Basketball fandom or mental illness?: A thread

[rambunctiousrowdyram]

I look forward to the day this fanbase rises above trifling drama queen behavior. We're bigger than this, yall.

Bigger than what? This is what happened. No it’s not a good story but unfortunately that year a lot happened. A lot of bad stuff. Hopefully we never go through anything like it again. It was maybe the wildest season drama wise we’ve ever had. Drama affects the team which in turn affects the performances. We went on one of our worst losing streaks in program history due to the drama.

 

[MobileMunchies]

Bigger than what? This is what happened. No it’s not a good story but unfortunately that year a lot happened. A lot of bad stuff. Hopefully we never go through anything like it again. It was maybe the wildest season drama wise we’ve ever had. Drama affects the team which in turn affects the performances. We went on one of our worst losing streaks in program history due to the drama.

Bigger than acting like teenage drama queens. You need someone pointing it out? Look at yall in here trashing a man in his casket. At which point do people stop beating a dead horse and move on from absolute meaningless innuendo and what amounts to nothing but bullcrap? Years later, people still wailing on dead points. There truly is more to life than acting like petty private school gossip hounds. MOVE ON, geez.

 

[rambunctiousrowdyram]

Bigger than acting like teenage drama queens. You need someone pointing it out? Look at yall in here trashing a man in his casket. At which point do people stop beating a dead horse and move on from absolute meaningless innuendo and what amounts to nothing but bullcrap? Years later, people still wailing on dead points. There truly is more to life than acting like petty private school gossip hounds. MOVE ON, geez.

- This happened a couple of years ago
- It was our worst season under Rhoades
-One of our worst losing streaks ever
- It’s maybe the first time we had a mass uprising on our team. Something unheard of here.
- It’s really the first time we had families actively trying to turn players and fans against the coach.
- Nothing that has been said about the deceased that is harsh. It’s completely accurate. He bashed VCU to no end and threatened to bring the house down. No one here has been calling him anything or insulting. They stated facts.
- It was a very dark time at VCU and will likely never be completely forgotten or atleast not after a few years.

If you don’t like the discussion there’s lots of other threads.

 

[Ramdog]

People said the same thing about his teams. Said that he was more of a friend than a coach. It is not true of either one of them but it has been said about both. We have had discipline issues with teams coached by our last 4 coaches that I have been around for and I'm sure every coach before that. Sometimes you just don't hear about it but they do work to correct it.

It a shame that everybody can’t go to a practice it would only take one time and the talk of Mike being to nice or not being demanding would end.

Mike coaches hard

and there is so much more than X and Os when running a program with elite athletes of 20 year olds with different personalities

 

[rammad90]

- This happened a couple of years ago
- It was our worst season under Rhoades
-One of our worst losing streaks ever
- It’s maybe the first time we had a mass uprising on our team. Something unheard of here.
- It’s really the first time we had families actively trying to turn players and fans against the coach.
- Nothing that has been said about the deceased that is harsh. It’s completely accurate. He bashed VCU to no end and threatened to bring the house down. No one here has been calling him anything or insulting. They stated facts.
- It was a very dark time at VCU and will likely never be completely forgotten or atleast not after a few years.

If you don’t like the discussion there’s lots of other threads.

I think MM's point is that its been discussed over and over and over. We know how just about everyone feels about the situation. However, its over and done with and time to move on.

Fwiw that want the darkest time in VCU basketball history and no I wont get into it but those who know, know.

Regardless, its in the past and let's leave it there. Plus other families did the same or similar stuff bet we arent here bashing them years after the fact. Nor should we be.

 

[Ramlove81]

MJ was able to get away with that for the most part, but these days if you don't take a side that is seen by some as taking the other side, or people on each side think you're on the other side because you haven't come out and said which side you're on. There are also more sides to be on these days. Everything becomes a wedge issue and everyone is supposed to have an opinion on it, and with social media you can get those opinions out rapid fire. It's not like we have different members of our program speaking out about different things all the time. They obviously felt strongly about that one and presented a united front. You're not going to make everyone happy these days or ride the fence like you could in the old days.

In the face of injustice, silence is taking a side.
Didn't Martin Luther King Jr. say something like that?

 

[rammad90]

Under normal circumstances, agreed. However seeing that the team made it a cause that they were going to support in public, I think the topic is fair game for here.

I don’t blame the kids one bit for expressing themselves. It was a popular position to take by athletes and teams at the time. At the same time, it was controversial and you better be prepared to take some heat when you jump in as a group representing a larger identity.

