Now I know why I'm rooting for the US men's basketball team to tank.

The BBQ Pit
#1

It’s not because I think that they’re a bunch of childish primadonnas. Nope. Nor is it because I think that David Stern put this team together to try to cash in on some marketing dollars. That’s not it at all.

And it certainly isn’t because I think that some of them like Allen Iverson are tattooed freakish criminals who are poor representatives of my country. Nope. Wanna know why I’m not too hip to the US Men’s basketball team?

It’s because I’m a racist.

Silly me. All this time I didn’t know. I guess it’s time for me to fashion a Klan hood from a bedsheet to wear while basketball is on, because now that I’m outed I should just put my full energy into it and take it to the next level. Which, I shouldn’t mention for fear of looking like more of a racist than I already am, is something that the US Men’s basketball team has been singularly unable to do.

Or perhaps I’ll just root for them out of white guilt. Yeah, that’s what I’ll do. Mustn’t be seen as a racist, not in this day and age. I mean, it must be race, it certainly can’t be because they suck monkey balls or anything. Right?
Right?
:rolleyes:

Ladies and gentlemen, putting the sarcasm aside for a minute, I find this sort of stuff to be extraordinarily exasperating and I long for the day when it all just goes the hell away. Help make this nightmare go away so we no longer get bombarded with this stuff by race-baiters like this Whitlock guy. Please.

#2

And that, Mr. Asshat author, is why it feels different to support someone like Phelps, who’s made sacrifices following a dream, and our B-ball team, who you’re even admitting are just taking an off-day from their “real” dream. If we shouldn’t expect them to feel the same way about the Olympics, then you shouldn’t expect us to feel the same way about them, either.

And then we might feel different about him, too. But there isn’t, so he didn’t, so we don’t. :rolleyes:

Wow, once every four years they’re chasing money? That’s pretty noble compared to the B-ballers, who get more in one year than any of the other prospective Olympians could ever hope to earn. Proportion does play a part in our sentiment as well.

:sniff: Gosh, a pity party for the poor oppressed sportsmen, who can’t be blamed for whatever comes out of their mouths. Wah! It’s not fair. Too bad life hasn’t cut them one single break. I bet their bling gets all wet from the tears.

There’s more, of course–equally incoherent. Jerk.

#3

Here’s a charming article on the man, too.

#4

You bringing that up just proves you are racist. Why do you judge him by his demeanor, his words and his actions? It certainly must be because he is a black man in a racist society. :wink:

#5

Airman, I’ve had the misfortune of reading other articles of his and was appalled when he got a guest gig on espn’s website. He just likes to cause trouble, in order to draw attention to himself.

I’ve always thought he was an asshole, and that has nothing to do with his race.

#6

I’d like to know which of the Olympians on the men’s basketball team you think are (1) childish primadonnas, and (2) tattoed freakish criminals. Names, please.

Remember that Allen Iverson volunteered to go to the Olympics to represent his country when most of his peers were running away as fast as they could.

To make it easier, here is the roster:

Carmelo Anthony
Carlos Boozer
Tim Duncan
Allen Iverson
LeBron James
Richard Jefferson
Stephon Marbury
Shawn Marion
Lamar Odom
Emeka Okefor
Amare Stoudemire
Dwayne Wade

#7

I’ll start with Iverson. Here’s the link: http://cbs.sportsline.com/nba/story/5510101

#8

Carlos Boozer.

Verdict: Primadonna.

LeBron James.

Verdict: Primadonna and selfish rule violator.

Stephon Marbury.

Verdict: Primadonna and public nuisance.

Is it necessary for me to go on? It’s not like I can’t. The Internet has no secrets. But hey, thanks for missing the point, Lamar.

#9

Black guy stepping in to say what a load of horseshit! Funny thing is he actually did manage to find the source of the problem. It was right here:

Other than that, the rest is stupid. As I recall it, wasn’t the first (Dream Team) and hell all subsequent USA teams all Black? So it surely not racism.

Lamar Let me be the first to call Iverson a whiny premdonna. But thanks for the link, I haven’t watched the Olympics (nor the NBA until the finals) at all, and had no idea who was on the team.

#10

The first one had Larry Legend and the second one had John Stockton if I recall correctly.

