Ghost of Posted February 21, 2007 Share Posted February 21, 2007 Man, Whitlock is a one-man culture and sports crusade! I really paid ZERO attention to the All-Star stuff and in fact, I was surprised the game was played already! :doh: Oops. Anyway, here's his article. Can't say I disagree with it. Just a shame what's happened and I won't even blame the players (I don't think ALL the incidents could be attributable to their 'entourages,' but instead to the crowd that comes to hang at these events. Probably don't need to get into more detail than that.) http://sports.aol.com/whitlock/_a/mayhem-main-event-at-nba-all-star/20070220103009990001 LAS VEGAS -- NBA All-Star Weekend in Vegas was an unmitigated failure, and any thoughts of taking the extravaganza to New Orleans in 2008 are total lunacy. An event planned to showcase what is right about professional basketball has been turned into a 72-hour display of why commissioner David Stern can't sleep at night and spends his days thinking of rules to mask what the NBA has come to represent. Good luck fixing All-Star Weekend. The game is a sloppy, boring, half-hearted mess. The dunk contest is contrived and pointless. The celebrity contest is unintended comedy. And, worst of all, All-Star Weekend revelers have transformed the league's midseason exhibition into the new millennium Freaknik, an out-of-control street party that features gunplay, violence, non-stop weed smoke and general mayhem. Word of all the criminal activity that transpired during All-Star Weekend has been slowly leaking out on Las Vegas radio shows and TV newscasts and on Internet blogs the past 24 hours. "It was filled with an element of violence," Teresa Frey, general manager for Coco's restaurant, told klastv.com. "They don't want to pay their bills. They don't want to respect us or each other." Things got so bad that she closed the 24-hour restaurant from 2 a.m. to 4 a.m. "I have been spit on. I have had food thrown at me," she said. "I have lost two servers out of fear. I have locked my door out of the fear of violence." All weekend, people, especially cab drivers, gossiped about brawls and shootings. You didn't know what to believe because the local newspaper was filled with stories about what a raging success All-Star Weekend was. The city is desperately trying to attract an NBA franchise, and, I guess, there was no reason to let a few bloody bodies get in the way of a cozy relationship with Stern. Plus, the NBA's business partner ESPN didn't have time to dirty its hands and report on the carnage. I'm sure ESPN's reporters were embedded in the rear ends of the troops -- Shaq, Kobe, King James, D-Wade, AI and Melo. But there were multiple brawls, at least two shootings, more than 350 arrests and a lot of terror in Vegas over the weekend. And the police might want to talk to NFL player Pacman Jones about a nasty shooting spree at a Vegas strip club. Jones and the rapper Nelly were allegedly at Minxx Gentlemen's Club Monday morning shortly before (or during) the shooting. Two victims, male employees of the club, were listed in critical condition at the hospital; a third, a female patron, sustained non-life threatening injuries after being grazed by a bullet. There were so many fights and so many gangbangers and one parking-lot shootout at the MGM Grand that people literally fled the hotel in fear for their safety. I talked with a woman who moved from the MGM to the Luxor because "I couldn't take it. I'll never come back to another All-Star Game." There are reports of a brawl between rappers and police at the Wynn Hotel. Vegas police were simply overwhelmed along The Strip. They were there solely for decoration and to discourage major crimes. Beyond that, they minded their own business. I was there. Walking The Strip this weekend must be what it feels like to walk the yard at a maximum security prison. You couldn't relax. You avoided eye contact. The heavy police presence only reminded you of the danger. Without a full-scale military occupation, New Orleans will not survive All-Star Weekend 2008. David Stern seriously needs to consider moving the event out of the country for the next couple of years in hopes that young, hip-hop hoodlums would find another event to terrorize. Taking the game to Canada won't do it. The game needs to be moved overseas, someplace where the Bloods and Crips and hookers and hoes can't get to it without a passport and plane ticket. I'm serious. Stern has spent the past three years trying to move his league and players past the thug image Ron Artest's fan brawl stamped on the NBA. After this weekend, I'm convinced he's losing the battle. All-Star Weekend Vegas screamed that the NBA is aligned too closely with thugs. Stern is going to have to take drastic measures to break that perception/reality. All-Star Weekend can no longer remain the Woodstock for parolees, wannabe rap artists and baby's mamas on tax-refund vacations. This was not a byproduct of the game being held in Vegas. All-Star Weekend has been on this path for the past five or six years. Every year the event becomes more and more a destination for troublemakers. If something isn't done, next year's All-Star Weekend will surpass the deceased Freaknik, a weekend-long party in Atlanta, in terms of lawlessness. Wide-spread looting and a rape killed the Freaknik in 1999. The NBA's image cannot survive bedlam in the French Quarter. And I'm not sure it can survive the embarrassment of a New Orleans standoff between its fans and the National Guard, either. If Stern wants to continue to strengthen the international appeal of his game, he has the perfect excuse to move the All-Star Game to Germany, China, England or anywhere Suge Knight's posse can't find it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
