There’s this weird thing happening now when people discuss basketball. I can guarantee if you start a conversation with anyone, no matter the player or team, two things will happen: 1. You will say someone is a good player. 2. Someone will go to great lengths to prove that they aren’t. Gone are the days where there are average or mediocre players in the league. Everyone is either great or trash. And even that opinion changes from season to season, month to month, week to week, game to game. I constantly hear people go from praising a player to bashing them and vice versa. Beyond the obvious reasons why this isn’t the most logical train of thought, y’all really need to stop doing this. A lot of you are out here sounding extremely stupid………………
Here’s where I think the problem lies. All you people are too smart for your own good. The conversations are no longer centered around basketball. People just want to be right. Then they speak in absolutes on EVERY topic. Y’all not stressed out going from one extreme to the other for a minimum of 82 games? I’m stressed just thinking about it. And don’t tell me you’re not stressed or it’s not that big of a deal. I can simply go to social media to show you how much you care. I can see the veins popping out of your heads through your posts. We formulate opinions in our heads and take our own word as law. Then when the law is broken, instead of just accepting reality, people create all these alternate circumstances and flimsy arguments to try to prove their point. We need to gather every English professor, linguist, speech pathologist and audiologist and teach people the three words that can help cure all of this nonsense…………I was wrong.
Another issue with this is the media. Sports Talk is dead. Everything is a verbal fight to the death. So what they do is get two clowns to get on TV and try to prove each other wrong and whoever yells the loudest is deemed the winner for the day. But here’s the trickle down effect. Everyday folks swear by whichever media personality has the supporting argument for their favorite players. Anything that is contrary to that is wrong. Then if you just so happen to disagree they are quick to hurl out the “H” word. But what happens when that same talking head changes their tone? Do you change it with them and pretty much call yourself a liar or do you ride it out until the wheels fall off? I think this is the main factor that contributes to the way the public goes back and forth so often and so quickly. A player can go from media darling to punching bag in an instant. And with each swaying sentiment, the public follows. Some of y’all go from hot to cold on players like the water when somebody flushes the toilet while you’re taking a shower. Fully committing yourself to the ramblings of these talking heads is dangerous. If you’re not careful you’ll sound like Rick James on that Dave Chapelle skit. “Yeah I remember grinding my feet in Eddie’s couch.”
Nowadays we grade players like a one question exam. No multiple choice, no grading on a curve, no multiple choice and the question is never open ended. It’s pass or fail. Then to make it even worse, we ask everyone the same question and depending on how we feel about them, we decide if the answer is right or not. If you ask me, that is an absolutely horrible way to try to enjoy sports. Not being objective is a close minded hell that many of you live in on a daily basis. Free yourself. Remove your personal feelings from your evaluations. You’ll sleep easier at night. I promise you, your wife is tired of you keeping her up with the light from your cell phone because you want to explain your feelings about another man you never met and who probably doesn’t even agree with you to begin with.