#11

Whitlock has been an embarrasment to Kansas City for years now; it’s good to know that he’s branched out to a national level.

#12

The problem that you, Airman, and your ilk have is you are being niggardly in expressing your patriotism. :smiley: This means that both you (for your niggardliness) and I (for daring to use such a shocking word) are racists. Yep, that’s it, we’re all racists.

#13

I’ve got to be entered in the 100 meters, because I just don’t have the energy to be a long-distance racist. Anything over 440 wears my ass out. :smiley:

#14

When was Justin Gaitlin white?

#15

The original dream team had Larry Bird, John Stockton, Chris Mullin, and (for some reason) token collegian Christian Laettner.

#16

Carlos Boozer took a better offer. That’s capitalism in action. You against that?

A High School kid who is months away from becoming a multimillionaire gets a car on collateral. Nothing wrong with that. He accepted some gifts that were against the rules, and gave them back when he found out. I don’t see selfish or primadonna there. In fact, LeBron James is probably the most unfairly judged NBA player there is (other than John Stockton, who everyone thinks is a prince, except NBA players, who know rightly that he is a prick).

Marbury got a DUI. You have a point there.

See, you are illustrating the point Whitlock overstates. You branded a team as “selfish primadonnas” when you can only name four, and two of which are bogus. Guys like Tim Duncan, Omeka Okefor, Carlos Boozer, and Shawn Marion are real salt-of-the-earth types. Why would you do that? Probably because you didn’t really look at the team, but relied on stereotypes that don’t apply to this team. That is called prejudice.

You’ve identified Iverson as one of the “tattooed, freakish criminals”, but can’t come up with any others.

One thing to remember - Iverson is like Dennis Rodman, maybe not the greatest example for your kids, but both are/were generally regarded as the hardest workers in the game.

#17

And it doesn’t get any whiter than Bird, Stockton and Mullin! Stockton was also on the second Dream Team, and I guess he was the last white guy so honored.

As far as the current team goes, the only one I’d characterize as a criminal, whiny prima donna is Iverson. And even I have to admit he works his ass off on the court.

#18

I stand corrected. The guy is still full of shit though.

#19

No, I’m against him breaking his word, whether he gave it illegally or not.

When he found out?!?! Are you kidding? He used his superstar status to get the stuff the way he did. The rules are no big secret, and he broke them. Period.

Well gee. Thank you very much.

No, I stopped at four. I found one more. By the way, that makes five, out of twelve. In other words, slightly less than half have either seen the inside of a jail, broken a major athletic rule, or done something questionable but nonetheless scummy. So, here’s the last example:
Lamar Odom

Verdict: Primadonna rule violator (taking money from boosters).

I can go on busting up Captain Iverson, including the time he sat out for not showing up on time for a meeting. Nice example there.

As far as the other ones being bogus, that’s your opinion. They broke the rules. Period.

Tim Duncan is probably the one player on that team that has my respect. He shows up, doesn’t talk, signs his huge contract with a minimum of fuss, and stays out of trouble. The other guys (Okafor, Marion, Wade, Anthony) I don’t know enough about to make an informed decision. But who’s the face of USA Basketball? Iverson. Who just made the paper for setting the single game scoring record? Marbury the egocentric ballhog. So, when those other guys play, let me know.

And let me restate that you’ve done a good job of missing the point. Unless you’re actually mounting a defense of Whitlock by trying to obscure what a douchebag he is by going off on this tangent, in which case I’m not playing anymore.

Let me know so that I can say how pure as the driven snow they all are and how I was so awfully mistaken and how it was just that latent racism that Whitlock has accused me of reasserting itself in my words. Because if you’re not accusing me of racism as well I don’t get your point. And if you are we’re done talking.

#20

I think he makes some good and valid comparisons with Canadian hockey and NBA basketball. I wonder if his opinion is not shared by many black men who love these players and see how they are being supported during these games. I don’t like it when he describes taking verbal abuse for wearing a USA team shirt to a Chiefs football game. The conversation he relates from his radio show where the caller says he hates the team because he feels threatened to walk on the streets. Its not the America he “fell in love with”. If I was black and heard that comment I might take it for racism.
I don’t know if their argument is valid but I think that there may be a portion of people who feel the same way.That it is racial.

I want them to win and I do think we shoud pull for the US team.