Players Mikeal Brown-Jones in the transfer portal

[80sRam]

1. Those 18-24 yr olds are basically the man on campus before they even arrive. On team connections alone they have a massive social circle soon as they arrive. You know you’ll have the hook up everywhere. One of the most fun times of your life and you got it absolutely made. Not only that they don’t have to worry where the next meal comes from, whether they’ll get the class assistance they need, etc. Now they are paid which puts them way ahead of most students who know they’ll leave in major debt vs the athletes who will be well ahead for when they enter the work world or a pros at some level.

2. You are pretending as though other athletes don’t go through this stuff. Some go to college, paid their way through, train on their own, work while doing that, and somehow fit in getting help when they can. They actually have to worry if they can afford certain things like a meal vs school supplies. They might even work around the clock on hardly any sleep between school, work, training, events, etc.

3. Stop assuming what people are doing. There’s people here who I dare say have done somethings much worse than sprints. Ever done a ultra marathon or even a marathon? There’s people here that push themselves day and day out and if they get help they pay alot for it likely.

Jeez how much must it suck to get 24/7/365 assistance in everything for 4 years, get a free education, now get paid, and be a star on campus soon as you step foot on it, and if good enough go pro in the sport they love. At worst they leave with a degree maybe even masters and actually a nice chunk in the bank. How awful.

So what you see is all there is? I envy your ability to read minds and hearts.

 

[rambunctiousrowdyram]

So what you see is all there is? I envy your ability to read minds and hearts.

I think it’s weak we keep cuddling young adults. They are facing the same stresses as adults except they have everything they need paid for, get every kind of assistance they could possibly need 24/7/365 and they are being paid to play for 4 years or how ever many years they choose. Kind of a big difference from their fellow adults who are working to pay for the same thing and face the same stresses with not nearly the same resources and support. College players have it completely made from a financial and social perspective. The players just have to practice hard, play hard, handle their studies, and have a social life.

They don’t face the same stresses as regular students. Students that have to work to just have gas to go home (Especially now!). Students who are working between classes to afford meals and school because their family isn’t covering it. Students who are athletes also but not with the college so all their training is out of their pocket and on their time in between work, school, personal life. Students from out of state/city that have to rebuild their circles without the help of teammates (Not everyone is great at making new friends.). How many freshman suicides do we hear about because new students don’t have that support and people around them? We had atleast a few my freshman year. Students have to find a way to get tutoring when school tutors allows (Players have a tutor to help whenever.). Students know likely they are leaving with major debt and uncertain job market. Players leave with no debt and likely a nice chunk of change now along with job hook ups from their playing days.

Sorry if I don’t join in on the player pity party. Guess what? Every adult faces these challenges. If someone goes through a break up or divorce they have to suck it up and still perform. If you don’t perform your job and livelihood is in jeopardy. Rhoades said it himself when he got here. He said his job was to make the players into fine men to be great workers, fathers, etc. This is the world. People need to stop treating them like kids. They are as responsible for their actions as any one of us. From what I’ve heard Rhoades doesn’t coddle them and is quite tough so not sure why our fans feel the need to.

 

[duncanlamb]

He said his job was to make the players into fine men to be great workers, fathers, etc. This is the world. People need to stop treating them like kids. They are as responsible for their actions as any one of us. From what I’ve heard Rhoades doesn’t coddle them and is quite tough so not sure why our fans feel the need to.

I fail to make the connection between a player's inability to hit a free throw, miss a 3 pointer, make an errant pass or defensive assignment and being a decent human being.

 

[BGDragoon80]

I think it’s weak we keep cuddling young adults. They are facing the same stresses as adults except they have everything they need paid for, get every kind of assistance they could possibly need 24/7/365 and they are being paid to play for 4 years or how ever many years they choose. Kind of a big difference from their fellow adults who are working to pay for the same thing and face the same stresses with not nearly the same resources and support. College players have it completely made from a financial and social perspective. The players just have to practice hard, play hard, handle their studies, and have a social life.

