But his Thunder had just been eliminated by the Utah Jazz, and there undoubtedly was the requisite disappointment about that. And people are human. And so Westbrook opened his mouth and it all came flooding out.
“I don’t confront fans, fans confront me," he said after the Thunder bowed out. "Here in Utah, man, a lot of disrespectful, vulgar things are said to the players. I think these fans, man, it’s truly disrespectful. Talk about your families, your kids, and it’s just a disrespect to the game. And I think it’s something that needs to be brought up."
And, sure, because of the timing, all of that came off as the sourest of grapes.
And, sure, it's almost never a winning move to carp about the fans, because it makes you look like an ungrateful whiner. If not Mr. Rabbit Ears himself.
But Westbrook had a point. And it bears mentioning.
First of all, he's not the first NBA player to comment on the fans in Utah, who apparently are notorious for being asshats. Second of all, he's absolutely right when he says there is a line fans should not be allowed to cross no matter how much they paid for their tickets. And that line is pretty clearly marked.
Taunt a player all you want, as long as you don't get racial or homophobic about it. But leave his family out of it.
Do that -- especially when you bring someone's kids into it -- and your ticket should be worthless. You should be ejected from the premises immediately.
Unfortunately, this doesn't happen nearly as much as it ought to. In some places more notoriously than others.
The other day, for instance, a former colleague of mine called to relate a story from the ECHL hockey playoffs. This happened in Toledo, where the Walleye were playing their bitter rivals, the Fort Wayne Komets. As the teams were warming up, a woman materialized by the glass, holding up a sign.
On it was a photo mocking a Komets player's mother. Moreover, the woman had discovered where this player's mother was sitting. And so she stood right next to her with the sign.
Classy. Very classy.
Also, it should be noted, quintessentially Toledo. Having grown up going to Komets games for 40 or 50 years, the Blob is well aware that -- whether it was the Walleye or the Goaldiggers or the Hornets or the Blades -- some of Toledo's fans have always been shy a few essentials. Most of them in the couth department.
So, no real surprise at my colleague's tale. And no surprise it apparently took security an inordinate amount of time to remove the woman and her sign.
Some places are just like that. And so good for Russell Westbrook for calling them on it.
And, sure, it's almost never a winning move to carp about the fans, because it makes you look like an ungrateful whiner. If not Mr. Rabbit Ears himself.
But Westbrook had a point. And it bears mentioning.
First of all, he's not the first NBA player to comment on the fans in Utah, who apparently are notorious for being asshats. Second of all, he's absolutely right when he says there is a line fans should not be allowed to cross no matter how much they paid for their tickets. And that line is pretty clearly marked.
Taunt a player all you want, as long as you don't get racial or homophobic about it. But leave his family out of it.
Do that -- especially when you bring someone's kids into it -- and your ticket should be worthless. You should be ejected from the premises immediately.
Unfortunately, this doesn't happen nearly as much as it ought to. In some places more notoriously than others.
The other day, for instance, a former colleague of mine called to relate a story from the ECHL hockey playoffs. This happened in Toledo, where the Walleye were playing their bitter rivals, the Fort Wayne Komets. As the teams were warming up, a woman materialized by the glass, holding up a sign.
On it was a photo mocking a Komets player's mother. Moreover, the woman had discovered where this player's mother was sitting. And so she stood right next to her with the sign.
Classy. Very classy.
Also, it should be noted, quintessentially Toledo. Having grown up going to Komets games for 40 or 50 years, the Blob is well aware that -- whether it was the Walleye or the Goaldiggers or the Hornets or the Blades -- some of Toledo's fans have always been shy a few essentials. Most of them in the couth department.
So, no real surprise at my colleague's tale. And no surprise it apparently took security an inordinate amount of time to remove the woman and her sign.
Some places are just like that. And so good for Russell Westbrook for calling them on it.
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