Non-Lady Vol Basketball News 2024-25

#29,001
#29,001
lvocd said:
All I know is this year's tournament, the one without any of the usual/historical and/or expected programs in the final, was the most exciting in memory. Of course I would have been over the moon excited to see Tennessee back in the Final Four, but not having them -- or SC or Stanford or Connecticut -- there seemed, surprisingly, to ADD to the excitement, strangely enough.

While I, as an older person who was brought up to show sportsmanship by being humble in victory and resisting any temptation to taunt an opponent, I have to admit that all the trash talking and taunting and "tik tok video" posturing makes me uncomfortable.

But I am also someone who hopes to never stop learning and growing and expanding my capability to at least attempt to accept other peoples' ideas and notions concerning culturally acceptable ways to show passion in competition.

And right now, after a couple of weeks of observation and that wonderful 20/20 vision hindsight gives, it has become pretty clear to me that much ado is being made about nothing much at all. They're all having fun in the way they know how, and given how effed up the world is right now for these young people mostly BECAUSE people my age have failed the society they are trying to survive in, I am just going to shut the hell up and love these kids as they do what they're gonna do in their youth.

Love 'em all!
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That is a really well thought post.
 
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#29,002
#29,002
lvocd said:
All I know is this year's tournament, the one without any of the usual/historical and/or expected programs in the final, was the most exciting in memory. Of course I would have been over the moon excited to see Tennessee back in the Final Four, but not having them -- or SC or Stanford or Connecticut -- there seemed, surprisingly, to ADD to the excitement, strangely enough.

While I, as an older person who was brought up to show sportsmanship by being humble in victory and resisting any temptation to taunt an opponent, I have to admit that all the trash talking and taunting and "tik tok video" posturing makes me uncomfortable.

But I am also someone who hopes to never stop learning and growing and expanding my capability to at least attempt to accept other peoples' ideas and notions concerning culturally acceptable ways to show passion in competition.

And right now, after a couple of weeks of observation and that wonderful 20/20 vision hindsight gives, it has become pretty clear to me that much ado is being made about nothing much at all. They're all having fun in the way they know how, and given how effed up the world is right now for these young people mostly BECAUSE people my age have failed the society they are trying to survive in, I am just going to shut the hell up and love these kids as they do what they're gonna do in their youth.

Love 'em all!
Click to expand...

Great post lvocd my sentiments as well
 
#29,003
#29,003
I guess I'm looking around and, every day now, seeing so many truly alarming, devastating things going on in this country and all over the world that I've decided to reserve what little emotional rage bandwidth I still have left for those things. The amount of energy being spent on this is insane. I wish some of that national energy could be spent doing something productive. 🥺
 
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#29,004
#29,004
lvocd said:
I guess I'm looking around and, every day now, seeing so many truly alarming, devastating things going on in this country and all over the world that I've decided to reserve what little emotional rage bandwidth I still have left for those things. The amount of energy being spent on this is insane. I wish some of that national energy could be spent doing something productive. 🥺
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Couldn't the same be said for sports in general? Why are we spending so much time, energy, and money on what basically amounts to entertainment?

You know...bread and circuses.
 
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#29,005
#29,005
creekdipper said:
Couldn't the same be said for sports in general? Why are we spending so much time, energy, and money on what basically amounts to entertainment?

You know...bread and circuses.
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Watching and enjoying an exciting sports event is something that, for me, releases the type of endorphins in my system that brings very positive energy in my life.

B!tching and complaining and obsessing over a bunch of kids licking their fingers or pointing to their ring fingers or making the "you can't see me" sign with the hand does nothing positive for me.
 
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#29,006
#29,006
lvocd said:
I guess I'm looking around and, every day now, seeing so many truly alarming, devastating things going on in this country and all over the world that I've decided to reserve what little emotional rage bandwidth I still have left for those things. The amount of energy being spent on this is insane. I wish some of that national energy could be spent doing something productive. 🥺
Click to expand...

It is sort of insane, but it's also what comes with being celebrities and being in spotlights - which is what a lot of these athletes want, and, whether they want it or not, what all successful athletes receive. It's part of achieving the dream. It's just that sometimes they don't want what can come with celebrity. Things like responsibility, or expectations. The game isn't played in a vacuum. They could do that anytime, anywhere. Meet up and the gym and play ball. That's not what this is though.

It's not like I don't get some of the thinking about "you can't tell me what to do." If I made 200 million dollars, I wouldn't want anyone telling me what to do, either.

But the trick here - the real heart of this debate - is the fact this isn't really about the athletes, it's about the society that elevates them. A compelling case could be made that some of the alarming and devastating things that are going on in our country are a reflection of our lack of humility, respect, and to a degree, propriety. Who are our role models? What do we celebrate and applaud? What do we dismiss or ignore? What does it say about us, if a certain action or behavior is okay or not okay? That is where the rubber of the situation meets the road, and where I think the real contentious stuff shows up.

Me personally, I don't feel much rage about this situation. Mostly incredulity that the behavior we've discussed is acceptable in a college game, for reasons I've outlined repeatedly. I've seen a lot of stuff in college basketball, things both exemplary and awful, but I've never seen that. And when the people acting this way are out there supposedly representing schools and communities, wearing their school colors and the names on the jerseys, being rewarded and lauded, in a game that talks incessantly about sportsmanship, well, you know, it doesn't add up.

I'm not foolish enough to think anyone's going to change their mind because of what I just wrote, but that's how I see it. I'm not wasting much energy on it, but it seems like this sort of thing is going to be a part of the game, so it's not going to go away as a topic. Regrettable, to be sure.
 
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#29,010
#29,010
lvocd said:
Watching and enjoying an exciting sports event is something that, for me, releases the type of endorphins in my system that brings very positive energy in my life.

B!tching and complaining and obsessing over a bunch of kids licking their fingers or pointing to their ring fingers or making the "you can't see me" sign with the hand does nothing positive for me.
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I look at it as entertainment, too, although I daresay we regulars invest more emotionally than casual viewers. And it offers a welcome escape from more important real-world problems.

That said, i have found that what entertainers say and do affects my enjoyment of tbe entertainment itself when it crosses certain lines. And it can reach a point at which I don't care to watch or listen to the entertainer because I have a hard time separating the person from the performance.
 
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#29,015
#29,015
Terrells Bay88 said:
Reese and Clark played against each other when Reese played at Maryland. I suspect they have some history.
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My point was that Clark did the can't see me to a long term friend. Not just to put down an opponent. I was merciless playing against friends; much less so with guys I did not know.
 
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