One of my biggest pet peeves is lack of context. This is especially annoying on message boards. A person says something, often in a quick post, and it is wrong on two levels: in basis and substance. The point is wrong, largely because the assumptions are, or at least they are misinformed in some fashion. This is often impossible to handle, which is the same in politics with its quick soundbites and such. Oh, you can try to address the wrong assumption(s), but you lose the audience. The net result is that you talk past each other. Thus, I respect the effort of a blog like Left2Right, which is partly concerned with trying to defend their point of view to the other side, to somehow get a dialogue going.
The basis of this little rant is Randy Moss pantomining a moon to Green Bay fans after scoring the key touchdown last weekend. This disgusted various people, especially since he rubbed the goal posts before doing so (I missed this ... I barely saw his big moment). It was noted later that GB fans have a tradition, disputed by some, of mooning the opposing team's bus. This, of course, was not generally done on air. At the time, I felt it deserved an unsportmanlike conduct penalty* (excessive celebration), but the only result was a $10k fine (doubling the usual because of a past infraction). And, now, a local sportswriter (reporting the comments of a commentator on HBO) noted that the fans also were rowdy, including voicing racial epithets related to Moss' fleshed out Afro and so forth.
Moss is a bad boy type, so he is not likely to be given much slack anyway, but overall the context makes his actions understandable. I guess, though seriously it really isn't too important, it was worthy of a penalty, maybe (more borderline) a fine. Still, to go on and on about how horrible it is that he acted like a five year old is a bit ridiculous. In fact, given the situation, it is a bit stupid. The context does not quite justify what Moss did, but should surely be addressed in a "two wrongs don't make a right" fashion. Also, racial epithets trump rude behavior.
Ironically, the column that pointed this out ended on a bad note itself. It compared the 10k (as noted by a corresponding article, it is usually 5k) fine to the "slap on the wrist" fine of $7.5k given to the Jets play who made a late hit to the QB at the end of regulation, extending the game after an incomplete pass that should have given the Jets a victory. [OTOH, it's stupid for the Jets guy to contest the fine; he should give the same amount to charity as well given what could have happened because of his stupidity.] Thus, we have to understand the context of the situation.
Likewise, it was not a second offense, and the player (unlike Moss) did not laugh off his "wrongdoing." And, it was a bad hit, but less offensive than many nasty hits done in much less key points of the game. Oh, and unlike Moss, the Jets were penalized in a big way at the time. Finally, the writer speaks of "tailgate parties" (pre-game celebrations in stadium parkinglots) as if they are just reasons to drink, though really they are fun times for all fans. The fact that some abuse the privilege should not overshadow this.
Before you say anything, I know ... "let those who never sinned toss the first stone." All the same, if someone is going to challenge sportscasters and such (rightly) for being too much on their high horse about the Moss incident, they should be a bit careful about his own affairs. I know from experience that it isn't an easy job, but hey, I do not get paid for this stuff. So, when those who do are sloppy, we all have a right to complain.
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* I'm a fan of football, but honestly ignorant about various aspects of the game -- the nickelback concept, for instance, or what exactly the different "refs" do. This includes certain penalties, though I think too many are given in various cases. Unsportmanlike conduct seems to me a somewhat wimpy penalty, but if you are going to receive a fine, the team deserves the foul. One set of penalties that I fully agree with relates to those involving helmets and head shots, though some of the latter are really not intentional or even really shots to the head.
Also, sometimes a player really cannot suddenly avoid making a bad hit, especially if seconds early it would have been a good one. False starts and encroachments are sound, if a bit overused, since those are the rules. Illegal conduct calls often are misapplied. And, officials should do a better job properly announcing who was penalized and exactly why so -- it's a bad sign when those who call the game wonder what the heck is going on.