Stephen Jackson is Underappreciated as a Person
by Rocky63215 on Nov 23, 2009 8:33 PM PST
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Stephen Jackson constantly gets negative feedback from the media. Is it deserved after making two mistakes? No, it's not, but unfortunately, the media thrives on being negative instead of looking at the positive side of someone or only show one side of the story.
Two events changed Jackson's career: going into the crowd and punching a fan during the melee at the Palace of Auburn Hills and firing a gun up in the air outside a strip club.
The first event was Jackson protecting his teammate, Ron Artest. No one can say how they would react in the situation that occurred during the fight, whether it would be to fight or try to get out of the situation. Of course, there was the adrenaline rush that goes along with the situation.
Read the short story "Greasy Lake" by T. Coraghessan Boyle. When the main character and his friends are put into a situation like that, they do something that they wouldn't even consider doing if it wasn't for an event that happened with the same fight-or-flight response.
Does it make Jackson's actions right? No. Would he go into a crowd to protect a teammate if he felt like he was in danger? Of course he would.
The second event—shooting the gun in the air—garnered even more negative criticism of Jackson. In fact, because of it, he was suspended for the first seven games last season for the Warriors, who struggled without him on the court, and the Warriors went 1-6 during the time Jackson was out.
Yet, even though the gun incident happened, Jackson was only doing it to protect himself. He is very lucky to be alive after the event because someone was trying to run him down. In fact, he did get hit by that car, and how can anyone blame him for trying to protect himself from someone trying to run him over?
Nope, there's absolutely no way to blame Jackson for that.
Jackson is known as well for his passionate play. He plays the game hard, and he's turned into a very solid player. He plays with a lot of heart and that gets him into trouble because he will wear his emotions on his sleeve if he feels like a call was missed.
That gets him into trouble with refs because he does manage to get a lot of technicals, but he's gotten better at not letting the refs get to him. Although, there will be times when he will get ejected, but I would rather have a player like that then a player who shows absolutely no emotion.
Since the media likes the negative stories, where were they when Jackson was serving his seven-game suspension and donating him time to the Oakland community? The answer there weren't any articles written about it? What about Jackson over the summer donating his time and money to the Show Me Campaign.
In the article "Jackson To Fight Poverty Globally" by Geoff Lepper, Jackson is quoted as saying ""I know that we have nothing to complain about, considering what they're dealing with out there," Jackson said. "(Jeffrey Sachs' book, The End of Poverty: Economic Possibilities for Our Time) really opened my eyes to how unfortunate these people are. I want to be involved in it. When John Legend came around and gave me the opportunity, I just jumped on it."
When Jackson was a teammate of Tim Duncan, Tim described Jackson as being the "ultimate teammate."
Marcus Thompson of the Contra Costa Times is quoted as saying, "He takes the younger players under his wing, taking them shopping, dispensing advice, lending an ear. What’s more, he does the little things that are unbecoming of a millionaire thug. He looks people in the eye when they talk to him, as if he cares about what they’re saying. He frequently doles out handshakes, half-hugs, he returns phone calls. He mends fences, lifts spirits, and makes others feel special."
Gwen Knapp of the San Francisco Chronicle had this to say about Jackson, "He couldn't have been more charming or more engaged, the perfect face of the franchise."
Even Donnie Walsh, the man solely responsible for the trade of Jackson to Golden State, has stated, "I love Jack to death. He's emotional and he's going to get technicals. But that's just part of the package. He's a great team guy."
When Matt Barnes's mother was dying of cancer, Jackson offered to delay his return from suspension to be there for Barnes in case he needed support. Even when Barnes was not with the team, Jackson wrote Barnes's No. 22 on his headband.
Jackson also set up an event with Southwest Airlines in his hometown of Port Arthur, TX for elementary schoolers with an essay contest, which would allow 10 students to meet Jackson and as well see the following nights game.
In Oct. 8's preseason game, Jackson really wanted to post up Rudy Fernandez of the Portland Trail Blazers, but Fernandez made a great play and knocked the ball away. Since I'm in Portland, it was the Blazers announcers calling the game.
