November 24, 2004
Let Cooler Heads Prevail
Both Ted and Colby linked to Ben Mathis-Liley's piece in in Slate deflating all the doomsaying over last Friday's edition of "Basketbrawl" in Detroit:
Immediately after the brawl, the talking heads on ESPN's NBA Shootaround all said that disgusted fans would stop watching NBA games in droves. At this exact moment, millions of people were talking, probably for the first time in history, about a regular season NBA game.
Which after all, is pretty similar to what Mark Cuban said a couple of months back when he was asked what he thought the effect of the Kobe Bryant trial would be on the NBA. Heck, even I'll admit my traffic has essentially tripled over the past week due to Friday's fight and that MNF teaser last week. But I should let the man finish.
The biggest lesson that we can take away from this mega-fight is that Ron Artest is really, really loony, just like Dennis Rodman was loony, and Vernon Maxwell was loony. This is a guy who, after becoming a national villain, appeared on the Today Show to explain himself while decked out in gear promoting his rap album. Rather than herald a plague of sports-related violence, the Pacers-Pistons brawl has just reinforced how rare this kind of behavior is. Now it'll be even rarer because the mental and physical boundaries that keep fans and players apart will be far stronger. I bet you'll think twice about tossing a beer the next time you go to a basketball game.
There's one sentiment I wholeheartedly endorse that Ted mentioned: If I hear one more person whine about "the children" my head is going to explode.
POSTSCRIPT: I should have linked to this yesterday, but sometimes I forget Slate publishes on a West Coast deadline. Gee, I wish I could publish on a West Coast deadline. . .
UPDATE: Some other viewpoints from our friends in the MSM: Robert George and Tom Boswell.
Trackback Pings
TrackBack URL for this entry:
http://www.ericmcerlain.com/mt/mt-tb.cgi/3971
I think we should all go out and buy the new Allure album. I've heard it's hot, baby... give it to all your friends for Christmas!
Posted by:
at November 24, 2004 11:08 AM
Amen on the "children" spin. All I could think of was Rev. Lovejoy's wife: "Will someone please think of the children!" I got a big laugh out of the footage. After the game, the kids went home and played Vice City to calm their tender nerves.
Posted by:
at November 24, 2004 12:58 PM
But Eric, the NYPost is conservative! Are you sure it counts as the "MSM"?
Posted by:
at November 27, 2004 02:59 AM
Post a comment
Thanks for signing in,
.
(If you haven't left a comment here before, you may need to be approved by the site owner before your comment will appear. Until then, it won't appear on the entry. Thanks for waiting.)
07:21 AM