Lost a lot of respect for some Pistons yesterday....

[Mac]

They are not role models and it is bad parenting if their kids believe these athletes are role models.

NBA does care...they have done ALOT of charity work, but to say a team is stupid for being in a visiting arena, after a loss, because of not signing autographs is pre mature.

If that organization wanted the Pistons, they should have asked for time BEFORE the game.

 

[PIP]

NBA does care..

Ahhhhhhhhhhh. that's sweet.

 

[Coyote]

I'm sick of this "not their job" mentality. I've worked with a lot of special needs kids and their families in a parks & rec setting. Those players have no idea how much WORK it takes for those families to just get to the game, let alone get through a whole day. Some people feel uncomfortable around people with disabilities. This I can understand. But here's where the "it is your job" comes in. It's called community outreach. Every team requires a certain level of it. And even if they didn't, a lot of players seem to understand the gifted, "abled" position they're in.

I'm in a band. People come up and talk after or before the show. Sometimes I feel like crap or am tired or whatever and don't want to talk, but I do, because those people paid to get in, bought our CD, said nice things about a song, etc. Is it my job? Strictly speaking, my job is to perform. But I can't do that if no one shows up. And to get people to show, it helps to not be an asshole to them. The contact is why people go out to a live show, and why they go to a live basketball game. Sure, a guy like Rasheed can't sign every jersey held out by some fat 50 year old slob who's going to sell it on EBay. But because they have this special thing they can do, and get paid for it, sign a couple damn autographs for the kids in wheelchairs.

They have to talk to reporters, right? That's a chore, and not strictly in their job description, but they do it night in and night out. Sure,if you're a superstar, you can get away with blowing off the media - until it creates a backlash. But it comes with the territory.

I don't buy that the Pistons were pissed off. I watched the game on TV and there were plenty of smiles and handshakes. This bums me out b/c I was a big Ben Wallace fan. Now, a little bit less. Always hated Sheed.

 

[Mac]

Actually, you are required by the NBA CBA to talk to the media. So tahts why they talk, and why Sheed was fined for saying "It was a good game, both teams played hard" over and over a couple years ago.

Again, it was a bad set up. The Pistons werent required or probably asked to do this task. Its nice some players went out of their way to do it, but you cant knock the ones that were probably not told of their situation.

 

[Maximus]

The title of my thread was that I lost respect for some of the Pistons yesterday....nothing is going to change that for me. I understand that as NBA players they weren't "required" to do anything. Still, as decent human beings I think they were. Win our lose, Sheed would have walked by those kids if they were on fire....he is an asshole at every layer. Prince was laughing with a trainer and was simply avoiding them until a security guard shamed him into it. He was standing next to these kids for 90 seconds waiting for the line to clear through the security door.

This was nothing that needed to be arranged. Each kid got a bunch of autographs(from both teams), some photos and shook a lot of hands. They were all glowing by the end, so it accomplished its goal. Shaking a hand, waving, or simply acknowledging that these kids exist isn't something that needs to be scheduled when you are already standing next to them for a minute or two. I'm in Rip Hamilton's camp, it isn't a "job" or a "task" as you call it....it is simply the right thing to do and several of them chose not to do it. If I were a kid and a player told me it needed to be pre-arranged or scheduled....I probably wouldn't want it anymore anyways. No matter how I look at it I lost respect for some of these guys yesterday.

 

[highplainsdrifter]

We are all a car accident away from being "disabled"............

These guys are payed MILLIONS for throwing a ball into a hoop. Yes its good entertainment and I love it, but there are far more important things than being a pro athlete. I understand it was after a loss, but at least acknowledge the prescence of the people. A high five is easy. A smile is easy. Eye contact is easy.

I have worked with People with disabilities for 5+ years. There are so many things we take for granted that these people need help with every day. What if you needed help going to the bathroom? What if you needed assistance to eat and get dressed? Their life path must be respected, the challenges they face every day.

I understand people are afraid of these GREAT people. We should NOT pity them. Yes they are different. But not really. They have feelings. They get scared, angry, and cry. We are ALL "disabled" to some degree. Areas in life we need help with, or are lacking. We all need help with things. Yet some just need help with basic daily living stuff. Some disabilities are temporary, some are permanent. I can learn a new skill. I cannot learn to recover from a traumatic brain injury (TBI). I must live with it.

How many of you have called someone or something 'retarded' as if an insult? I did myself in my ignorant younger years. Yet I have been blessed to actually get to know some of these Great people. I will never use the word in that way again. We are all "retarded" to some degree.

Different is not Better...........

We are all a car accident away from being "disabled"...........

 

[Coyote]

Well put, hpd. I hope I didn't make it sound like it was ok to let that uncomfortability get in the way of doing the right thing. I was just thinking of how, at first, I wasn't sure how to act around the kids. Then I realized, as you said, it was remarkably simple to give high 5's, any kind of encouragement. Which is what makes the Wallaces/Prince snubs even worse. And I'm sure this wasn't the first time the Pistons have been in this kind of situation. Seems like it would happen fairly often.

 

[hughes1988]

ben wallace never signs stuff, i was in detroit last year when the cavs were there an ben did not even sign anything or stop to give high fives after a win. just jogged past...