Warning: Political Takes Bucks and Magic boycott NBA playoff game

[QueenCityGator]

It only becomes an echo chamber when opposition refuses to speak.
Don't refuse to speak then complain about it being one sided. (General statement not necessarily directed at you)

The problem here is people like Sas had been absolute trolls on this site. People can disagree without being disagreeable

I agree my dissenting voice has never been stifled. I just don’t have the desire to be part of a 1 person vs 100 people debate. Maybe if this board was more balanced then I’d know I’m not the token spokesman responsible for Dems/liberals.

 

[QueenCityGator]

Do you post in the Politics forum?

Hell no
See my recent response

 

[g8tr72]

Hell no
See my recent response

Who cares what the ratio is if you are stedfast in your positions. I'd love to see your responses to some valid questions over there....

 

[JDW]

If Lebron James REALLY cared, he'd quit the NBA now and enter political office to help create the utopia he dreams about.

The goal is Chicago apparently

 

[QueenCityGator]

Who cares what the ratio is if you are stedfast in your positions. I'd love to see your responses to some valid questions over there....

I went down that rabbit hole once with the corona thread many months ago, and that resulted in wasting time and being frustrated beating my head against the wall.
I’ll talk about politics in the context of sports, but talking directly about politics (especially being liberal on a conservative website) is not a good use of my time and energy.

 

[URGatorBait]

Hell no
See my recent response

If your position holds water, then it doesn't matter if it is 1 vs 2 or 1 vs 1,000. In fact, I applaud anyone with a differing view that stands for what they believe....just back it up with fact.

 

[TheDouglas78]

Did both teams boycot or just one?

Wait, you actually like Rocky IV?

Liked Rocky IV, J is the fcking reason I have seen Rocky V... for revenge I got him to watch a much better movie in Dolemite.

 

[Double Gator Dad]

I agree my dissenting voice has never been stifled. I just don’t have the desire to be part of a 1 person vs 100 people debate. Maybe if this board was more balanced then I’d know I’m not the token spokesman responsible for Dems/liberals.

We say the exact same thing about the media
100 to 1 is tough

 

[Double Gator Dad]

If your position holds water, then it doesn't matter if it is 1 vs 2 or 1 vs 1,000. In fact, I applaud anyone with a differing view that stands for what they believe....just back it up with fact.

But it doesn’t hold water

 

[Alumni Guy]

If Lebron James REALLY cared, he'd quit the NBA now and enter political office to help create the utopia he dreams about.

Most of these Players think adding #BLM to a tweet is activism. They are nothing more than millionaire posers

LeBron has actually taken action. He’s built a school and has invested in getting people registered to vote. 98% of these NBAers are posing, LeBron is the 2% who is trying to make change.

LeBron James opens I Promise School in hometown of Akron, Ohio

LeBron James' voting rights group donating $100,000 to pay fines and fees so ex-felons can vote in Florida

 

[JCTow]

So this will be a little melodramatic but I have an announcement to make.

Just as my beloved Miami Heat were showing themselves to be true contenders for the 2020* NBA Championship, our former player LeBron &%$#ing James has ordained that the LA Lakers are going to boycott the remainder of the playoffs over racial injustice. And the LA Clippers have reportedly followed suit.

If this one decision by this one man leads to the cancellation of the playoffs, then as God as my witness -- and this is coming from a basketball fan -- I solemnly swear that I will never, ever again watch that azzhole LeBron James play basketball, unless he is facing the Heat in the playoffs. And if that happens, well...

Let's just say that at that point voodoo will come into play. SERIOUS voodoo.

You actually watch the NBA? Hmm I didn’t know anyone did

 

[Theologator]

By all means, stop everything, quit your jobs, cripple your employers and ruin the lives of all the support staff in your leagues and every associated and affiliated vendor, broadcaster, arena etc. until...what?

Earth to everyone: MURDER HAS BEEN ILLEGAL FOREVER. Laws don’t stop murder. No law, rule, training or policy is going to prevent every police officer from making horrible mistakes or intentionally doing horrible things, then covering them up with the help of their friends. Does that mean it’s ok? Of course not! So what is to be done?

I’m all for holding police accountable and making sure the checks and balances holding them accountable are fair and just. I’m all for continuing to develop community policing and other strategies to make them more effective and to keep them and the people they serve safe. We can and must work continuously toward improvement. Any good cop will agree.

