Monday, January 20, 2014

Richard Sherman: Selective Indignation

  The sanctimonious drivel by primarily non-African-American sports pundits ripping Richard Sherman is more onerous than Sherman's rant itself.


Spare me.










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60 comments:

  1. That was a "wanna get away" moment for Erin Andrews!

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  2. And the race baiting in this blog tops both.....

    Sherman's remarks limit his endorsement deals to hemorrhoid creams...the treatment of troublesome a holes.

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  3. A friend tells me Sherman was a communications major at Stanford...must make them proud...

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    1. Very good post 2:01pm. A bases loaded double.

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  4. He's black and he got loud. According to the nowhites, he is officially a monkey. He wasn't profane or vulgar, just mad as heck. White peope are terrified by an angry black man even from the safety of their living rooms. I didn't make this about race, the bigots all over the internet did. I'm just making an observation of someone else's intolerance.

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    1. You're over thinking things buddy.

      He's an idiot with crummy manners, no more, no less.

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    2. I'll make an observation too, then. The funniest one I read was "what is he chimping on about?" Never heard that before. It made me laugh. Great way to race bait there 3:06...you must be a Democrat.

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  5. Sherman was over the top ridiculous, but c'mon folks, the sky is not falling, now is it?
    The guy was just having fun, riding the Bragadocio Choo-Choo Train. He reminded me of watching Big Time Wrestling fro Windsor Ontario, years ago when I lived in Detroit. The girl announcer handled it fine, although she was probably ordered to close the interview because the producer expected Sherman to drop a couple F-Bombs any second. Take a Chill Pill guys, in fact, you should take 3. One pill makes you larger, other makes you small, and another doesn't do much of anything at all, Go Ask Erin, I think She''ll Know!

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  6. I'm actually not that bugged by Sherman's goofy rant. But if it had angered me at all, I am more bugged that some people would accuse me of racism because I was critical of a ballplayer's post-game comportment. Again, his rant was no big deal to me, but any insistence that all non-African-American critics in this situation are de facto racists is intellectually and ethically shallow.

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    1. They're just the brainwashed masses playing a page out of the "how to be a Democrat" handbook.

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  7. The only thing more ONEROUS than Sherman's rant is Lieberman's ridiculous suggestion that the overwhelming disapproval is motivated by racism.

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  8. Rich, why do need to do this so often? Implying racism, especially when there is no reason to do so, is every bit as offensive as saying something racist. What exactly do you feel like you are accomplishing with this?

    Sherman is a butthole and if someone wants to say so, that's OK. Relax

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    1. if it doesn't apply to yourself, then you shouldn't be offended, but it's ignorance to say that there is no reason to imply racism. I have read comments on blogs where the words " monkey, gorilla, and ape "were used to refer to Richard Sherman.
      Ohh I forgot.. the n word was used numerous times, so again if you didn't use those words pretend your in school and the teacher has admonished some students over bad behavior but it doesn't apply to you.

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  9. Richard Sherman is a thug. There is no selective indignation in noting that he behaved like a maniac when he should have been gracious.

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    1. OK, Randy, here's one:

      http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/thug

      ": a brutal ruffian or assassin"

      I'd say Sherman's actions were those of a ruffian if not an assassin. I don't buy the attempt of some to redefine "thug" as a racial term. It isn't.

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    2. In this context it always is used to admonish a young black male. Did you look up the word ruffian?

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    3. Joe, you can play your schoolboy sophistry somewhere else. You're just trying to misuse some semantic angle to say that people calling Richard Sherman a thug is racist, so you can fit into the current race card playing mindset. If someone behaves like a thug, they're a thug, no matter their color, and people shouldn't have the chilling effect of the race card hanging over them if they use an applicable term.

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    4. What is behaving like a thug? You never explained .this is a man who called out his own fans for throwing popcorn at Navorro Bowman There 's no semantic angle to played and I do agree that black people use the racism angle too often, but it just goes to show that if you participate in enslaving a people and creating unjust laws for over 400 yrs , there is bound to be a backlash.
      I would get my own house in order 2:48 first .

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    5. Thug is NOT a racial term. It is used for bad guys of all races. We watched a Bruce Lee movie last night, and the term "thug" was used for the bad guys. The term is used for many races, I've seen it used for Italian mobsters, for bandits in Kurosawa movies, and on and on. Sherman acted like a thug in that clip.

