OT: Using "Cancer" as a pejorative to describe athletes

WestGOAT · Post #1 » by **WestGOAT** » Tue Feb 28, 2017 3:44 pm

Maybe because I'm not American, but it surprises me how frequently cancer is used to describe players that have bad influence on team morale, such as Demarcus Cousins and Rajon Rondo. I get the use of "sick", which actually has a positive connotation, but where I come from cancer is worse than the F-word. It's one of the worst diseases you or yours dear to you can suffer from.

I think it's just weird that you had the NBA community and the associated media mourning the death of Craig Sager, who died of AML, while at the same time you can find plenty of articles labeling certain players cancer.

Or do you think this is just being too political correct/over-sensitive?

MartinToVaught · Post #2 » by **MartinToVaught** » Tue Feb 28, 2017 3:51 pm

One of the dictionary definitions of the word cancer is "a practice or phenomenon perceived to be evil or destructive and hard to contain or eradicate." That is what people are referring to when they label athletes as "cancers," not the actual disease.

YogurtProducer · Post #3 » by **YogurtProducer** » Tue Feb 28, 2017 3:55 pm

Zombiesonics · Post #4 » by **Zombiesonics** » Tue Feb 28, 2017 3:56 pm

I think its worst when people use the word 'shipped' during trades pertaining to african american athletes.

RaptorsLife · Post #5 » by **RaptorsLife** » Tue Feb 28, 2017 3:58 pm

Zombiesonics wrote:I think its worst when people use the word 'shipped' during trades pertaining to african american athletes.

I never in my life thought that's what they meant lol

Aventador · Post #6 » by **Aventador** » Tue Feb 28, 2017 3:59 pm

please attach a trigger warning next time

Mister Ze · Post #7 » by **Mister Ze** » Tue Feb 28, 2017 4:03 pm

It's a terrible saying.

*cue the video of Lance Armstrong telling off a reporter for calling him a cancer.

SweetBro · Post #8 » by **SweetBro** » Tue Feb 28, 2017 4:06 pm

A player can accidentally drop an f bomb in his Snapchat story and everybody in here would be calling him locker room cancer.

mtron929 · Post #9 » by **mtron929** » Tue Feb 28, 2017 4:07 pm

WestGOAT wrote:Maybe because I'm not American, but it surprises me how frequently cancer is used to describe players that have bad influence on team morale, such as Demarcus Cousins and Rajon Rondo. I get the use of "sick", which actually has a positive connotation, but where I come from cancer is worse than the F-word. It's one of the worst diseases you or yours dear to you can suffer from.

I think it's just weird that you had the NBA community and the associated media mourning the death of Craig Sager, who died of AML, while at the same time you can find plenty of articles labeling certain players cancer.

Or do you think this is just being too political correct/over-sensitive?

Yeah.... I guess this is not what you want to hear, but it is just being too PC and overly sensitive.

Chinook · Post #10 » by **Chinook** » Tue Feb 28, 2017 4:07 pm

WTF is this world I find myself in?

shangrila · Post #11 » by **shangrila** » Tue Feb 28, 2017 4:09 pm

ALPHAandOMEGA · Post #12 » by **ALPHAandOMEGA** » Tue Feb 28, 2017 4:11 pm

WestGOAT wrote:Maybe because I'm not American, but it surprises me how frequently cancer is used to describe players that have bad influence on team morale, such as Demarcus Cousins and Rajon Rondo. I get the use of "sick", which actually has a positive connotation, but where I come from cancer is worse than the F-word. It's one of the worst diseases you or yours dear to you can suffer from.

I think it's just weird that you had the NBA community and the associated media mourning the death of Craig Sager, who died of AML, while at the same time you can find plenty of articles labeling certain players cancer.

Or do you think this is just being too political correct/over-sensitive?

Answered your own question...

WestGOAT · Post #13 » by **WestGOAT** » Tue Feb 28, 2017 4:12 pm

mtron929 wrote:
WestGOAT wrote:Maybe because I'm not American, but it surprises me how frequently cancer is used to describe players that have bad influence on team morale, such as Demarcus Cousins and Rajon Rondo. I get the use of "sick", which actually has a positive connotation, but where I come from cancer is worse than the F-word. It's one of the worst diseases you or yours dear to you can suffer from.