Michael Jordan purposely stayed away from controversial issues. Didn’t think it was his place, which made some in the African American community upset with him. At the end of the day, he wanted to be successful in endorsements and business and recognized that taking a side would not be good for business.

Those some in the African American community were like most. We knew Mike was about money and nothing else. We loved his game and still idolize him as a ball player.

But at the end of the day, Black people dont respect Mike. Kareem heck yeah, Magic ok he's cool but Mike well we'd rather not talk about that.

 

[rammad90]

Yes...The team photo was not in support of Lee or the monument, but rather supporting other peaceful protesters relevant to Incidents that occurred between people of color & police..ie George Floyd etc.

Thanks. That makes sense. When I read your post, I thought it staled the he was angry because fans were upset about a team picture with the Monument. That seemed odd thanks for the clarification.

 

[Ramdog]

Bigger than acting like teenage drama queens. You need someone pointing it out? Look at yall in here trashing a man in his casket. At which point do people stop beating a dead horse and move on from absolute meaningless innuendo and what amounts to nothing but bullcrap? Years later, people still wailing on dead points. There truly is more to life than acting like petty private school gossip hounds. MOVE ON, geez.

Richmond has a history of trashing men in their caskets

 

[rammad90]

MJ was able to get away with that for the most part, but these days if you don't take a side that is seen by some as taking the other side, or people on each side think you're on the other side because you haven't come out and said which side you're on. There are also more sides to be on these days. Everything becomes a wedge issue and everyone is supposed to have an opinion on it, and with social media you can get those opinions out rapid fire. It's not like we have different members of our program speaking out about different things all the time. They obviously felt strongly about that one and presented a united front. You're not going to make everyone happy these days or ride the fence like you could in the old days.

Finance, I can tell you that Mike took a side. He chose money over justice for those who look like him and dont have his platform. Lebron is admired because he does stand up dollars be damned. Guess what he has made money.

Mike wouldnt have been so lucky, the media would have destroyed his chances to be a billionaire. See what they did to Kareem. He wanted to be an NBA HC, nope. He wanted to be a college HC, nope. He wanted a larger presence nope, and not many endorsements. Kareem didnt play in the olympics, spoke out about injustice and he paid the price. Mike a southern kid wasnt going through that.

 

[rammad90]

I think the OP was referring to the photos of the team at the Lee statue in the summer of 20, when it was graffitied up and a symbol of the protests…..I believe MBJ felt exactly the same way your acquaintences from Philly do.

There were a scant few people representing themselves as Ram fans and donors who felt the team should not insert themselves into the political narratives and stick to being athletes. I believe both Bones and MBJ expressed frustration and disagreement with those people, mostly in the condescending way in which they communicated @ the players.

Thanks.

 

[rambunctiousrowdyram]

Those some in the African American community were like most. We knew Mike was about money and nothing else. We loved his game and still idolize him as a ball player.

But at the end of the day, Black people dont respect Mike. Kareem heck yeah, Magic ok he's cool but Mike well we'd rather not talk about that.

Tiger Woods took the same approach tbh (Despite his father’s pleas.).

 

[Half-baked Mcbride]

Just to set the record straight

Hello friends. I still keep up with the Rams and read the posts and enjoy reading old friend's comments. Lately I have read some threads concerning Josh Pastner. Some of the posts have been accurate and some have not. I realize Josh will now never be the coach at VCU so this thread will probably...

www.vcuramnation.com

I looked this up because it was way too crazy to believe. Going back into the RamNation vault reminds me that we've always been crazy as heck.

I miss Jackson Ward….their content was one of a kind….kind of the B1tches Brew of RamNation

 

[rammad90]

I believe those were Instagram stories, and I also feel like it has been a bit blown out of proportion. Maybe he did have a bad experience or two in Richmond but I doubt if it was so bad that he felt he needed to get out of town. He is now playing for a coach that coach Rhoades has a pretty good relationship with. I doubt if that would be the case if there were a lot of ill will there. That pretty much just leaves playing time.

This seems more reasonable. People dont like to hear it but being an African American male in Richmond can be tough. However, it is nothing like it was in the 80's.

Regardless, I doubt MBJ left Richmond for that progressive town of Greensboro because he just couldnt take Richmond and its views any. more.
Maybe just maybe basketball had a bit to do with his decisions. I'm just saying.

 

[Sethjax]

This thread is on some crack