So, when Fernandez went down with the sprained ankle, the two announcers Mike Rice and Mike Barett were going over who was helping Fernandez off the court. They announced the trainer for the Blazers and another blazer were helping him off the court, but the actual person who helped get Fernandez off the court was Stephen Jackson, who had helped him up so he could stand with the help of the two Blazers personnel.
So, did the Blazers announcers even mention it? No.
It's time for the media to stop judging Jackson by the two mistakes he made in the past. Everyone makes mistakes; would you want to be judged by your mistakes? Or would you rather be judged by the good deeds you have done? Jackson has grown, and he's a great person. It's time for the media to start appreciating him as a person and not from those two events.
The article itself was written before the start of last season. So, it didn't take into the account of what happened with him and Don Nelson or his request to be traded.
After the trade to Charlotte it's clear that it was time for Jackson to move on from Golden State. Does that make him a bad person? No. Again he made mistakes and part of that is what Warriors fans have known from the start he's an emotional person.
I would also like to point out that even though Jackson he did have some strong games for the Warriors before he was traded especially the 15 assist game he had. I just think that again the media is portraying Jackson in a negative light because it's just something that's easy to do.
This FanPost is a submission from a member of the mighty Golden State of Mind community. While we're all here to throw up that W, these words do not necessarily reflect the views of the GSoM Crew. Still, chances are the preceding post is Unstoppable Baby!
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Jackson isn't a bad person.
Basketball is a business. There is no “good” or “bad” because of what you do in basketball. Just because Bowen plays dirty defense doesn’t make him a bad person. Jackson’s action was despicable because he didn’t honor the terms of his contract(extension), but that doesn’t mean he’s a bad person morally.
And no he is not unappreciated. His community work was very much honored by the Bay Area. Didn’t we even have Stephen Jackson day or something last year? He won some Cohan award too. The Warriors very much tried to turn his image around just like Rowell said. The Warriors made him captain and gave him the opportunity to do the things he did. Rowell clearly liked Jackson very much. If you read any of the articles where Rowell was talking about Jackson you’d have seen as much too.
In terms of basketball yes I hate the guy now. Because of what he said and his huge ego.
He is definitely underappreciated. I can’t back it up with anything tangible, so you can deny it, but the dominant image of Jackson around the nation is not the guy who did community work in the Bay Area. It’s the “thug” in Auburn Hills and outside the club.
Well it was getting better
till he acted like a diva.
most people who do good work in the community don’t find themselves in situations where they’re “forced” to fire a gun outside of club as they are about to be run down by a car. I think Jackson is probably a pretty decent human being, but lets not get carried away with this, he’s no saint.
Thing A
by sam23 on Nov 24, 2009 1:37 AM PST up reply actions 1 recs
Spot on Sam...
I actually said many times last year how much I respected Jackson for his work in the community. He struck me as a genuinely nice bloke deep down that obviously cared about kids and did what he could for them. That got a huge amount of respect from me and I truly felt that maybe he had turned a corner in his life….
But….His whole handling of this situation with his contract and then once he got it, to then basically say… “No championship team is going to pay me what I think I am worth, so I’ll get a team that thinks I am with them longterm to pay me….then I’ll become such a pain in the backside to them, that they may trade me for not very much and hopefully a championship team will pick me up for cheap as someone else is paying the bill!?”
Now I am not saying that’s what he actually thought, but it is certainly how he has come across, which is not only disrespectful to the club and owner, but mre importantly the fans he really took him as one of their own…
He made a bad choice in how he chose to behave…
GSOM Blog Beast!
by BritWarriorGSW on Nov 24, 2009 2:02 AM PST up reply actions
He is no saint. But I never said the media should be portraying him as a saint. The problem is he is not even portrayed as a decent human being.
You're right antyime Jackson is in the news it's
Going to be something bad that he did. All that NBA fans will see is the negatives of Jackson.
I dont think thats true. They dont ignore his problems but the media rarely ignores the problems of anyone even slightly famous, do they? I think you guys are being a little too sensitive about this. He’s done more than his share of nice community and charity work but he’s also had more than his share of troubling incidents.