THUNDERDOME Posted February 21, 2007 Share Posted February 21, 2007 Wow I didn't know it got that bad. I didn't hear anything about it.....then again I don't watch the news... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spaceman Spiff Posted February 21, 2007 Share Posted February 21, 2007 Whitlocks argument (or lack thereof) has nothing to do with the NBA itself. He's whining about peripheral stuff that happened at the ASG weekend, but none of the players got in trouble or did anything stupid. Had there been another artest brawl or had the entire Western conference team been busted in a hotel room with weed smoke billowing out, he might have something. IMO, this article is attempting to make mountains out of molehills. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheKurp Posted February 21, 2007 Share Posted February 21, 2007 You know what killed the game for me? Having to listen to Wayne Newton sing during the intro. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Clark Fan Posted February 21, 2007 Share Posted February 21, 2007 Why am i not suprised by this........Hell get rid of the all star game its a waste of time and let the gangbangers and posse find another event to ruin. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popeman38 Posted February 21, 2007 Share Posted February 21, 2007 Whitlocks argument (or lack thereof) has nothing to do with the NBA itself. He's whining about peripheral stuff that happened at the ASG weekend, but none of the players got in trouble or did anything stupid.Had there been another artest brawl or had the entire Western conference team been busted in a hotel room with weed smoke billowing out, he might have something. IMO, this article is attempting to make mountains out of molehills. I would agree, except he is writing about the image of the league and how it is associated with thuggish behavior. Of course, one of the golden boys throwing a sucker punch in the bball mecca of MSG doesn't help. In order to address this image problem, the commish is gonna have to treat the players like normal people. Throw a punch at work? You just lost your job. Get busted with guns/drugs? You just lost your job. And the club that you were with holds your rights until the contract you were playing under expires, to prevent another club from paying you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
herrmag Posted February 21, 2007 Share Posted February 21, 2007 Whitlocks argument (or lack thereof) has nothing to do with the NBA itself. He's whining about peripheral stuff that happened at the ASG weekend, but none of the players got in trouble or did anything stupid.Had there been another artest brawl or had the entire Western conference team been busted in a hotel room with weed smoke billowing out, he might have something. IMO, this article is attempting to make mountains out of molehills. I don't think that's the point. Certainly the writer is not accusing the NBA's players of these antics. However, when you're hosting an "All-star Weekend", and your brandname is the main attraction, then this can't be good for your public image. How many people are going to show up next year at the All-Star weekend knowing that this type of thing might happen again? It's unfortunate. I think that perhaps they should choose their venue a little better. Vegas isn't exactly the safest place in the world to begin with. If you stray off of the main strip, you'll see it's not all glitz and glamour. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popeman38 Posted February 21, 2007 Share Posted February 21, 2007 You know what killed the game for me? Having to listen to Wayne Newton sing during the intro. What do you mean? He never sang. His lips were moving, but the music was recorded and sounded like he was 20 years younger. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
macnoke03 Posted February 21, 2007 Share Posted February 21, 2007 It's interesting he makes mention of there being a heavy police presence. Bill Simmons article about his all star weekend experience said that he never saw a cop the whole time he was there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spaceman Spiff Posted February 21, 2007 Share Posted February 21, 2007 I don't think that's the point. Certainly the writer is not accusing the NBA's players of these antics. However, when you're hosting an "All-star Weekend", and your brandname is the main attraction, then this can't be good for your public image. How many people are going to show up next year at the All-Star weekend knowing that this type of thing might happen again? It's unfortunate. I think that perhaps they should choose their venue a little better. Vegas isn't exactly the safest place in the world to begin with. If you stray off of the main strip, you'll see it's not all glitz and glamour. Right, and I see where you and Whitlock are coming from. But the NBA has had a hip hop image for awhile now, it's not like any of this is news. They can't really control who comes to Vegas to watch the game and revel in the debauchery, though. I agree, Vegas was a bad place to pick to have it though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WVUforREDSKINS Posted February 21, 2007 Share Posted February 21, 2007 Did Barkley beat that ref in a race?? That is all I want to know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
