Moratorium on Bashing

[tafnut]

Ever since this board started, I've been reading with growing horror the delight some people get in bashing the athletes in our sport. Webb criticism went on for - ev - er. Just since the WC have started we've had such highbrow comments as Greene and Montgomery are washed up, Kederis is a 'cheat' who ducks competition, EVERYONE FROM AFRICA IS DRUGGIE, well that was paulie, so that doesn't count, Mutola looks like a man, Drummond is a disgrace to mankind, the SP dude cheated (bad example, he did), the list goes on.

Do you remember when someone had a big problem with the Jr World Champ hurdler being named Athlete-of-the-Week(!)? The kid came on here and was hurt by the comments. Let's pretend that the people we discuss are real people with real feelings who can and do read this board (more than we think, I bet, since T&FN is the pre-eminent American track publication). Let's pretend we have compassion for them. Let's pretend we have common decency. These people are training their asses off to earn a living and to provide us with the pleasure of our favorite sport. Maybe it's the 20-year Navy vet in me, but we don't come off very high in character on this board sometimes. Forgive the preachy tone (I don't like it either) but we really do need to clean up our act. I'll try.

[I'm gonna get flamed 50 times just for fun on this one, but it really is getting old]

[Guest]

Re: Moratorium on Bashing

Well said tafnut. I'm onboard. I would also request that those of us who enjoy the board quit responding at all to those like paulie, etc.. I'm guilty too (ripped Drummond good), but your right, it doesn't add to the enjoyment of the board.

[Guest]

Re: Moratorium on Bashing

I will never forget the Webb bashing for the rest of my life.

[Guest]

Re: Moratorium on Bashing

yeah, you gotta feel sorry for the webb kid...when jim ryun ran his high school 3:54 he was what, a second or two, off the world record...webb runs 3:54 and finds himself 11 seconds off the world record...of course that w.r. 3:43 is a bogus, drug fueled fraud but it doesn't make it easy for webb.....the right thing to do is to accept john walkers 3:49 as the legit record.....all the coes, el g.s doped up mutts can get a lie detector test before we will accept their marks as reliable....hey, lie detectors are EXTREMELY accurate nowadays.

[Randy Treadway]

Re: Moratorium on Bashing

well bashing detectors are real accurate these days too, and mine just went off the scale...

[Guest]

Re: Moratorium on Bashing

I guess paulie doesn't get tanuts valid point... to bash all the great runners since John Walkers 3:49.4 mile in 1975, under the guise of supporting Alan Webb is pathetic....

[jhc68]

Re: Moratorium on Bashing

How about we speak civilly about athletes and real track topics and reserve the bashing for posters like paulie and brutal ?

[gh]

Re: Moratorium on Bashing

As my favorite sports-talk show (local radio) back home points out frequently, if all the local teams are on winning streaks, the volume of calls falls off drastically. it's only when they're losing, or somebody is in a horrid slump that the traffic really rises. It's in the nature of the beast to bitch.

I'm in no way condoning it--just saying that it's something we'll have to live with on the board.

[Guest]

Re: Moratorium on Bashing

Isn't a basher really a troll.

[Guest]

Re: Moratorium on Bashing

It's so nice to see paulie in the live-and-let-live mode (right!). By the way, paulie, your memory of the facts is a bit loose. Ryun ran 3:55 in HS, and Webb 3:53. Not a big difference, but facts are facts, right?

[Guest]

Re: Moratorium on Bashing

Ryun's career after high school sky-rocketed. By the age of 20 Ryun had world records in both the mile and half mile. Webb career has definitely stalled since high school.

[Guest]

Re: Moratorium on Bashing

While I agree with the original point for the most part I'd like to add there is nothing wrong with calling a spade a spade or a rose a rose as long as your reasoning/arguement is well thought out. This can and should be done in a respectful and tactful way though (something I need to work on myself at times). But let us not forget that it is the opinions of others that make these message boards so entertaining. If we all thought alike none of us would ever post because we'd have nothing to add.

At times I may agree with the main point of some of the bashers but totally disagree with the way in which they go about it.

But in general I enjoy reading the opinions of all posters and have managed to learn some and look at certain situations and events differently.
That is ultimately why I read and occassionaly post.

Thanks,
Ultrarunner

[6 5.5hjsteve]

Re: Moratorium on Bashing

tafnut, I am on board too. It's a little too easy to get those fingers dancin' on the keyboard. Let's all ease up, me included.

[michael lewis]

Re: Moratorium on Bashing

"before we will accept their marks as reliable"

How many of you are there in there?

[michael lewis]

Re: Moratorium on Bashing

Previous quote extracted from Paulieposting.