Hornets Losing Fans because of T-Shirts

[carpanfan96]

They are doing it in public, on their own time.

Players are doing it at work, while they are being paid.

There's a difference. Your right to "freedom of speech" does not include while you are at work.

The NBA is letting players express themselves and partially supporting the cause by not following normal dress code violation fines. In most cases players would be fined for not following dress code, not in these cases though. So the at work doesn't hold any weight because the NBA is allowing players to do it.

[Herbert is Sorry]

not touching this subject with a 10 foot dick

[CarolinaPanthers8789]

not touching this subject with a 10 foot dick

Lmao

[Montsta]

Professional athletes have an open forum to speak their minds on various social issues and that's fine.

That being said, if you look to professional athletes for advice on social issues, finances, religion, politics, or basically on anything outside of the sport they play, you are an idiot.

[PanthersClinic]

Rules are rules. Players shouldn't be wearing the shirts. It sets a precedent for other players to wear other political inspired shirts.

[Plewis]

The KKK does not have rallies at their place of employment while they are working. There's a difference in voicing your opinion and having rallies during your free time and doing it while you're working. That's the problem some people have with it. I think some just want politics and civil rights issues left out of sports.

 

fug all of that.

 

Your constitutional freedoms are not overridden by having a job. There's so many things wrong with the people who support this argument. Social change has never happened when people are too scared to speak up because they have a job. Ridiculous.

[Plewis]

Rules are rules. Players shouldn't be wearing the shirts. It sets a precedent for other players to wear other political inspired shirts.

 

No one who has ever made a difference in the world gave a poo about the rules. Rules are for rulers and fug those bitches.

[Omega Atrocity]

fug all of that.

Your constitutional freedoms are not overridden by having a job. There's so many things wrong with the people who support this argument. Social change has never happened when people are too scared to speak up because they have a job. Ridiculous.

So Sterling shouldn't have been forced out of ownership then, right?

[TheRed]

How shocking that the usual suspects have a problem with the shirts. Who could have seen that coming.

[Dexterity]

This is a poor argument.

While I understand your public vs private angle this is not the case here.

I have no problem with it personally. I don't care if players do this type of stuff.

However, it is against NBA regulations. They are breaking rules set by their employer (NBA) and agreed to by their representation (Player's Association) and are subject to a fine. The NBA shouldn't bend rules and pick and choose what they allow to slide and deem okay even though it's against rules. It's no different than the NFL making crap up as they go with the DV issue.

If a player wore an Athiest, Christianity, Islamic, Gay Pride, Pro-Choice, Pro-Gun, etc. t-shirt a much large number of fans from one political side or another would be completely outraged a million times more than the few people upset by the "I can't breathe" t-shirts. Not only that, the NBA would immediately fine and possibly suspend the player for simply expressing his beliefs and voicing his opinion on a social/political issue. Now the NBA has opened themselves up to legal repercussions and a lawsuit for discrimination. You can't pick and choose who gets to express themselves. The NBA should've nipped this in the very beginning. If players want to voice their opinion on social media or go to rallies, etc that's fine. But all the political & social stuff needs to stay separate from the game itself.

That's the only point I was making. Because a lot of people are crying that anyone upset with the shirts is a racist old white guy. That's ridiculous. It has nothing to do with race with 99% of those upset, people just don't want political/social issues mixed into sports.

[CarolinaPanthers8789]

Up to date, I believe the Hornets organization is the only team where every member donned an "I can't breathe shirt".

[CarolinaPanthers8789]

To be fair, Dex's last post is 100% correct.

This is something we discussed in my sports com class and the NBA is opening themselves for possible mayhem.

Recently RGIII was told he had to turn his post game shirt inside out because it didn't comply with the dress code (it promoted a political/religious/social agenda).

If say someone like Jeremy Lin decided to warm up in a "God' loves you" t-shirt and was fined, all hell could break lose.

As for the shirts themselves, I'm indifferent. The message is fine... Police brutality is not okay. But the subtle jab by putting them on a black t-shirt opens up the race debate; and with the Hawks and Clippers previous situations; that's not something we need right now.

[Plewis]

So Sterling shouldn't have been forced out of ownership then, right?

 

Really? You're comparing this to Donald Sterling?

[CarolinaPanthers8789]

Just curious on y'all's opinion, but what do you think the point of the shirts are.

- to raise awareness against police brutality

- to shed light on racism

- a combination of the two