They don’t face the same stresses as regular students. Students that have to work to just have gas to go home (Especially now!). Students who are working between classes to afford meals and school because their family isn’t covering it. Students who are athletes also but not with the college so all their training is out of their pocket and on their time in between work, school, personal life. Students from out of state/city that have to rebuild their circles without the help of teammates (Not everyone is great at making new friends.). How many freshman suicides do we hear about because new students don’t have that support and people around them? We had atleast a few my freshman year. Students have to find a way to get tutoring when school tutors allows (Players have a tutor to help whenever.). Students know likely they are leaving with major debt and uncertain job market. Players leave with no debt and likely a nice chunk of change now along with job hook ups from their playing days.

Sorry if I don’t join in on the player pity party. Guess what? Every adult faces these challenges. If someone goes through a break up or divorce they have to suck it up and still perform. If you don’t perform your job and livelihood is in jeopardy. Rhoades said it himself when he got here. He said his job was to make the players into fine men to be great workers, fathers, etc. This is the world. People need to stop treating them like kids. They are as responsible for their actions as any one of us. From what I’ve heard Rhoades doesn’t coddle them and is quite tough so not sure why our fans feel the need to.

I am curious. Do you have a son or daughter that you raised to adulthood?

 

[share the ball]

I think it’s weak we keep cuddling young adults. They are facing the same stresses as adults except they have everything they need paid for, get every kind of assistance they could possibly need 24/7/365 and they are being paid to play for 4 years or how ever many years they choose. Kind of a big difference from their fellow adults who are working to pay for the same thing and face the same stresses with not nearly the same resources and support. College players have it completely made from a financial and social perspective. The players just have to practice hard, play hard, handle their studies, and have a social life.

People need to stop treating them like kids. They are as responsible for their actions as any one of us. From what I’ve heard Rhoades doesn’t coddle them and is quite tough so not sure why our fans feel the need to.

a different take ( I respect your thoughts - )
athletes work very hard to get where they are - they make lots of sacrifices in those high school years working to get better - sometimes sacrificing those social niceties you allude to - a typical high school athlete is probably spending 3-5 hours a day outside their other activities (school/studies) working on their craft with no guarantees a scholarship awaits - in those high school years they show lots of drive and discipline and sacrifice

their college experience is no cakewalk either - early morning weighlifting and training are the norm while other students are still sleeping off their night out partying etc - very little opportunity to go home between semesters and see family and celebrate holidays (usually one or two days before they return around Christmas etc for those lucky to go home) . Lots of late nights when they travel while still having to take tests/ quizzes submit papers and so on

no disagrement they benefit from the academic assistance they receive and often start their post college life without the burden of college debt and see parts of the country most of their student peers don't get to see (and for free)

I have no knowledge how MR treats the athletes but I hope he sets his expectations high for how they conduct themselves both on and off the court but recognize they will make mistakes both on and off the court and needs to hold them responsible in much the same way as parents hold their children accountable (tough love is not always the only way to hold them accountable - different kids respond in different ways)

go rams and while I hate to see MBJ checkout of VCU after two years I can appreciate his desire to play more and wish him well against all 360 +/- D 1 schools except VCU.

 

[Mr. X]

a different take ( I respect your thoughts - )
athletes work very hard to get where they are - they make lots of sacrifices in those high school years working to get better - sometimes sacrificing those social niceties you allude to - a typical high school athlete is probably spending 3-5 hours a day outside their other activities (school/studies) working on their craft with no guarantees a scholarship awaits - in those high school years they show lots of drive and discipline and sacrifice

their college experience is no cakewalk either - early morning weighlifting and training are the norm while other students are still sleeping off their night out partying etc - very little opportunity to go home between semesters and see family and celebrate holidays (usually one or two days before they return around Christmas etc for those lucky to go home) . Lots of late nights when they travel while still having to take tests/ quizzes submit papers and so on

no disagrement they benefit from the academic assistance they receive and often start their post college life without the burden of college debt and see parts of the country most of their student peers don't get to see (and for free)

I have no knowledge how MR treats the athletes but I hope he sets his expectations high for how they conduct themselves both on and off the court but recognize they will make mistakes both on and off the court and needs to hold them responsible in much the same way as parents hold their children accountable (tough love is not always the only way to hold them accountable - different kids respond in different ways)

go rams and while I hate to see MBJ checkout of VCU after two years I can appreciate his desire to play more and wish him well against all 360 +/- D 1 schools except VCU.

In a post game interview after one of our games Tso said he had not been home in 6 months. Pretty tough on a west coast kid I would say.

