Too harsh.? I'm just gonna say it.? Black guy beating up a white guy.? That's how things go in the court of law; and apparently it goes just so on the court of basketball.

 

I don't want to make Artest out to be a martyr either, cause he's mostly just an idiot.? But the more I think about it, the more sure I am that this penalty was ridiculous.

620048[/snapback]

 

 

It has nothing to do with race. Everybody who says so is a bigot.

 

It has to do with Artest's past, him going into the crowd and attacking innocent fans.

 

Nice job by the NBA but I would have kicked him out of the league for good. He's tarnished the image of the NBA with his antics.

620069[/snapback]

 

Then I'm a bigot because I really think this has to do partly with race. I was thinking about this whole thing today, and it seemed to me that a large percentage of the people coming to Artest's defense are black, and a large percentage of those dumping on him are white. Obviously, these divisions aren't like OJ-sharp or anything, but I think they're there.

 

I also keep hearing people classify these fans as innocent all of a sudden. Why do you think they were innocent?

 

Also, could someone detail for me what Artest has done in the past? I know he's been erratic, but what has he done that's truly bad? Worst I've seen so far is that he threw a TV camera. And that's really all I've seen.

620077[/snapback]

your a dumbass for even bringing race into this situation.

Too harsh.? I'm just gonna say it.? Black guy beating up a white guy.? That's how things go in the court of law; and apparently it goes just so on the court of basketball.

 

I don't want to make Artest out to be a martyr either, cause he's mostly just an idiot.? But the more I think about it, the more sure I am that this penalty was ridiculous.

620048[/snapback]

 

 

It has nothing to do with race. Everybody who says so is a bigot.

 

It has to do with Artest's past, him going into the crowd and attacking innocent fans.

 

Nice job by the NBA but I would have kicked him out of the league for good. He's tarnished the image of the NBA with his antics.

620069[/snapback]

 

Then I'm a bigot because I really think this has to do partly with race. I was thinking about this whole thing today, and it seemed to me that a large percentage of the people coming to Artest's defense are black, and a large percentage of those dumping on him are white. Obviously, these divisions aren't like OJ-sharp or anything, but I think they're there.

 

I also keep hearing people classify these fans as innocent all of a sudden. Why do you think they were innocent?

 

Also, could someone detail for me what Artest has done in the past? I know he's been erratic, but what has he done that's truly bad? Worst I've seen so far is that he threw a TV camera. And that's really all I've seen.

620077[/snapback]

your a dumbass for even bringing race into this situation.

620094[/snapback]

 

Race is part of every situation, man. This is America. And of all 4 sports, race plays the biggest role in the NBA. It's an annual event that some black player will compare the player-ownership relationship to that of the slave and the master. Obviously, that's ridiculous. But that racial context is always there. I guarantee you if that were like Bill Laimbeer or some other white rabble-rouser that guy would not be out for the year.

 

This is about far more than race. Far, far more. But it is also about race. It's interesting to me how the conventional wisdom has gradually turned against Artest since Friday night. Go back and look at how long people thought Artest and everyone should be suspended when that question was proposed. I offered one of the higher number, and I was thinking 10 games. I mean, no one was talking about the whole season. ESPN had one of those SportsNation polls and I think 6-10 games was the leading option. Anyway, whatever...I've said my piece. People will believe what they want. And maybe they're right.

the suspension is good. it's jacksons whose isnt long enough

619870[/snapback]

 

Ditto.

I agree, Stephen Jackson got off way too easy.

Report: Fan In White Hat Has Criminal History

 

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. -- Police continue to identify all of the fans involved in Friday night's brawl at The Palace of Auburn Hills, while the man accused of throwing the cup that sparked the incident speaks to Local 4.

 

Local 4 learned that Green has a criminal history, which includes the following offenses:

 

* 2003 -- Operating under the influence of liquor/operating while visibly impaired (second offense)

* 1989 -- Assault with intent to do great bodily harm less than murder

* 1989 -- Escape from prison

* 1986 -- Carrying concealed weapons

* 1986 -- Uttering and publishing, which is using a false, forged, altered or counterfeit record, deed or instrument to injure or defraud.

 

(Ouch someone wanna tell me why Artest shouldnt have beat the crud outta this guy? Go figure, he has a criminal past. )

(Ouch someone wanna tell me why Artest shouldnt have beat the crud outta this guy?)

620281[/snapback]

 

I'm sure Artest went into the stands knowing the criminal history of the guy who threw a plastic cup at him....

 

I'm sure Artest went into the stands knowing the criminal history of the guy who threw a plastic cup at him....

 

 

620284[/snapback]

 

:lol I never said he knew it but after finding this out.. The dude that started this was a criminal? Bah :whistle

I thought it set a good precedent for anyone who thinks about doing the same thing.

Not harsh enough. He should have spent the night in jail.

619926[/snapback]

hmmm 1 night in jail or $4.5 mil?

 

it was way too harsh

Because I'm more than willing to beat a dead horse, and because somebody or other called me a dumbass, here's what Jason Whitlock had to say about the issue of race in the Artest situation. I agree with the gist of his article, if not every last thing.

 

Many of the same points are made in an article in the SF Gate:

 

From that article:

 

The subject no one wants to talk about, the one that makes everyone edgy, is race and its relevance to the NBA's problem.

 

In the past decade, the NBA has fallen sharply in popularity among white fans and surged among black fans, according to research by the Sports Marketing Group in Atlanta.

 

In a nationwide study of Americans in 1993, 62 percent of whites said they loved or liked the NBA. By 2003, that dropped to 50 percent. Viewed a different way, whites who said they hated or disliked the NBA rose from 21 percent in 1993 to 30 percent in 2003.

 

By contrast, the percentage of black Americans who loved or liked the NBA rose from 62 percent in 1993 to 92 percent a decade later. Blacks who hated or disliked the league hardly changed, going from 4.3 percent to 2.9 percent.

 

And from the Whitlock article:

 

American sports fans, particularly those who consistently shell out the hundreds of dollars it takes to attend a professional game, are fed up with black professional basketball players in particular and black professional athletes to a lesser degree.

 

Yeah, let's cut through all the garbage and get to the real issue. The people paying the bills don't like the product, don't like the attitude, don't like the showboating and don't like the flamboyance. The NBA, which relies heavily on African-American players, is at the forefront of fan backlash. Stern realizes this, and that's why, spurred on by the Detroit brawl, he is reacting decisively.

 

What the players must come to grips with is that just because race is an element in the backlash, that doesn't mean the backlash is fueled by racism.

 

We're witnessing a clash of cultures. A predominately white fan base is rejecting a predominately black style of play and sportsmanship.

 

Who is on the right side of this argument? The group that is always right in a capitalistic society. The customer. That's why Stern, endorsed by his owners, came down hard on the players.

 

What do you think?