Thing A
Where’s the logic in that?
the media rarely ignores the problems of anyone even slightly famous
Did I ever say a lot of famous people weren’t underappreciated as people? I think it varies a little through what they are covering, but the media picks villains and heroes. The villains get underappreciated, the heroes get overappreciated. Stephen Jackson, Britney Spears, though they are lauded for their on field/stage accomplishments, their personal life is covered in a way so you are led to believe they are not decent human beings, they are “trailer trash” or “thugs”.
As far as I know, Jackson has had one troubling incident, and that was the gun incident. I have already explained that I do not feel the Detroit fight was troubling. So how has he had “more than his share” (unless that is how you were referring to those two incidents)?
And even going by what you are writing, if he has done more than his share of both, how come people around the nation only know about the shooting, fighting Stephen Jackson? Because it happens to other celebrities? Is that really a justification for why it is okay though?
Just because the media does it to other people doesn’t make it untrue. That is a strange argument to me, though maybe I am misunderstanding.
It’s like Supafishal wrote
The media and society tend to want to paint people into boxes (you’re either Stephon Marbury or Tim Duncan, no room for a grey area).
Did I ever say a lot of famous people weren’t underappreciated as people
No, but I’m just saying Jackson is no different than any other athlete or famous person. Its not particularly unusual for a famous person who was involved in two separate cases of fairly extreme violence to have a bit of a media reputation. If we can agree that the way Jackson is treated by the media is not unusual then the issue is really just about how the media portray, and how the general population views/consumes, famous people. Thats an issue that certainly merits considerable debate, but lets not isolate Stephen Jackson as though he’s being picked on more unfairly than anyone else.
As far as I know, Jackson has had one troubling incident, and that was the gun incident. I have already explained that I do not feel the Detroit fight was troubling. So how has he had "more than his share" (unless that is how you were referring to those two incidents)?
I would say that anyone who has fired a gun in the air to avoid being run down by a car is someone who has “had more than their share” of social incidents. Tack on his involvement as a key figure in the biggest sports brawl of the past couple decades and I think my statement was more than fair.
Its fine that you don’t think the Detroit incident was troubling. I think the behavior of most of the fans involved was disgusting, and I would never describe myself as a pacifist who thinks there is never any justification for physical violence. But most of the country, myself included, thinks the fans’ behavior did not justify Jackson, Artest and co. losing their minds and violently attacking people. I think Jackson’s behavior is explainable in both incidents, but that doesn’t make it excusable.
And even going by what you are writing, if he has done more than his share of both, how come people around the nation only know about the shooting, fighting Stephen Jackson? Because it happens to other celebrities? Is that really a justification for why it is okay though?
Come on, man. This is really not hard to figure out. Stories about giant basketball players pounding on fans and rich people firing guns late at night outside of strip clubs as they are about to be run over make for great entertainment. We are consumers. The media are simply producers. Besides, do any GSoMers really not know that Jackson was pretty active in the community? I feel like his “turnaround” after coming to golden state was actually very well documented. Sure his community efforts didn’t receive the national attention that the other two stories got, but again youre addressing an issue with the media in general, not just the way the media portrays Stephen Jackson.
Thing A
That is my problem. Stephen Jackson is just a pawn in the larger scheme of things as far as I’m concerned. I don’t think he is necessarily treated worse, but I have a problem with the heroes-villains binary and he is a good example of it. I know no person who is perfect, and no person who is irredeemably bad. I cannot see athletes being very different, but sometimes the media makes them out to be a different species or something.
And I agree, I don’t excuse Jackson for what he did either, maybe I’ve been writing like I do, my main problem is not that the media doesn’t excuse Jackson, it is that they don’t explain Jackson. Jackson is not put into context, Jackson is villified for his role in that brawl by people who might have done the same thing. In the nation’s eyes (I believe), there is no difference between what Jackson did and what Artest did, they are both “thugs” and there is no context provided. And in the nation’s eyes the fan is just a regular person because the fan does not need to fit into the binary. I think he made a mistake, I don’t think he deserves the “thug” label.
And what I’ve noticed is only after the media cements someone’s image as a villain will they acknowledge any contrary evidence. That way, the person’s good deeds do not seem natural, and are forgotten quickly. I admit, when I defend people in Jackson’s situation I may conflate excusing and explaining, but that is often because I feel they often believe I am excusing it and when defending against those types of accusations it is hard to keep track of what I mean sometimes.