I think it's just weird that you had the NBA community and the associated media mourning the death of Craig Sager, who died of AML, while at the same time you can find plenty of articles labeling certain players cancer.

Or do you think this is just being too political correct/over-sensitive?

Yeah.... I guess this is not what you want to hear, but it is just being too PC and overly sensitive.

I was just asking a question really. I will just brush it off as another typical American thing, like the use of Fahrenheit and the imperial system.

Also, I don't know why people act so appalled for me questioning something, is it that surprising that certain words carry different weights in different countries?

The_Hater · Post #14 » by **The_Hater** » Tue Feb 28, 2017 4:18 pm

Zombiesonics wrote:I think its worst when people use the word 'shipped' during trades pertaining to african american athletes.

I've never heard this but the definition of to ship is to transport so IMO it seems like a huge reach for you to associate it in this regard.

CarMalone · Post #15 » by **CarMalone** » Tue Feb 28, 2017 4:19 pm

Kevin Garnett disagrees.

EazyAsPie · Post #16 » by **EazyAsPie** » Tue Feb 28, 2017 4:22 pm

Zombiesonics wrote:I think its worst when people use the word 'shipped' during trades pertaining to african american athletes.

http://clutchpoints.com/report-bulls-ship-kirk-hinrich-to-hawks-for-2nd-rounder/

http://www.slamonline.com/nba/golden-state-warriors-reportedly-looking-to-trade-david-lee/#Z2KDrssfqdumA15U.97

https://sodomojo.com/2015/07/30/mariners-trade-dustin-ackley-to-yankees/

I could do this for days but I think I've proven that the word shipped is something that is used in any trade in sports. Just dumb.

Simmons25 · Post #17 » by **Simmons25** » Tue Feb 28, 2017 4:23 pm

WestGOAT wrote:Maybe because I'm not American.......Or do you think this is just being too political correct/over-sensitive?

Yes... Yes it is. I can't believe they describe Rudy Gay as gay.

By the way where are you from? Interesting take on Americans... as I found with my American friends that they are WAY too oversensitive and politically correct... compared to Australians anyway.

Post #18 » by **FNQ** » Tue Feb 28, 2017 4:31 pm

The_Hater wrote:
Zombiesonics wrote:I think its worst when people use the word 'shipped' during trades pertaining to african american athletes.

I've never heard this but the definition of to ship is to transport so IMO it seems like a huge reach for you to associate it in this regard.

We can really dissect a ton of words to show shameful times in this country.. I mean when another team 'beats' another team, could we connect that with domestic abuse? A 'crippling' injury can be connected to a handicap person's plight.. its technically correct but its really reaching.

Shipped and traded are the same thing, they imply ownership changing hands. Because the owners of said team do have the rights to these said players' basketball talents. That's how the system works.

Now "cancer" in terms of a bad locker room presence is kinda bad IMO. The implication being remove this person, and everything gets better.. or if you don't, it can really spread and making everything crappy. Meh, could go either way. I think if we're looking to exterminate a word from terminology, let's work on the r-word as it relates to handily winning a trade. That one just feels dirty.

Aventador · Post #19 » by **Aventador** » Tue Feb 28, 2017 4:41 pm

Sorry, can everyone start using alternate spellings of Humyn? I don't like that the word Man in Human as it neglects 50% of the world's population.

WestGOAT · Post #20 » by **WestGOAT** » Tue Feb 28, 2017 4:51 pm

Simmons25 wrote:
WestGOAT wrote:Maybe because I'm not American.......Or do you think this is just being too political correct/over-sensitive?

Yes... Yes it is. I can't believe they describe Rudy Gay as gay.

By the way where are you from? Interesting take on Americans... as I found with my American friends that they are WAY too oversensitive and politically correct... compared to Australians anyway.

I'm from the Netherlands. In this country only teenagers or people lacking decency use cancer as an adjective/curse word.