Patches Perry wrote:Synciere wrote:Patches Perry wrote:
In the Thunder's case, yes.
Only because it would run counter to the team winning. The team would be acting in its own best interests, but if a player does the same.........
It's still a hypocritical stance no matter how it's sliced.
Sure, I would even extend it to fans. Why are fans expected to be loyal to teams and players that aren't loyal to them? If we are giving passes to teams and players for acting in their own interests, then it's inconsistent to criticize a fan for acting in his own best interest by rooting for whatever team he feels like that day. If there is no loyalty in sports, it has to be across the board.
Isn't that really the truth -- that fans
shouldn't be expected to be loyal? We've built this who set of mores for how fans are
expected to behave, but isn't it actually quite silly?
Take a hypothetical situation of an OKC fan last year that switched allegiance to the Warriors.
The general consensus, I think, would be, "bandwagoneer!" and scorn.
But what if it was a fan from Seattle, who hates Clay and only followed the Thunder because of loyalty to Durant -- that'd be ok, right? Or a young fan, who got into the NBA after a visit in the hospital by Kevin Durant? No reasonable person would criticize the kid.
Personally, I was a Raider fan but don't like that they're moving. I won't support the 49ers because I despise the York family. So, I've adopted the Browns -- a downtrodden team with an awesome fanbase. Browns fans I've talked to seem to appreciate it and most people think it's a respectable choice -- but what if I chose the Pats, instead? Instant scorn.
Isn't it silly to get into that level of nuance? Sports is for enjoyment and if someone gets pleasure out of front-running, so be it.
Admittedly, if I met a Warriors fan who likes the Penguins, Pats and Cubs, I'd roll my eyes, but shouldn't we strive to get past these biases?
“I pretty much played the last three games with a broken hand,” James said as he sat there with a softcast on the right hand.