portisizzle Posted February 21, 2007 Share Posted February 21, 2007 I'm serious. Stern has spent the past three years trying to move his league and players past the thug image Ron Artest's fan brawl stamped on the NBA. After this weekend, I'm convinced he's losing the battle. All-Star Weekend Vegas screamed that the NBA is aligned too closely with thugs. Stern is going to have to take drastic measures to break that perception/reality. All-Star Weekend can no longer remain the Woodstock for parolees, wannabe rap artists and baby's mamas on tax-refund vacations. This was not a byproduct of the game being held in Vegas. All-Star Weekend has been on this path for the past five or six years. Every year the event becomes more and more a destination for troublemakers. I. I have been saying this on this site for quite some time. And my comments have been met with accusations (though not outright calling me such) that I am racist. There is an edge and a mentality that exists in the NBA. It is one that I will not allow my children to take part in. This writing is the prime example of how bad NBA Basketball has gotten. Long gone are the days of Magic, Bird, Jordan, Drexler, Lambeer, Thomas. HARD, GRITTY, and FIERCE competitors ON the court. Now the league is left with a thug mentality that will keep the majority of America decidedly against the league and what it stands for. Kudos to the writer and his willingness to stand up against those that see no problem with the NBA and its image. He is right with every word he wrote. Now it is time to hear from all of those on this site that were in denial over this growing disaster so that they may be counted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrockster21 Posted February 21, 2007 Share Posted February 21, 2007 It's interesting he makes mention of there being a heavy police presence. Bill Simmons article about his all star weekend experience said that he never saw a cop the whole time he was there. Bill Simmons also works for ESPN. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
canethang 305 Posted February 21, 2007 Share Posted February 21, 2007 Bill Simmons also works for ESPN. Don't forget ESPN fired Whitlock. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
macnoke03 Posted February 21, 2007 Share Posted February 21, 2007 Did Barkley beat that ref in a race?? That is all I want to know. yeah, he won...he ran the last part of the race backwards which almost cost him and then he fell on his a** after he crossed halfcourt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WVUforREDSKINS Posted February 21, 2007 Share Posted February 21, 2007 yeah, he won...he ran the last part of the race backwards which almost cost him and then he fell on his a** after he crossed halfcourt hmm... I was rooting for the ref Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DjTj Posted February 21, 2007 Share Posted February 21, 2007 Bill Simmons also works for ESPN.Simmons basically said the same thing as Whitlock, though - they just disagree on the number of cops on the street:To Al Harrington, who pooh-poohed Vegas' future as an NBA team by warning everyone before last weekend, "The biggest thing about Vegas is that there's no police. ... I lived out there for two months this summer and I probably saw one cop car, so it's a free-for-all. ... If people want to come in and start trouble, they've got a free pass because the only security or police is in the casinos. Anything outside, do whatever you want." I read that quote and thought to myself, "Wait, he's right, when do you ever see cops outside the casinos in Vegas?" Then I made a mental note to keep track during the weekend. Shockingly, Harrington was a prophet. There were barely any cops along the Strip, even though tens of thousands of people were walking around at all hours, even though there were tons of legitimately sketchy people cruising around who seemed to be sizing everyone up and didn't seem to be heading in any specific direction (reminiscent of the shady guys who walk around during Mardi Gras looking everyone over), even though cab lines and gridlock were forcing everyone to walk more than they expected to walk. Again, this was a free-for-all: Walk around at your own risk. After initial reports that the weekend was relatively quiet, more and more information about shootings, arrests and brawls keeps trickling out. (Check out this story on Channel 8's Web site that carries the headline, "Violence Erupts During All-Star Weekend," or another story on the same Web site about the poor behavior of some of the NBA "fans"). I know for a fact that the Strip was closed twice on Friday night because of shooting incidents (saw it myself), that there was a 20-person brawl outside the Mirage's cab line at 5 a.m. that same night (my friend Marty saw it), that paramedics were covering up something that looked to be a corpse in front of the MGM Grand on Saturday morning (Sully saw it), and that I threw myself into the spirit of the weekend and shot somebody outside of Treasure Island