I'm saying it's becoming tiresome seeing people who don't follow the NBA, proudly proclaim they don't follow the NBA, making proclamations about the sport without knowing it has very few brawls, hasn't had an incident prior to this one of a player going into the stands since 1995, and has had fewer incidents of players going into the stands than baseball. And MUCH fewer brawls and violence overall than baseball.
And really, people, stop using the "thug" codeword. Just come out and say it. It's clear what you mean, the same way it's clear what Pat Buchanan and his ilk actually mean by "Neocon." And why the NBA is getting bashed more than other sports.
Good points. Those who follow basketball know this brawl is very unusual. Most seasons have a few pushing contests and maybe a blow thrown. Otherwise, the NBA is nothing like baseball or hockey.
If NBA players stopped getting arrested and charged with various crimes it might help. As far as watching the NBA, I used to watch it a lot in the 80's, with Bird and Magic and the like. Now, we have players who wear their shorts down to their ankles and have tattoes from head to foot. Only an overpayed baby with serious mental issues would charge in the stands and fight a fan. The manly thing to do would have been to ignore it and take his seat on the bench. Instead, he took the "thug" approach and went after the guy and started throwing punches. It's clearly disgraceful, and that's why he was suspended for 73 games.
Go to hell.
"Thug" is a perfectly good and useful word, an English word of Indian origin, and carries no racial components whatsoever. It's outrageous to accuse people of using it as a placeholder for "n---er", which is what you're doing. Do a quick google on "thug" and "nhl" if you think "thug" is only used to talk about black people.
And then come back and apologize to the people that you've just accused of racism...
I don't know you, but your comment above reads to me as if you are calling those who think the NBA has a dispropotionate population of lowlives are racists.
Read "Out of Bounds: Inside the NBA's Culture of Rape, Violence and Crime." Only 40% of the NBA players have police records...and you defend this by implying that those who shun such an "enabling" organization racists?
Enjoy your National Baskeball Lowlives.
I am no hockey fan but I believe thug was used in hockey in particular to characterize some guy on the Flyers named Schmidt or something like it. Of course, the thug life has been well documented in hip hop music, but thuggery was a problem in hockey it seems before it was a problem in basketball. To be so sensitive as to say that thug is a racist code word is a form of political correctness which is never defended on this forum.
What codeword? We refer to these players as thugs because they ARE thugs. Now, why don't you tell us what YOU mean. Just come out and say it.
Okay, I'll say it...p!ss off.