One of the major problems with sports writers and with journalism in general, is that the writers want stories. In the eye of the sports reporter, the more controversial the story is, the better it is.
Houston Rockets small forward Ron Artest, though not a perfect angel himself, has been and continues to be somewhat of a victim to this desire to publish the latest trash on anything imaginable and it has taken the admittance of one small market sports reporter to prove this.
On September 17, Sacramento Bee sports reporter and Kings beat writer Sam Amick actually admitted that he missed Artest’s crazy antics because it gave him something to write about.
“As the summer neared an end and the reality sunk in that I won't have the joy of covering Ron Artest in this coming season,” exclaimed Amick, “I began to miss those days when Artest was saying something new and newsworthy almost every day.”
Just after these thoughts, Amick claims to have received an email out-of-the-blue from Artest which contained remarks on Josh Howard’s recent activity.
Howard, the speed racing, starting small forward for the Dallas Mavericks was featured in a cell phone video, at a powder puff charity football game put on by Allen Iverson. In the video, as the Star Spangled Banner is being played, Howard exclaimed that he doesn’t celebrate the song because he’s black.
Mark Cuban, the owner of the Mavericks, responded by saying, “We will be going through some advanced communication-skill sessions together this training camp.” Are you kidding me? An “advanced communication-skill session” with Mark—I’m nuts look at me on the side court yelling at my coach and the referee’s like a crazed lunatic—Cuban? That sounds like a riot.
So Artest emailed Sam Amick in response to the Howard situation. Here’s what he said:
I think Josh Howard's comment is a reflection on education. I think the schools need to teach deeper in the history classes and make the students aware of racism but also teach them that all people are not bad. I can relate to not feeling wanted by my own country at times but as I dug deeper I realized that America is divided and we need leaders to bring America closer together. An example where I felt unwanted by my country was when I didn't get a chance to tryout for my national team. I believed it was because my history.
So Sam Amick got his story. More important was the fact that he was guilty of looking towards Artest for stories while the small forward played for the Kings. I know because I read that garbage for the last two and a half years.
Amick’s desire to expect stories from Artest should be a lesson to Houston Rocket fans and Houston sports writers. Yeah, Artest gets readers, but his antics and the desires to attract readers can be detrimental to the team’s success. I also put Amick in this category.
21 comments Last one added 9 months ago — Leave a Comment
Steven Resnick 9 months ago
I agree with you Shawn. The Sports reporters these days are in constant need of stories and putting negative attitudes towards certain players. Howard is free to have his own opinions and did it come back to bite him? Yes. Is he wrong to say it who knows? But take a look at the history of the star spangled banner and see if there were any African Americans involved in the process? Something I highly doubt happened and most importantly the melody is from a British drinking song.
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J. Michael Morris 9 months ago
Artest is correct, it's simply a lack of adequate history education, which not only inner-city athletes suffer from. Look at Mark Cuban, he doesn't even know that pride and arrogance leads to personal failure.
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yungCaucasoid ... 9 months ago
Josh Howard went to one of the top Academic schools, in Wake Forest, and that is still independent of how his words had nothing to do with anything, except...
His view of the World as an African American, entrenched in a life of Racism, up until he departed home to head for Wake Forest University.
So, I laud Josh Howard.
I laud him for speaking his mind. He didn't let the privilege Life he's lived, cause him to forget where came from, with those Blackfolk:
who Racism has left behind
because they weren't 6-foot-9!
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Gaz V 9 months ago
You can laud Josh Howard all you like, but the central fact remains that he made a comment which alienated many of his fans -- the people who buy tickets to see him play, who watch the commercials played during televised Maverick games and generate advertising revenue for the team, who buy Maverick hats, jerseys, posters and other paraphernalia.
He may be a bright man, but from a marketing perspective this was a stupid decision.
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yungCaucasoid ... 9 months ago
Gaz,
His money is guaranteed. So, I thinks its irrelevant, the degree of his marketing decision. If fans don't want to separate his offcourt Life, from his basketball essence, then shame on them. He's still connected to his subjugated and oppressed People, and only a bunch of pro-Racist Caucsoids will usually be unhappy about that.
As I said;
if those fans you speak of aren't mad at Dirk for *choking away* their first championship in '06, if those same fans aren't mad at John McCain for cooperating with his captors/earning a release, then...they shouldn't be mad at Josh Howard speaking his mind about how The Star Spangled Banner symbolizes Racism's effect on his/his family's lives. Period.
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PJ Edelman 9 months ago
Nice comments yung---Kobe attracts a more loyal fan base than before, and Ray Lewis hasn't lost too many fans. in fact, fans generally rally around a player, as long as he is talented. So Ryan Leaf won't be getting any sympathy cards, but Vick, when he is released, and reinstated into the NFL, will be carried on a silver platter.
The only thing I question is this: Kobe was accused of rape, Lewis of murder, and Vick indicted on dog fighting. But Howard messed with patriotism, which is clearly less of problem, but not to those folks that wrap themselves in red white and blue
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Gaz V 9 months ago
While it's obvious to everyone that the money he earns from his *current* contract is guaranteed, do you really think he has enhanced his future trade or contract renegotiation value with such comments? We'll see about that one.
Right now, though, his comments will inevitably attract some unnecessary, and at times unwelcome, heat from patriotic NBA fans before, during, and after games for at least the first few weeks of the season. Moreover, he will be closely watched during the pre-game performances of the national anthem and in such situations he cannot come out a winner. He will either be respectful and put his hand over his heart (in which case he will be accused by some as being a hypocrite) or he will continue to tie his shoes or whatever as it goes on (in which case he will start a chorus of booing and heckling for not showing 'proper respect'). Either way, it's not a good situation for Josh.
