Perhaps he really believes the things he said. Perhaps he just said them to get New Yorkers riled up (which, IMO, would be even worse, as he is dragging innocent bytstanders into his little tiff with Vinny Goombatz [your average Mets fan]).
However, it is not for us to say whether the Braves front office or the MLB should impose some sort of penalty. The Braves, and Major League Baseball, are both independent, private businesses, and the will of the public does not control their actions (if it did, Rose would be in the hall, but I digress). Precedent has shown that they probably won’t. Luckily, according to Thomas Paine, those who offend public morals without breaking the law are tried in the court of public opinion, and subject to the sanctions applied therefore. Meaning, we can boo the living hell out of him, we can ostracize him in every way possible, and we can throw pool balls at his head (that last one may not be legal, but mob mentality is another subject entirely).
The IQ of a group is equal to the IQ of the dumbest member divided by the number of people in the group.
I have to agree with Mouthbreather. He will be traded and will continue to be a source of annoyance to whatever team is desperate enough to take him. He IS a kickass relief pitcher, I don’t think any of us would argue that, but folks,he is also a role model for America’s youth, my 10 yr old son include and I for one don’t want his foul, ignorant, arrogant mouth being someone who emulates what a baseball star is all about. And before you all tell me, I know damn well that I can lead my son to other role models, but kids talk about whatever is hottest in sports, and unfortunately his disgusting mouth is hot right now. If Vanessa Williams is yanked out of being Miss America because she did something the public saw as a contradiction to what Miss America stands for then I say yank this jerk out of his position as superstar baseball player/role model for our youth. Free speech or no free speech don’t we have to draw the line somewhere with regard to decency and tolerance? Will America simply continue to be known more and more for her eccentric, fanatic celebrities rather than being a nation of kindness, intelligence and generosity of spirit? Land of the free, home of the brave is one thing, but do you really think the Founding Fathers meant free to be as mean and disgusting as you want to be and no one can touch you? I myself don’t think so.
Mr. Rocker will continue to play in professional baseball long after all of this has blown over, which will happen about midway through next season. (That is, excuse my crappy grammar, sometime around July 2000). My guess is that he’ll be a Rawly Eastwick-type relief pitcher, a guy who guns 'em down for a couple of seasons before throwing out his arm. But he’ll stick with the Braves and help them to a couple more playoff appearances before he’s done.
By the way, who really gives a damn what some stupid jock thinks? Aren’t the opinions of scientists, historians, literary critics, doctors, lawyers, and university professors more important? In fact, isn’t the opinion of the guy who lives next door to you more important?
I hope the Braves come in last place next season. Even behind the Yankees, though that’s not possble because they’re in different leagues.
Well, y’all just might want to check the CNN and ESPN sites for more info.
According to the CNN news last night, the league’s ordered ol’ Rocker to get a psychiatric examination. Then the league will decide on how to punish him.
Yeah, I heard that on the radio last night. Gee, I’d love to be the shrink they got for him. I’d probably feel like Cuba Gooding in the beginning of Instinct.
Although, I think we are all intelligent enough to realize and admit that the “testing” is nothing more than a two-bit transparent PR ploy that is meant to give the Braves and the MLB a few more weeks to gauge the long-term damages. Lawrence: In a perfect world, you’d be right. But in ours, you’re not. Not to mention the fact that the people you mentioned are you’re ideas of role models. As soon as the Lawrences of the country become the majority, sure, highly educated people will be the ones with the soapboxes. But, for now, we have to accept that professional athletes, musicians, and actors (all of who, incidentally, are every bit as talented as the people you mention, but in other ways) are the ones who get their ideas into your living room.
The IQ of a group is equal to the IQ of the dumbest member divided by the number of people in the group.
How come everyone jumps on Rocker for being a racist idiot, but folks have kissed and made up with Darryl Strawberry how many times? Which is worse, racism, or drug addiction?
It bothers me that Rocker is being treated like a leper just for exercising poor judgement, when professional sports is full of drug addicts, thieves, and wife-beaters. I don’t defend what he said, but in the context of some of the behaviour of other professional athletes, I think he’s getting more attention than he deserves.
{{By the way, who really gives a damn what some stupid jock thinks? Aren’t the opinions of scientists, historians, literary critics, doctors, lawyers, and university professors more important? In fact, isn’t the opinion of the guy who lives next door to you more important?}}
I moderate a video game forum on AOL. And I have to tell you, the jocks/wrestlers are the ones the kids quote and respect, as much as I wish this weren’t so.
To paraphrase the Wicked Witch of the West, “How about a little fire, strawman?” I, for one, am a vocal critic of Darryl Strawberry and think he should have been banned years ago.
As for which is worse, depends on whether you’re asking a Klan member or a crackhead.
“It’s my considered opinion you’re all a bunch of sissies!”–Paul’s Grandfather
No. John Smoltz excercised poor judgement when he tried to iron a shirt that he was currently wearing (true story). If by “excercising poor judgement” you mean “taking his private racist thoughts (which are his right) into the mass media (which isn’t),” then you would be correct. But the problems here go far, far beyond that. Not only does he have some serious issues with minorities and the such, but he also has some kind of attention depravity problem. On the radio they compared him to a class clown, who’s trying desperately to get some kind of reaction, unaware that he’s deeply hurting people.
But Rocker is a grown man. He has to understand the reprecussions of his comments. He had to understand them before he made those comments. I’d love to give him the benefit of the doubt here, but…no, I wouldn’t.
The IQ of a group is equal to the IQ of the dumbest member divided by the number of people in the group.
Monty posted:
According to the CNN news last night, the league’s ordered ol’ Rocker to get a psychiatric examination. Then the league will decide on how to punish him.
I find this troubling. Is MLB equating racism with mental illness, mental defect? Sounds like Red China to me. Sounds like USSR to me. Is dissent a form of madness?