 

[artRAMinMN]

Sometimes it's not so much about which side of an argument is right and which is wrong, as it is whether it's just a bad argument to be having at all.

 

[rambunctiousrowdyram]

I fail to make the connection between a player's inability to hit a free throw, miss a 3 pointer, make an errant pass or defensive assignment and being a decent human being.

I say this respectfully I believe you missed connecting my posts. I care about effort. Curry going 0-13 upsets me and yes I would want him to come off to refocus but that anger isn’t at his effort. If I see a certain player not running back or just going through the motions that really upsets me. That’s where that player shouldn’t be playing in that game again. And we saw that last year. We saw Rhoades pull certain players off. These are players that are given amazing academic and financial opportunities that other students don’t get. There should NEVER be a time that collectively we feel a player isn’t giving all they have regardless of how they are playing good or bad. They represent themselves, this university, and every single Ram fan. As one famous coach once said- The name on the front of the jersey is worth of heck of alot more than the one on the back. When you put on that jersey you represent everyone.

I’ll drop this as I agree with Art. There’s no winners in this discussion.

Sometimes it's not so much about which side of an argument is right and which is wrong, as it is whether it's just a bad argument to be having at all.

Agreed

 

[VRam]

Sometimes it's not so much about which side of an argument is right and which is wrong, as it is whether it's just a bad argument to be having at all.

It's bad. Really bad.

 

[duncanlamb]

I say this respectfully I believe you missed connecting my posts. I care about effort. Curry going 0-13 upsets me and yes I would want him to come off to refocus but that anger isn’t at his effort. If I see a certain player not running back or just going through the motions that really upsets me. That’s where that player shouldn’t be playing in that game again. And we saw that last year. We saw Rhoades pull certain players off. These are players that are given amazing academic and financial opportunities that other students don’t get. There should NEVER be a time that collectively we feel a player isn’t giving all they have regardless of how they are playing good or bad. They represent themselves, this university, and every single Ram fan. As one famous coach once said- The name on the front of the jersey is worth of heck of alot more than the one on the back. When you put on that jersey you represent everyone.

 

[Ramdog]

“hey ...thank god we aren’t college basketball players”

 

[Mistachill]

Fans who would likely tap out after one round of suicides, questioning the physical effort of actual D1 athletes is a great look…..we desparately need an EAP for this board.

Are you saying if I see a player let an opponent just blow by him and offer no resistance, I can't question his effort because at my age I can no longer do suicides?

 

[Bluey]

Are you saying if I see a player let an opponent just blow by him and offer no resistance, I can't question his effort because at my age I can no longer do suicides?

To some degree yes and the reason being is: at that moment you have no understanding of the immediate context—-if they take a play off, so what, happens all the time. If they are repeatedly getting beat, maybe it was a great scout that exposed a real blind spot, maybe the player has a genetic medical condition that impacts their wind or responsiveness in spells, maybe he is overly anxious because of something a coach said…..I could go on, but the larger point being that it could be any number of things that have nothing to do with ”want to”, “fire”, or effort. It’s all too common and lazy thinking by fans who have absolutely no concept of the speed of the game, the quality of opponents, the team tactics and the player’s frame of mind. For most of these guys, effort is the last thing to question…..and most of them are being tracked anyway, so the coaches know in real time.

 

[LQuarles]

@PRock you probably have me on ignore, but I doubt you'll see anyone questioning Johns's effort like we did with Stockard, or Rhoades reacting frustrated with him.

 

[Mistachill]

To some degree yes and the reason being is: at that moment you have no understanding of the immediate context—-if they take a play off, so what, happens all the time. If they are repeatedly getting beat, maybe it was a great scout that exposed a real blind spot, maybe the player has a genetic medical condition that impacts their wind or responsiveness in spells, maybe he is overly anxious because of something a coach said…..I could go on, but the larger point being that it could be any number of things that have nothing to do with ”want to”, “fire”, or effort. It’s all too common and lazy thinking by fans who have absolutely no concept of the speed of the game, the quality of opponents, the team tactics and the player’s frame of mind. For most of these guys, effort is the last thing to question…..and most of them are being tracked anyway, so the coaches know in real time.

Here's the problem, you can apply that to just about anything. So in a nutshell if you follow that mindset consistently we (fans) shouldn't question anything. I'm not sure I agree with that.