For sure the GSOMers know about the other side of Jackson, but that is local media. National media, which is much more influential, does not recognize his community work unless they are forced to, and they have not been forced to.
I disagree that the media are simply producers (or maybe I don’t, but I’m gonna ramble anyway). The media is run by humans. Humans are biased, no way around that. The media is a filter, screen, window, mirror, platform, and interpreter. They do not simply give the people what they want, they tell the people what they want. So I don’t think wanting the media to be more responsible is unreasonable
Anyway, I forgot if you went to UCLA or USC (I think I remember you saying UCLA), so let’s get it done tonight.
Player wise I'm glad he's gone
We never hated him as a person but a player. Just like we did with Jamal Crawford.
Rookie: "Why did you bench me?"
Nellie: "You're a rookie"
Jamal Crawford was perfect for the Warriors...
the problem is he lacks defense.
He always kept his mouth shut and played 100% though,also he did tons of community work in the short time he was here.
by Cpt. Jack in the Box on Nov 23, 2009 10:19 PM PST up reply actions
Lacks defense? Doesn’t that just back up what you say about being perfect for the warriors? :D
by Badly Browned on Nov 24, 2009 9:05 AM PST up reply actions
haha...
The Warriors has actually improved on the defensive end this year.
by Cpt. Jack in the Box on Nov 24, 2009 11:24 AM PST up reply actions
Jackson gives to charity?
Man, I just don’t care.
Once in a while you get shown the light in the strangest of places if you look at it right.
You have no heart
Even if you hate him, you must at least admit that he wasn’t always “lousy” as you say, at one point he was carrying the team on his back with BD during our only ever playoff run in the last 15 years.
The Warriors aren't playing like the Raiders.
The Raiders are playing like the Warriors.
- Precise Films Productions
You guys do know...
When you make millions, the IRS lets you donate so much (that way you wont have to pay it), and one of them is charity right?
I.E. give to charity or the government takes it.
So yes, not overly impressed.
Know what would impress me about Jackson?
Running back on defense. Not calling every referee in the a “b!tch” when there are 12 year olds 20 feet from him. How about….. not going to as strip club the night before a game and shooting your gat in the air.
Better yet, how about keeping your promises, or … being mature about it when you have to break them.
Underappreciated? This guy should thank every god there is EVERYDAY that he is a multi-millionaire with the attitude and poise (or lack there of) that he has.
No, actually, I don't have to admit that
Jackson has never been an efficient player. He’s always shot too much for how many points her scored. Jackson was NOT carrying the team on his back during our playoff run. He was a role player. (He actually shot the ball less than his career average during that season).
I have no use for Jack because he was a lousy Warrior.
You treat your friends the same way? Judging their worth by their skills?
Standing on the moon
Where talk is cheap and vision true
Standing on the moon
But I would rather be with you
Somewhere in San Francisco
On a back porch in July
Just looking up to heaven
At this crescent in the sky
by Skeptic con Urquell on Nov 23, 2009 11:02 PM PST reply actions
Your entertainment?
I’ll bet that’s how you treat the dude that mows your lawn, the lady that orders your food and the kid that washes your car too.
You’re wrong.
The Warriors aren't playing like the Raiders.
The Raiders are playing like the Warriors.
- Precise Films Productions
Judging their worth by their skills?
Jack isn’t my friend. His relationship to me is more analagous to that of an ex-employee. And if someone who works for me ever treated my company like Jack treated the Warriors, in words and deeds, I would tell him that he was a lousy employee and fire him.
And if that employee told me he wasn’t so bad; that the bar fight he was in the other night, and the arrest warrant for firing a gun shortly afterward, were not reflective of his true character because he tithed his 10% at his church, I’d ask him to imagine how many of his co-workers did even more than that, quietly and privately, and STILL held up their end of our working relationship, and STILL managed to leave their guns at home.
Jacks on-court BB skills, for better and worse, are NOT why he was a lousy Warrior.
Once in a while you get shown the light in the strangest of places if you look at it right.
by fotd on Nov 24, 2009 8:13 AM PST up reply actions 2 recs
“Jacks on-court BB skills, for better and worse, are NOT why he was a lousy Warrior”
I could not disagree more. His on-court behavior (maybe we expand that to mean all his basketball related behavior, including the locker room and practice) was the one and only reason he needed to go.