because they were wearing a Yankees cap (fortunately, no witnesses). Who knows what else happened? Was it in Vegas' best interest to report every unflattering crime or brawl that happened? Probably not. Here's the lingering question: Since Vegas' ultimate goal was to win everyone over and prove its worth as an NBA city, and since All-Star Weekend has previously proven itself as a destination spot for every gangbanger and troublemaker within a 750-mile radius, why not import extra policemen and National Guardsmen like New Orleans did before Super Bowl XXXVI, just to make sure everyone felt totally safe? Why would they want visitors saying stuff like "I don't care how long this cab line is, there's no way I'm walking the Strip" and "I wonder if we'll have the biggest riot in the history of sports this weekend?" In my opinion, Vegas dodged a major bullet this weekend. No pun intended. http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/070220 <-- a great article by the way, although a bit on the long side. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Major Harris Posted February 21, 2007 Share Posted February 21, 2007 i guess whitlock has "ethnic hostilities," huh ghost? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thanos Posted February 21, 2007 Share Posted February 21, 2007 This article is bullsh**.Seems that any large scale event with Black participants is labelled thugish.The Super Bowl has drunken crowds.So does Mardi Garas and New Years Eve in NYC.So instead of frat boys downing kegs ,its the hip hop boys sipping Corona's and listening to Lil wayne , it suddenly becomes a problem? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Major Harris Posted February 21, 2007 Share Posted February 21, 2007 This article is bullsh**.Seems that any large scale event with Black participants is labelled thugish.The Super Bowl has drunken crowds.So does Mardi Garas and New Years Eve in NYC.So instead of frat boys downing kegs ,its the hip hop boys sipping Corona's and listening to Lil wayne , it suddenly becomes a problem? dude, did you read the article? it went far beyond corona's and lil' wayne. this just in: not everyone is a racist! not everything is a racist conspiracy! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drex Posted February 21, 2007 Share Posted February 21, 2007 I think that this article is more of an indicator on the inability of Vegas and it's infrastructure to be the home of a major professional sports franchise than a knock on the culture of the NBA. Regardless of the culture of the fans attending an event in the city: if all of the cops are in the casinos and not outside where a majority of the people are, there is going to be anarchy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Clark Fan Posted February 21, 2007 Share Posted February 21, 2007 I dont get it, whats so cool about being a gangbanger? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ghost of Posted February 21, 2007 Author Share Posted February 21, 2007 I have been saying this on this site for quite some time. And my comments have been met with accusations (though not outright calling me such) that I am racist.Now the league is left with a thug mentality that will keep the majority of America decidedly against the league and what it stands for. My guess is you're talking to me and I have no fear in admitting I was one of those who insinuated race. But you are making a different argument (on some level) than what Whitlock or I would make. You point to players (and I can point to those players having an edge, especially in the 70s.) All those greats got into fights, punched teammates or opponents, bumped refs (didn't Magic bump a ref one time,) tackled Shaq (Barkley) etc. I do agree that there are entourages and players that seem to attract real trouble but I don't know that MJ didn't know a few people (though less thuggish and stupid) that would 'back him up' if need be. Whitlock is talking more about either the fan base or merely those who are DRAWN to the EVENT. Sure, the league has taken some hits but it's also filled with a bunch of choir boys (in some respects.) Think about it. Lebron and Wade and Duncan and Amare and all those guys are not thuggish at all. Nash? lol Boris Diaw? Tony Parker? Even the 'toughs' aren't really that thuggish. What I said in the past stands, except I will withdraw 'racial' tones to it and say instead that it's cultural dissonance (as Ancal once put it.) What Whitlock and others are saying is patently different from the argument you make, other than you could say players are being drawn (and sometimes they are) from the ranks of the 'thugs' and 'gangbangers.' BUT, so are many NFL players. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HOF44 Posted February 21, 2007 Share Posted February 21, 2007 I dont get it, whats so cool about being a gangbanger? Well for one if somebody disrespects you, you can put a cap in their ass. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thanos Posted February 21, 2007 Share Posted February 21, 2007 dude, did you read the article? it went far beyond corona's and lil' wayne.this just in: not everyone is a racist! not everything is a racist conspiracy! Read it and several others like it.Vegas was overwhlemed and did not handle the event well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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