      To NOT call him one just because he happens to be black would be racist. If we have to single someone out and how we treat them because of their skin color, THAT is racist.

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  10. Richard Sherman demonstrated disrespect for his opponents and his sport. Rather than acknowledge and celebrate a spirited and memorable game -- and allow football fans to enjoy and share in his victorious elation, this Stanford grad (in Communications, no less!) chose to reveal himself to be consumed by the very lowest of competitive motivations. Perhaps they should install fire hydrants in the end zones.

    But let's not pretend Sherman doesn't have company. Trash talk and trash behavior is on the rise in the NFL, and Colin Kaepernick (with his moronic bicep kiss) is no stranger to the heap. Of course, every rise in despicable behavior by African-American (athletes or not) is always accompanied by a rise in the number of white excuse-makers (who are more deceptive with their verbiage than Frank Gore is with his legs).

    I now understand the deafening roar of the 12th Man… it spares Seattle fans from having to listen to this idiot.

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  11. Playing the Race Card, you're such a"Putz"

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  12. Since most people who read this blog haven't played competitive sports, they don't understand that emotions are raw immediately after a game. Players are so emotionally revved up that they aren't in a position to control their feelings when some talking head places a microphone in their face.

    That's why teams have a 10-minute cooling off period after games.

    While Sherman's comments were a bad decision, blame the NFL and the networks for having that on-field reporter and the postgame silliness. But you know Fox was having a hard on when Sherman spilled his guts. Great TV. It compliments the endless and shameless programming promotions that were going on the whole damn game. I'm surprised Fox didn't have their stars strategically placed in the stands for the cameras.

    You can hate Sherman for what he said. But it's not all his fault. He has a right to hate an opponent the way he did with Crabtree. But that's stuff to be kept in the locker room before media access.

    Alas, only people who've played competitive sports can understand that.

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    1. So I can only assume that Peyton Manning's graciously humble post game remarks immediately following the game on CBS prove he's not a competitive person?

      Granted, I never won an Olympic gold medal like you, but I think foolish comments from many athletes correlate more to low wonderlic scores and inflated egos rather than JUST adrenaline. (TO, Mike Irvin, Ricky Henderson, John Rocker)

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    2. No Manning is respectful and is a very thoughtful person who's been in the league for nearly two decades. He knows what it is. And I thought you're a gold medal winner too --- in the jerk competition.

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    3. Having once scored 4 touchdowns in a single game back in high school, I can say I never really lost my cool. Married wrong? Yes. Cool? No.

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  13. As a long-time fan of the San Diego Chargers....I would LOVE to have 55 Richard Shermans on MY team! The dude has ego, attitude, and ability--unlike MOST pansy-waist players on the Bolts.

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    1. And Sherman is a SoCal guy, too!

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  14. All Richard Sherman needed was his US Wrestling Championship belt to thrust into the air and taunt the crowd with "I have the belt!"

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  15. Sherman is big, dark, has that scary hair, and he got LOUD causing white folks to get a case of the vapors. Much of the commentary has been straight up racist, not unlike the racist commentary over at deadline.com because Kevin Hart's movie is a big hit and the number one box office for the weekend. Any time anything about black people comes up, the trolls swarm all over it. And don't even get started on Latinos who are all viewed as Mexican and undocumented. Then we are accused of being racist for daring to challenge this demeaning behavior. That's exactly the meaninng of the reference by black people to plantation attitudes. Stewart melted down for whatever reason, damned if I care why, but it had nothing to do with how he looks or his race. Not only that, he has an ivy league education and some folks just can't stand the idea of it. I don't recall McEnroe being called ignorant trailer trash for his ridiculous antics on the court. He caught flack but not because of his race.

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    1. Your comment ("causing white folks to get a case of the vapors") is as racist as anything you perceive (mistakenly) to be directed at the thug Sherman.

      And again, thug is NOT a racial term, no matter how many leftist race carders wish to redefine it as such.

      You do seem suited for doing PR work for Sharpton or J. Jackson, might want to give them a call...

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    2. Anon@9:36
      1) You say Sherman caused "white folks to get a case of the vapors." Unfortunate that you are making a ridiculous generalization about "white folks", but unquestionably people of all races and persuasions were stunned by Sherman's crazy scarey tirade.