Sittin in my scraper watchin Oakland goin wild, ta-dow!
It sounds to me like we agree.
I meant that I don’t consider his skills handling, shooting, defending, ball movement, etc,,, to be the main points relevant to this discussion. His behavior, and how it affected his team, is why he had to go.
Once in a while you get shown the light in the strangest of places if you look at it right.
Maybe I misunderstood you slightly. Sorry.
I actually think he did us a favor by acting a fool. Imagine if he had just kept his mouth shut and played his typical ineffcient, turnover-prone, ball-hoggish style for another 3 years? We are much, much better off with him gone.
Sittin in my scraper watchin Oakland goin wild, ta-dow!
We are much, much better off with him gone.
I think you’re right. I hope you’re right.
What is frustrating is that he had/has the BB skills and the potential to be a very effective player – if his ego and mouth didn’t get in the way so much. Jack isn’t a good leader. Unfortunately for us, Rowell paid him to be one. But, on a team with a leader he can respect, Jack could be the defensive minded, pass-first, third option we all were hoping for. He just needs a brain transplant.
Once in a while you get shown the light in the strangest of places if you look at it right.
I actually donated to this charity lol...
But of COURSE Jackson is deserved of the negative feedback from his mistakes. No one else did what he did, he stepped out of line. You can’t break that kind of social-norm and expect everyone to just forget about it. He’s an athlete in the spotlight, and while he may be a good person inside, I think that’s irrelevant of his mistakes. Maybe he should do more publicly to show his good side, like charging into the stands……… to deliver a baby from an expectant mother…. or firing a….. box of AIDS medicine out of a cannon somewhere in suburban Africa…
by HOLDEMUPGoldenStateOfOppression on Nov 23, 2009 11:33 PM PST reply actions
You're nothing special
Just because you donated to a charity, it doesn’t make up for all the sins you’ve commited in your life.
(How did that feel?)
The Warriors aren't playing like the Raiders.
The Raiders are playing like the Warriors.
- Precise Films Productions
He is for sure. Jackson has the back of anyone who he feels has his. When Artest went into the stands, Jackson went with him. Right or wrong, he was there when Artest needed him. I respect that. I don’t want to hear about how it was wrong and all that. Fans hold players to much higher standards than they should. The players are not getting paid to teach children the right way to live. They are getting paid to put a ball in a hoop.
When a fan threw a cup full of beer(? it was some liquid) at Artest, that fan deserves whatever comes to him. I’m not saying I condone Artest’s actions, but the players aren’t animals. You can’t treat them as something different than human when the reality is they are just like some of your friends. The ones who do things you may not agree with but accept because you don’t expect them to be Mother Teresa, you expect them to be themselves. And I do condone Jackson’s actions. If your friend is in a clearly hostile environment where he is being treated as less than human, he clearly feels isolated and against everyone there. A good friend would back him up.
Some of you can tell me how it’s not moral and all that but that’s just what I think. If Jack was a bad guy why would he win NBA community service awards? To see the good in someone you have to understand their context and why they act the way they do. You could see Jackson as violent for getting involved in that brawl, I just consider him a loyal friend who got put in a tough position and supported the person who had his back rather than the people who probably didn’t.
Also, players in general have their humanitarian acts ignored. Which is the ridiculous part. While the media leads the charge on the “why aren’t they role models” bs, they withhold the many stories of NBA players being role model-esque (esque, because no one is perfect).
I think you need to recognise...
There are parents who take their kids/teenagers to ball games so I am sorry but I dont agree at all with you, that a player does not have to be a role model….In my opinion…yes they do.
They offer a chink of light to some kids who may not be academic but can play a great game of ball. I want to see these players inspire these youngsters and yes I also fully agree that once you take the fat man’s cash to be in the spotlight, you are duty bound to modify your behaviour slightly to be accepted by all and not behave like a punk for peers to smile and say..“yeah…he’s gangsta..”
Professional athletes therefore do have some responsibilities.