But if you are waiting for perfection, you you have a very naive view of human nature.

And for a good cop to step into danger, potentially mortal danger, as they do every day, they need to know they have their community’s support. Otherwise, how could he/she respond effectively to a domestic dispute where a non-custodial parent is forcibly and illegally taking his children from their mother, knowing he is possibly armed and has a history of violence including against police officers? And you’re not sure how she and/or the other relatives and neighbors will react to your presence. That scenario or similar happens thousands of times every day. And if it goes nuts - shut your world down before you’ve learned the facts and allowed the accountability structure a chance to work? Fine.

 

[JCTow]

Yeah the sound is inherently racist though

Pure gold!!!

 

[URGatorBait]

But it doesn’t hold water

I did say "if"

 

[PCGatorAlum]

I agree my dissenting voice has never been stifled. I just don’t have the desire to be part of a 1 person vs 100 people debate. Maybe if this board was more balanced then I’d know I’m not the token spokesman responsible for Dems/liberals.

You don't need help with good arguments.

 

[oxrageous]

Any of you who believe that our beloved Gators aren't going down this same road are nuts. How many college players are now going to refuse to play? Only takes one group of idiots to start something, and the others follow along with NO end game.

There are no potential solutions to this problem unless we can have honest discussions. And we cannot.

 

[sminings]

Never watching another NBA game. Freaking hypocrites which many in this thread have already pointed out. The cops should walk out on their jobs in protest so we can watch these cities burn to the ground.

 

[oxrageous]

Dissent is what makes America great. If not, then we’d be a one party dictatorship (like China).
Speaking of China, that’s separate and irrelevant to BLM/policing issue.

Not when it comes to the NBA. How can these players possibly have the gall to do ANYTHING involving social justice when they defend and take money from China? When they tell people to STFU about it?

 

[Gator By Marriage]

I agree my dissenting voice has never been stifled. I just don’t have the desire to be part of a 1 person vs 100 people debate. Maybe if this board was more balanced then I’d know I’m not the token spokesman responsible for Dems/liberals.

I hesitated to respond so as to not seem to be one of the 100 vs. 1, but in my time here, I have seen the few left leaning members do one of three things: totally stay out of the PF, stop posting altogether, or be trolls. While no one has any patience for the last group (and I am not going to criticize mgmt. for banning them), the first two groups I find curious. Assuming they enjoy a political discussion, what is their fear? Someone gives them a negative rating? They get called a name? And I for one think the PF would be more interesting if there was more balance. Sadly, the one's who have left never said why.
One of the things I like about this site is Ox's tolerance for differing opinions. I have seen other places where dissent is not tolerated (which as you probably know is why many folks are here). @Towels 'N Sporks those are the true echo chambers. This is merely a de facto one. As politics seems to be seeping into every aspect of life I sometimes wonder if this is our future. No matter the area of interest all internet sites will be left or right sites - whether by design or not.

 

[soflagator]

Any of you who believe that our beloved Gators aren't going down this same road are nuts. How many college players are now going to refuse to play? Only takes one group of idiots to start something, and the others follow along with NO end game.

There are no potential solutions to this problem unless we can have honest discussions. And we cannot.

Your last statement is pretty dead on. As much as I agree that the PF is right leaning, in this case's thread there are several good takes from guys like Crete and G.Gordon stating that the cops mishandled some aspects of the arrest. And I think it's universally agreed that there are some bad apples, and definitely some that don't have the right demeanor for the job. That's a measure of balance and honesty. This guy probably didn't need to be killed. Contrast that with the NBA players, Webber(who was one of my favorites growing up and still seems like a good guy) and the all the talking heads. You really think that no one in the back of their mind is asking, "why don't these guys just cooperate?". Of course they are. Resisting arrest has never been a recipe for anything positive. Nor do they truly believe these career criminals actually "weren't doing nothing". They were being arrested for a reason. Every single black person with a platform should be begging people to simply cooperate with LEO in these situations, and let the struggle take place elsewhere. It would solve the problem and allow a broader "fix" if it's in fact deemed necessary. But they can't speak up with any type of balanced view because they'd be ostracized on social media, called every name under the sun, and lose their jobs. That's the core issue, imo.