Again, a stupid decision.
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shawn schwaller 9 months ago
I really really like the "pro-Racist Caucsiod" part, but take off the "pro" cause racist is racist...peace out yungCaucasoid
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yungCaucasoid ... 9 months ago
Gaz,
I think PJ and Friedrich (bka, Eddie?) summed up your clownliness, pretty good...I especially liked PJ's reminder that folk will likely rally around Josh...after a series-winning performance, or two...so his fate is in his own hands...oh...and speaking of hands:
Don't forget, before the games, he'll have on the NBA logo and Dallas Mavs logo, meaning...he's expected to conduct himself, accordingly, while handling business for his employer. Thats the big difference that cluelessly-racist types, like you and Brittni, failed to grasp. He wasn't *at work* representing his employer during that flag football game, so he had the right to say whatever he wanted-----with no repercussions to face.
You have been informed. You now have a clue.
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shawn schwaller 9 months ago
Nice...In the words of Borat...I like...
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Gaz V 9 months ago
yungCaucasoid wrote: "He wasn't *at work* representing his employer during that flag football game, so he had the right to say whatever he wanted-----with no repercussions to face."
You still don't get it, although you have a wonderful talent for stating the obvious. Yes, I know he was not wearing a Maverick uniform when he made the comments. Yes, I know that as a grown man with First Amendment rights he can pretty much say whatever he wants to. Were you actually trying to make a point with such blatantly obvious observations or were you simply rambling aimlessly as usual?
What you still don't get or are unwilling to accept is that some fans will give Josh a hard time because of the comments. Moreover, some owners may use this incident (and others from his past) as the basis for offering Josh less money at contract time then they otherwise would. He does NOT enhance the 'family image' of his club, so he holds little 'off-court' value to an organization. It's okay if this is beyond your comprehension. Quite clearly, it's beyond Josh Howard's comprehension too.
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yungCaucasoid ... 9 months ago
shawn,
Big ^^^ Killa...and remember too, *pro-(Racist Caucasoid)* is a box-in term. Sort of like, pro-Racist.
Meaning, it covers those types who swear they are not racist, but *do blatantly support racist views, tendencies, and behaviors* that we read here.
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shawn schwaller 9 months ago
Ok. To me, racist is racist.
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Gaz V 9 months ago
shawn:
You need to keep challenging yungCaucasoid about his faulty grammar and vocabulary. That is the only way he will learn.
He frequently makes such mistakes through his desperate attempts to give the impression that he is highly educated, using fancy-sounding words (often incorrectly) that he may have heard once or twice on NPR or elsewhere. For example, he used to frequently and improperly use the word 'harlequinade' in reference to a person before I corrected him. The good news is that he is a good learner (and now uses 'harlequin' properly), so keep drawing attention to his errors and encouraging him or he will keep writing the same senseless garbage.
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shawn schwaller 9 months ago
Not interested Gaz.
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yungCaucasoid ... 9 months ago
Gaz,
stop lying, liar, I had to teach your *Sgt. Dinglemire Brain* that a harlequinade was a play, a presentation, a script, of *a comedic nature* just like your posts here on this website.
Your problem was, you were too too nimwitted to realize that, while a harlequinade is exactly what I just described... *a harlequin* is a clown. Which, you most definitely are, and so I kept Identifying you as such;
Its not my fault that the contrasting of terms, went too far beyond the cognizances of your feeble brain, when I submitted comments about your harlequinades that you post here.
So, please, go find another login account to create.
I'm sure your limited mental capacity has not run out of options yet, for me, to pound to smitherings with truths. Just like I did *your yungNigg & your yungCaucasoid-imposter* login accounts that you created.
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Gaz V 9 months ago
That's a nice bit of revisionist history there, YC...
You can only "pound to smitherings with truths" if you actually communicate some 'truths' in the first place. Since everything you read and contribute is distorted by your one-eyed racist lens, then you can't claim to tell the 'truth' about anything.
I will give you one thing, though: you are great at making up schoolyard nicknames. "Sgt. Dinglemire", "yungNigg", "harlequinade", "deadweight caucasoid players" are but a few of your better creations. You should take your show on the road... perhaps a recess-time tour of all your local elementary schools. I'm sure you'll find an appreciative audience there.
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Mike Bibby 9 months ago
Haha! I dont think yungcuacsoid knows what a "smithering" is. Check here: http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Smithering
The phrase he wanted was "pound to smithereens". Here: http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/smithereens
Gaz, I think you are right when you say he trying to pretend he's smart.
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yungCaucasoid ... 9 months ago
shawn,
I'm not calling you a pro-Racist in your other article, either. I'm just showing how you could be misconstrued as one, when you post like Gaz or Erick Blasco, which is why you'll read where I said "I am really really really surprised at you" there.
So stay keen. Your cognizances are far beyond Gaz or Erick's, therefore, you definitely don't want to look like you're aligning yourself with those Sgt. Dinglemires.
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yungCaucasoid ... 9 months ago
Mike,
unless you know the motives by which I use, to mock and create *my own terms* for manipulating English terms, then...please remember:
You don't know how to correct me. You don't have what it takes.
So, leave me be, and continue worrying about the next phase for a pro-Racist mindset you'll exude.
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shawn schwaller 9 months ago
Dont know them and dont want to.
So do whatever you want with that. Good Luck!
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