Now dont misunderstand my own personal feelings on the fan incident… as many know, I am all for people being held to account for their actions and if someone wants to make a bad decision to throw their beer at a player…. I think the player is within his rights to slap a few manners into said fan, who may then not be so stupid in the future. But as long as people think they can hit, throw, punch, kick, spit at someone with no repurcussions and then if there is a nasty response…go running to a police officer like a kid saying “look what that nasty man did to me”…where the officer should be allowed to say “well you shouldnt have been so stupid in the first place….did you think you could get away with your instigating action?”…
Alas, society is not like that now…and a burgler can break into a house and fall through a skylight, land on some knives and then sue the home owner for having knives in a dangerous position… in short…the law has become an a$$! (oh yes..this did happen in the UK and he was awarded 600,000 pounds in damages)
I look forward to the day when “ones actions – have repurcussions that make people think twice about that action in the first place.” Ha…….fat chance… so I cannot give him crap for what happened in the stands.
GSOM Blog Beast!
by BritWarriorGSW on Nov 24, 2009 8:26 AM PST up reply actions
I am sorry but I dont agree at all with you, that a player does not have to be a role model….In my opinion…yes they do.
Stickin up for your friends and what you think is right is a role model I think more kids could use. I’d be glad to have Jax as my friend.
Standing on the moon
Where talk is cheap and vision true
Standing on the moon
But I would rather be with you
Somewhere in San Francisco
On a back porch in July
Just looking up to heaven
At this crescent in the sky
by Skeptic con Urquell on Nov 24, 2009 11:57 AM PST up reply actions
Then people are looking in the wrong places for role models. They never got famous for being an amazing person. They got famous for playing basketball. If you want to emulate their game on the court, that’s fine. But there are plenty of other people out there who chose to be role models. Follow them.
We probably place too much importance on sports. Let’s not punish the athletes for that, we are looking somewhere for a role model where we shouldn’t be.
And that’s not to say there are no role models in the NBA. But even if they act well, the media doesn’t cover those positive actions anyway. The media will emphasize Jackson’s Detroit incident over and over ask what is wrong with today’s society, but they won’t emphasize Foyle and all the great work he’s done over the years. Is that the fault of the players too?
by belilaugh on Nov 24, 2009 12:04 PM PST up reply actions 1 recs
NBA cares.
The NBA emphasizes its altruistic actions enough.
The players shouldn’t get a free pass for their behaviors.
They offer a chink of light to some kids who may not be academic but can play a great game of ball.
This is where it can, and often does, get taken too far. People are not “unacademic”; they’re placed in unacademic situations. Sure, astrophysics isn’t for everyone, but basketball is for even fewer. If anyone is reading the truehoop series on Jennings and the age rule, a lot of the same issues come up. It’s not whether we should force kids into an education, but that learning is something to be forced upon the young at all that’s lamentable. The culture is becoming that of an either-or proposition: either you play basketball, or you learn.
An empty barrel makes the most noise.
I like him as a person
I hate him as a player (recently) and I’m glad he’s gone. BUT I wish him the best.
It’s the whole Stack Jack vs. Stephen Jackson thing. The thing people don’t understand about him is that the guy who brings the gun to the club is the same guy sponsoring the essay contest. In his mind there is no contradiction. I actually happen to agree with him. The media and society tend to want to paint people into boxes (you’re either Stephon Marbury or Tim Duncan, no room for a grey area). But this isn’t the way people are. We all have our angels and demons, and for Jack those good and bad natures coexist in perfect harmony with each other, seriously confusing the narrow-minded masses who want him to be one or the other.
Sittin in my scraper watchin Oakland goin wild, ta-dow!
Good points – being a good person or bad person isn’t a black and white thing with a clear cut dividing line – it’s one big spectrum of gray. Jack definitely does lots of things that are admirable, like his charity work, for instance. I do have the perception that he legitimately cares about giving back tot he community and does more than his part to do it. That said, those two incidents he’s judged by are pretty bad, and you can’t simply ignore them. Going into the stands was wrong, even if there was some justification for it. Now, I fully support Jermaine O’Neal’s right hand to the jaw on that one dude – if he comes down on the court in a brawl situation looking to fight players, he’s fair game, but there’s definitely a line the players can’t cross (and the fans likewise can’t cross, and that one fan Jermaine KO’d did)….and Jack crossed it.