      2) "Stewart" melted down for whatever reason. You mean Sherman? Who is Stewart?

      3) Stewart/Sherman does not have an Ivy league education. Sherman went to Stanford which is not an ivy league school. Suggesting that "folks just can't stand the idea that" Sherman went to an elite university, is idiotic.

      4) In his day, white guy John McEnroe was widely ridiculed for being a total jack ass just like Richard Sherman has attracted a deluge of well-deserved ridicule for exploding like a mad man on national TV just moments after winning a championship.

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    3. Thug is a racist dog whistle just like "welfare queen" and "urban" anything. McEnroe was never called white trash or a monkey. This is all about race. You can't stand that black people won't shut up and let you say whatever you wish without rebuttal. Whether or not Stanford is ivy league or pac 10, a lot of the commentary is STILL racist. When you have no argument, go after typos, syntax and faux pas.

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    4. "You can't stand that black people won't shut up and let you say whatever you wish without rebuttal."

      HUH?

      I can't really recall what specifically McEnroe was called but I do know he received widespread criticism for acting like a jackass. Sherman acted like a world class jackass in that interview; that's what people reacted too, not his skin color.

      I wasn't t going after syntax and typos, I was going after facts. Apparently you didn't and still don't know that Ivy League is a general reference to eight colleges in the northeast United States more so than a football conference and that Stanford is not in that group.

      Any white player who acted like Sherman did during the interview would have received the same scorn that he did. Obviously you enjoy blaming it on racism.

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    5. 12:36: Now you are simply trolling. McEnroe was never called out because of his race. You refuse to acknowledge the racist commentary directed at Sherman because apparently it doesn't bother you. Look up ivy league and pac 10. Bye.

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    6. @1:33 or is it Stan,
      McEnroe was never "called out" because of his race, he was "called out" because he was a jerk. Likewise, Sherman was called out for being an enormous jackass, which he was.

      If it makes you feel better to claim that Sherman was "called out because of his race" feel free. If you think Sherman's behavior was normal and acceptable than you're standards are different than just about everyone else who's seen Sherman's meltdown.

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    7. 3:02: You continue to miss the point. The issue isn't whether the behavior was good or bad. The issue is the insistence that the behavior is linked to his race and therefore unacceptable. You will never get it because for you, loud, scary, black man is just wrong.

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  16. Richard Sherman was coached by Jim Harbaugh at Stanford. Draw your own conclusions as to where and how he learned the graces of winning and losing. IMO, those who inject race into an issue such as this are the racists. One must ask, if Richard Sherman was white, would the matter of his race have been interjected into the debate over his outburst?

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    1. Anon at 7:57, you prove Richs' point precisely. Think about it, would the media talking heads be up in arms if Wes Welker or Julius Edleman or Jeremey Shockey were talking smack? Did you hear the crap that came out of Ryan Tannehill's mouth during the Ingonito/Martin story? None of those guys were taken to task. I remember Joe Buck chastising Randy Moss during a broadcast when Moss pantomimed pulling down his pants and wiggles his ass at the packer fans in the stands after he caught a touchdown. Buck called it "disgusting and vile"......really? Wasn't it just showmanship and taunting and fun? For a no talent hack like Joe Buck to call out Moss when he is announcing on a network that had reality shows like Wife Swap and other dreck, it shows how ingrained the hypocrisy lies.

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    2. anon @10:40, if Sherman was just talking smack there wouldn't be so much reaction. Sherman wasn't "just talking smack" he was freaking out. If Welker or Edelman did the same thing it would have elicited the same response.

      Randy Moss pantomimed wiping his ass on the goal post. It was disgusting. Maybe Buck could have been more restrained in his comments but any player doing the same thing would likely draw well-deserved criticism.

      You're not doing yourself any favors claiming racism in situations where it's not the real problem. Like the boy who cries wolf, others will stop paying attention and fail to respond to legitimate instances of racism when they arise.

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    3. Moss pantomimed pulling his pants down...not wiping his ass....
      Geez, those double shifts at oil changers in the Central Valley must really be getting you down.

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  17. I see no problem with it.
    The guy just led his team to the Super Bowl. Andrews is the one who sought him out in the middle of an emotional moment, not the other way around.
    Outside of Namath hitting on Suzie Kolber, this is the only time a sideline reporter got something that anyone is talking about.
    More power to him.

