03-09-2022, 08:26 AM
(03-09-2022, 06:13 AM)SleepingHero Wrote: https://streamable.com/oop6a8
I spent some time thinking about the issue. I have to say, comparing to Europe, USA players are extremely soft. I think Westbrook received less than 10 % of stuff players in Europe face and I don't see much whining here. Of course it is not nice from people to say bad things about players, but on the other hand the sports involve high emotions which are sometimes difficult to control.
In its basic essence, the sports are played for its spectators. And it is the spectators who should be in essence driving the way. Spectators are emotionally involved which also leads them to spend (a lot of) money for tickets, merchandise and many other things involved. Without this emotions, there would be much less money involved. So where do we draw the line? Are we expecting the spectators to sit silently and clap when the big monitors tell them to or are we allowing them more? How much more? Either we like it or not, the games from ancient times are used to release feelings and frustrations so that nuances of every day life come easier. So that people forget a bit about those worries. Are we sure we want to take that away?
I think NBA has become extremely player driven. Perhaps to an extent too much. Players naturally would want that they are untouchable gods that people are allowed only to cherish. Yesterday we had Gobert whining about words coming from Mavs bench, today we have Westbrook complaining about insults from fans. But I don't think it works this way. I think this is part of the job. They get paid huge amounts of money mostly coming from fans that will never earn anything near what they are making. Fans that have a hard time understanding why a player paid 50 mil per season has a trouble hitting a jumper anywhere near average rates or contribute to winning basketball. Why can't such a player adjust his game. Why such a player doesn't have a problem collecting his check but has a problem delivering what he is expected to based on such a reward.
Based on all this I agree with the comment in the video. I am sure it is not nice for Westbrook kids to hear bad things being yelled at their dad. But, it is just part of a well paid job.