As for the gun situation, that one’s even worse. Maybe Jack got into a situation where he didn’t have any other choice, i wasn’t there, I won’t judge that aspect of it. What I will say is a responsible person who avoids trouble will never end up in a situation where they feel the need to pull out a gun and fire it into the air. Jack was at a strip club late at night, with a gun…and eventually he felt the need to use it. You really think that’s excusable? Hint – if you’re going to a place and you feel the need to bring a gun with you, you should not be going to that place to begin with. Jack was in the wrong in that situation, and deserved his punishment.
In the end, as Supafishal said….we can’t just paint him into a box, though – as a person, he has his good side, and his bad side, and his actions reflect that. Should he get more attention for his charity work so everyone realizes there’s more than just the two bad actions? Sure, it’s fair to say he’s viewed worse than he should be. Anyways, I’m not here to judge him, just to recognize both sides of Cap’n Jack.
by Missing Barry on Nov 24, 2009 8:10 AM PST up reply actions
Point in case would probably have to be Stephon Marbury
http://sportsonmymind.com/2008/12/03/you-dont-know-stephon-marbury/
Get Real
So what, he does charity work? Buys stuff for kids and team mates? Ummm…let see….where I start. He’s an Fing jerk and you all know it. You really think all these pro athletes do stuff out of pure “good will”. Or is it more realistic, the NBA/ their team/ contract/ PR advisor (as in Jacks case after all the BS he’s done) is MAKING them do it? If you really believe the former then you’re very naive.
IMO if you’re a sports star or make a ton of money doing anything, you’re obligated by society to do a certain amount of charity crap. If you really go beyond that like…ummm, Mutombo, Bol, etc., then a post about the goodness of the person is warranted.
He’s an Fing jerk and you all know it.
I really don’t know it? I’m not sure what he’s done that makes him an “Fing jerk”, exactly? As I said, I think what he did at Detroit and with the gun incident were wrong – mistakes on his part – but I’m really just not seeing why I should know he’s a jerk…
by Missing Barry on Nov 24, 2009 1:23 PM PST up reply actions
He’s an Fing jerk and you all know it. You really think all these pro athletes do stuff out of pure "good will".
If you’re claiming that athletes often act in self-interest rather than altruism, then I guess we’re all “Fing jerks.”
IMO if you’re a sports star or make a ton of money doing anything, you’re obligated by society to do a certain amount of charity crap.
Most of us make a ton of money doing what we do. But I guess we have no such “obligation to society” since the athletes should be covering for us?
An empty barrel makes the most noise.
You make a ton of money?
I certainly don’t.
If Jackson was surgeon
He’d tell you that you need surgery just so he could get paid. Wait, he did it for the money so you can’t blame him right? He’s an athelete and they are no longer expected to do business by code of ethics like the rest of society? If a CEO did the same thing with his contract negotiations, etc., No way would it fly.
Hey, Tupac made a nice song about his mom so, he was a saint, right? Or at least not a bad person. I mean, if you consider gang bangers bad people. I mean, they do nice stuff sometime, occasionally, like on christmas maybe.
What about Stephen Jackson’s behavior over the course of his career makes you think he spends even a nanosecond each day caring about what the NBA PR people think? From my perspective his charity work is more genuine given that he is not one of the “NBA Cares” sanctioned stars. He is actually doing it because he wants to.
I’m not defending the guy, saying he isn’t a jerk, or claiming his decisions have in any way been indicative of a sane, even-keel persona, but you have to recognize that the bad does not automatically cast suspicion upon the good.
Sittin in my scraper watchin Oakland goin wild, ta-dow!
If a CEO did the same thing with his contract negotiations, etc., No way would it fly.
I’m just not seeing a valid comparison here at all. The closest comparable situation I can see is negotiating for one job and then leaving it for a better offer after a short while, something that’s not all that uncommon, nor scorned, by society?
by Missing Barry on Nov 24, 2009 1:21 PM PST up reply actions
give me a break
JAX is a good ball player and an average person at best.
He is mandated to do charity work by the league, and although he does seem to go above and beyond, he does not take that same attitude into his personal life.