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    1. Players in all sports routinely give television interviews to sideline reporters immediately after a game. This is the first time I am aware of that a player went berserk during such an interview.

      Blaming this on the reporter is idiotic.

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    2. Exactly. He was whooping it up with his teammates when she interrupted---he just continued his celebration (talking shit more or less).
      They knew at that time and under those circumstances that they'd get an adrenaline rushed Richard Sherman, who is a great interview.

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  18. This ridiculous argument about those who are criticizing Sherman being racist is absurd. Did anyone happen to read the comments from some of the Niners African American players about Richard Sherman's comments? The critique over his remarks came from all corners; black and white. I understand the raw emotions of an athlete just after the 'heat of battle,' but these guys are also paid professionals, not some punks off the street. If Sherman had been white and had said those things, everyone would still be criticizing him. Race has ZERO to do with Sherman's remarks. There is plenty of racism in other quarters of this society, but this race-card argument is specious to say the least.

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  19. Calling someone a low class disrespectful slob is not a racist statement

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    1. Calling someone a gorilla and ape is though. Fact.

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    2. Joe, you're seeing things. Where did 10:29 call Sherman any of the terms you used in your 12:21 post here? Or are the words you used your repressed, subconscious thoughts about Sherman?

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    3. http://www.theroot.com/articles/culture/2014/01/seahawks_richard_sherman_is_not_a_thug_stop_calling_him_one.html

      White people need to spend some time in the mainstream black blogosphere to get a taste of the repugnant white racism that gets dumped there daily. The above link gives a different perspective which many here will reject. Sherman is only called a n***er once in the comments. Nobody here called him that awful name but "thug" is a suitable dog whistle substitute.

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    4. 2:56 Where in my reply did I state that 10:29 called Sherman " any of those terms"? I read blogs, like Deadspin ,and they reprinted comments from ignorant twitter users with those exact words!
      Sorry but I research before I comment and again(boy how many times do I have to say this) if you didn't use such language don't be upset.

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  20. I would say that Sherman was caught up in the moment, the game and the camera. We all have said things that we want to or wish we could take back.

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    1. Apparently you can't differentiate between saying something you later regret and acting like a madman on national TV. Sherman's emotions were genuine and unfortunately for him revealed a great deal about the person he is.

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  21. Thanks Erin, I feel really good about helping my team win, but don't forget about my teammate Malcolm Smith. If he hadn't been hustling trailing the play, he wouldn't have been able to make the interception to help us win. The Niners would have had a couple more shots at the end zone and who knows what could have happened against a good team like that.

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  22. One thing that I have not seen noted in any of these comments is that Erin Andrews was quoted in USA Today as saying that she was not at all upset with Sherman's actions. In fact, she said that it was nice to see genuine emotion rather than the watered down comments most athletes give in these after game interviews. She said that when he saw her approaching to get the interview he ran over to her and gave her a big bear hug. She hopes to do an interview with him sometime before the Super Bowl.

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    1. A little denial, perhaps. Based on her facial expressions and changes in her voice, she seemed somewhat upset during that interview.

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  23. Well, duh. Erin Andrews' name is in print all over, including here. Her interview is viral and has been replayed a few zillion times. Who is the big winner here (besides the Seahawks)? Erin Andrews. Second place goes to Richard Sherman, who regardless, gets to play in the Superbowl.

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  24. "Joe, you can play your schoolboy sophistry somewhere else...If someone behaves like a thug, they're a thug, no matter their color, and people shouldn't have the chilling effect of the race card hanging over them if they use an applicable term. "


    Richard Sherman is an obnoxious, condescending loud-mouth but nothing in his irksome post-game rant typified the actions of a "thug." If condescension and overall obnoxiousness qualify one as a "thug," you certainly fit the description yourself.

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  25. http://www.cnn.com/video/standard.html?/video/sports/2014/01/22/pmt-rachel-nichols-richard-sherman-interview.cnn&video_referrer=

    Pay attention to 3:10 in the video. Note the screenshots of real comments and the "monkey" references. Note his comments at the end. This is a thug? Don't tell me this is not racial.

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  26. Perhaps Richard Sherman was simply trying to impress Erin Andrews so he could go party with her after the game. After all, she is a hottie and what guy WOULDN'T try to secure a date with her?

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