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A provocative post by oletimer...
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<blockquote data-quote="Bruce" data-source="post: 73711" data-attributes="member: 196"><p>I think you pose a great question oletimer. I have pondered this strange phenomenon for quite sometime. My best guess is <strong>if</strong> you need heroes you also need antiheros as well – in some dualistic/dichotomous sort of systems view. There are some players that "fans" love-to-love, and some they seem to love-to-hate. In the old days the rival team provided the villains, but in today's culture they are not around frequently enough so folks cannibalize their own team's players to create the necessary foil.</p><p></p><p>I think the thing that disturbs me the most is the inordinate amount of power that is given to hack sportswriters who often play very loose (at best) with facts. Often it seems that they express their biases and agendas in an article and a good number of "fans" follow like sheep. Truth and context become irrelevant once the landslide begins.</p><p></p><p>Look at how often some call Ferguson on punk or a sissy, yet he is one of the toughest guys on the team. He is the best blocking WR on the team, stands out on special teams and has played through injuries (often to his own detriment) when lesser men would have lingered on the training tables and whirlpools collecting a check. </p><p></p><p>Or how they want to blame Carroll for being a raw talented 20 year old that was thrown to the wolves as a rookie – as if it were his fault that Mike McKenzie sold out his team and teammates, or that there was no one on the roster who could beat him out. He made mistakes (lots of them), but what did people expect from a 20 year old playing in a system that can best be described as a clusterfluck without an identity? It did not matter that he progressed significantly last season especially over the last 9 games there are still guys who would like to seem him run out of GB on a rail – even though he is now only 22 years old and loaded with upside potential.</p><p></p><p>Walker was not the brightest bulb on the Christmas tree – but he was a loyal Packer who worked hard and was there for his teammates. When Favre's father died he was there for Brett on and off the field. When Ferguson went down with a potential crippling injury he flew back to Jacksonville with Driver on their own day off at their own expense. When questioned about the receiving corps he always changed the pronoun to <strong>'we'</strong> despite reporters wanting him to talk about <strong>'me'</strong> to stir up controversy. He made a huge mistake getting involved with Rosenhog, but the way the fans turned on him the second Favre threw his two cents into the mix was unbelievable. It was as if he had gone from a favorite cousin or uncle to child-molester overnight. I still read "fans" wishing him career ending injuries and worse when they are not hurling vulgar references to this young man who dared ask for a raise.</p><p></p><p>Mike Sherman is still spoken about by some as if he were the anti-Christ, despite the fact that for whatever shortcomings he may have had he bled green and gold. The guy was a workaholic who did the best he could while inheriting a bad situation -- CAP hell and a team in decline turned into 5 straight winning seasons, 4 playoff seasons, and three straight division titles under him. Yet to hear him spoken about one might think he was tanking games because of a gambling addiction. He didn't hire himself as GM, yet it is treated as if he planned and executed a Coup d'tat against a popularly elected leadership.</p><p></p><p>While I appreciate your thoughtful and provocative post, I can imagine there will be some who will scream in protest over my on the above being thrown out for consideration. I guess Cannibalism isn't restricted to just the players for some fans</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Bruce, post: 73711, member: 196"] I think you pose a great question oletimer. I have pondered this strange phenomenon for quite sometime. My best guess is [b]if[/b] you need heroes you also need antiheros as well – in some dualistic/dichotomous sort of systems view. There are some players that "fans" love-to-love, and some they seem to love-to-hate. In the old days the rival team provided the villains, but in today's culture they are not around frequently enough so folks cannibalize their own team's players to create the necessary foil. I think the thing that disturbs me the most is the inordinate amount of power that is given to hack sportswriters who often play very loose (at best) with facts. Often it seems that they express their biases and agendas in an article and a good number of "fans" follow like sheep. Truth and context become irrelevant once the landslide begins. Look at how often some call Ferguson on punk or a sissy, yet he is one of the toughest guys on the team. He is the best blocking WR on the team, stands out on special teams and has played through injuries (often to his own detriment) when lesser men would have lingered on the training tables and whirlpools collecting a check. Or how they want to blame Carroll for being a raw talented 20 year old that was thrown to the wolves as a rookie – as if it were his fault that Mike McKenzie sold out his team and teammates, or that there was no one on the roster who could beat him out. He made mistakes (lots of them), but what did people expect from a 20 year old playing in a system that can best be described as a clusterfluck without an identity? It did not matter that he progressed significantly last season especially over the last 9 games there are still guys who would like to seem him run out of GB on a rail – even though he is now only 22 years old and loaded with upside potential. Walker was not the brightest bulb on the Christmas tree – but he was a loyal Packer who worked hard and was there for his teammates. When Favre's father died he was there for Brett on and off the field. When Ferguson went down with a potential crippling injury he flew back to Jacksonville with Driver on their own day off at their own expense. When questioned about the receiving corps he always changed the pronoun to [b]'we'[/b] despite reporters wanting him to talk about [b]'me'[/b] to stir up controversy. He made a huge mistake getting involved with Rosenhog, but the way the fans turned on him the second Favre threw his two cents into the mix was unbelievable. It was as if he had gone from a favorite cousin or uncle to child-molester overnight. I still read "fans" wishing him career ending injuries and worse when they are not hurling vulgar references to this young man who dared ask for a raise. Mike Sherman is still spoken about by some as if he were the anti-Christ, despite the fact that for whatever shortcomings he may have had he bled green and gold. The guy was a workaholic who did the best he could while inheriting a bad situation -- CAP hell and a team in decline turned into 5 straight winning seasons, 4 playoff seasons, and three straight division titles under him. Yet to hear him spoken about one might think he was tanking games because of a gambling addiction. He didn't hire himself as GM, yet it is treated as if he planned and executed a Coup d'tat against a popularly elected leadership. While I appreciate your thoughtful and provocative post, I can imagine there will be some who will scream in protest over my on the above being thrown out for consideration. I guess Cannibalism isn't restricted to just the players for some fans [/QUOTE]
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A provocative post by oletimer...
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