Have you ever been to a strip club and needed a gun to stop someone from running you over? It usually means you were doing something wrong in the first place.
Have you ever seen JAX rolling around Lake Merrit in his Land Rover muggin people? He looks like he is looking for trouble.
In the malace in the palace he was in the wrong as well. Players do not go into the stands in the NBA period. Ron Artest deserved whatever he got up there since he decided to be a vigilante. Getting hit by a cup of liquid is not worth creating all the trouble that followed.
As a contract negotiator he is a cold mother f’er. He went for his then said F the Warriors. Should we overlook that now? Hell no. He got what he wanted with no regard for anyone else. That should not be celebrated at any time even if it is common in our capitalist society.
Some of you people have been trained to accept negative behavior as acceptable and it is too bad.
not jugding power of the internet
just common sense. why is it so hard for people to apply it?
by warriorsvictim on Nov 25, 2009 10:16 AM PST up reply actions
No breaks bud
you are way out of line, that isn’t even reasonable. I’ve changed my mind an now think SJax is a good person. He should have an advice line or be a counselor.
I also now think that Mike Tyson is “underappreciated as a person”. He loved his pigeons. Madoff wasn’t all bad either come to think of it. His wife loves him, so he must’ve been good to her.
I’m starting to get it. Thanks everyone. Now i feel better about the Money he took us for and the situation he left the Warriors with. Ya, it’s okay. After all, we’re just Warrior fans. We don’t desrve respect from our players.
By screwing the Warriors a lot, Jackson was probably actually trying to help the other 29 teams in the league. And given that a random orphan child somewhere in the world is more likely to be a fan of a team that’s not the Warriors, Jackson was really just trying to help the children. Think of the children, man.
An empty barrel makes the most noise.
I’m not sure where Stephen Jackson negotiating an NBA contract is like Bernie Madoff operating a ~$50B Ponzi scheme….?
by Missing Barry on Nov 24, 2009 6:28 PM PST up reply actions
How can you blame Jackson for getting run over?
Maybe because dude is a 30 year-old man getting into stuff at a strip club. Whenever you put yourself into situations when there is the potential someone could start something with you, eventually culminating in getting run over and having to fire a gun, it’s your fault for being there in the first place.
Thank you for this post
It’s good to see that overtime, all the normal people that casually read this blog but don’t have time to write have started stepping up to the conservative “town-hall” obsessive and loud (and few) GSoM posters that don’t represent that largely progressive population of the SF Bay. It’s about time.
The Warriors aren't playing like the Raiders.
The Raiders are playing like the Warriors.
- Precise Films Productions
Haha
Did you actually have a point, beyond “anyone who agrees with me is progressive and anyone who doesn’t is abnormal, conservative, or obsessive”? If you did I failed to notice it. I suspect the majority of people on this site have views on Stephen Jackson that are pretty complex and nuanced. I can’t tell whether this includes you, since you seem more interested in taking shots at people you don’t know than in making any kind of a coherent point.
I’m sorry that nobody here is very interested in your posts. You sound a little bummed out about it. Perhaps the best way to remedy this situation would be to occasionally post something interesting?
There will be no extra point!
by Sleepy Freud on Nov 27, 2009 8:10 PM PST up reply actions
I’ll bet that’s how you treat the dude that mows your lawn, the lady that orders your food and the kid that washes your car too. You’re wrong.
I think you are jumping on the wrong guy here? AR4 sounds like the good guy in this play?
Standing on the moon
Where talk is cheap and vision true
Standing on the moon
But I would rather be with you
Somewhere in San Francisco
On a back porch in July
Just looking up to heaven
At this crescent in the sky
by Skeptic con Urquell on Nov 27, 2009 8:54 PM PST up reply actions
Yeah
I try not divide the real world up into “good guys” and “bad guys.” I do, however, make the occasional mental note of which GSoM posters are generally smart, thoughtful, interesting, funny, or otherwise worth reading, and which ones are not. I haven’t paid a lot of attention to this AR4 character, but based on his “work” in this thread, I think it’s pretty clear which group he belongs to.
Don’t worry, Skep: you get your own special category… ;-)
There will be no extra point!
by Sleepy Freud on Nov 27, 2009 9:11 PM PST up reply actions
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