Soren Kierkegaard, the Danish philosopher, once said, “People demand freedom of speech as a compensation for the freedom of thought which they seldom use.” George Washington broke it down like this, “If the freedom of speech is taken away then dumb and silent we may be led, like sheep to the slaughter.” Then the homie, Tracy Morgan, gave it to boyz so that they could really understand it when he spit, “We have freedom of speech, but you got to watch what you say.”
Well playas…on Wednesday night Russell Westbrook and the OKC Thunder were in Philly to play the dull 76ers. An idiot fan decided that he had the freedom to give Young Russ the double barreled middle fingers as he layed a boy up for 2 as he turned around to the crowd. Not only did this dun shoot him the double bird he dropped the “F-You” bomb at him too. Russ, bein’ the professional here, turned around to the ref and said, “He can’t do that bruh!”
Let’s keep it real or all the way 100, whichever comes 1st! I’m always blown away by fans that think that they are entitled to act a fool once they buy a ticket to a sportin’ event. Like the price of admission gives them the right to be disrespectful to players and even to other fans. How many times have we seen fans shoutin’ or throwin’ things at players as they come off of the court?
The most memorable of those were when a fan threw a cup of water at, then Pacer, Ron Artest in Detroit and he immediately dove into the stands after that fool, incitin’ a riot. Now granted, Artest was completely out of line but the fan was equally as wrong, in my opinion. I wasn’t all that mad at Ron for goin’ after him.
Remember when a fan blurted out somethin’ to Joakim Noah a few years ago and he in turn shouted a gay slur back. Now we have no idea what the fan said to Noah as he exited the floor. Does that give the professional athlete (Noah), the right to say something disrespectful? No, not at all, because he was way out of line. However, the fan has to understand that there is always the potential of catchin a boy in the heat of the moment and gettin’ beat down.
What most people don’t realize is that majority of the professional basketball and football players in the league grew up in ghetto’s all over this country. They haven’t always been millionaires. Growin’ up in that environment wasn’t easy and respect is earned by bein’ able to defendin yourself verbally and often times physically. Keep in mind that many of these cats aren’t that far removed from that environment because they’re so young. Therefore, duns like the idiot in Philly should consider themselves lucky that Artest was the only boy that has snapped because the potential is ALWAYS there.
Young Russ could have easily fired on that dun and started a riot but he didn’t.
Yes, the First Amendment gives us the right to freedom of speech. So you have the right to say whatever to whomever you’d like while at the game or anywhere else for that matter. However, just because you have the right to say it doesn’t mean that it’s always a good idea.
It’s like the teen that goes to the zoo and aggravates the cheetahs by throwin’ and spittin’ things at them. Sure, there’s a cage separatin’ the two and it’s there to protect the patrons. Unfortunately, it doesn’t always work that way. The cats just wait until the juveniles get comfortable enough to approach the cage. Then he claws him to pieces. Again, just because you paid to get in doesn’t give you the right to be disrespectful. The fact that they pushed the envelope was the reason that they were sent to the hospital in critical condition.
Let me put it where the goats can get it. Goin’ to the game should be an enjoyable experience for everyone involved. Cheer your team on and be as rabbit as possible but please remember that the players are human beings with families and friends. You can’t act like the kid at the zoo! You wouldn’t want somebody comin’ to your job shoutin’ expletives and takin’ the mic out of your hand while you’re takin’ orders at McDonald’s would you? So give them the same respect regardless of whether you bought a ticket or not. Stop me when I start lyin’!
Playas Thesaurus:
1) Spit: verb – to say
2) Dun: noun – the person in question, dude, guy, etc. It’s whoever I’m talkin’ about and its non-gender specific.
3) Put it where the goats can get it: verb phrase – to make it as elementary as possible. To put it at ground level so everyone can understand it.