Posted on 06/13/2004 1:29:20 AM PDT by GAGOPSWEEPTOVICTORY
The NBA is rapidly turning into a national criminals' association: A whopping 40 percent of NBA players have police records, a bombshell new book charges.
The book by investigative reporter Jeff Benedict, "Out of Bounds: Inside the NBA's Culture of Rape, Violence & Crime" isn't supposed to hit bookstores until later this week, but The Post located a copy that went on sale earlier.
In it, Benedict finds that 40 percent of the American players in the NBA during the 2001-02 season had police records involving a serious crime.
"It's a situation that is out of control and absolutely demands close scrutiny," Benedict writes.
The book is almost a "Who's Who in the NBA," and recounts legal scrapes involving everyone from Shaquille O'Neal, Patrick Ewing, Penny Hardway, Allen Iverson and Bonzi Wells to Ruben Patterson, Glenn Robinson and Damon Stoudamire.
(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...
This is also a league that still doesn't have a serious drug testing policy (i.e. marijuana), which makes the baseball BALCO thing look like child's play.
Also in the article -- 21% of the members of the National Felon League (NFL) have committed "serious crimes."
I stopped watching the NBA when the Bulls stopped winning 3-peats.
"Pros and Cons: The Criminals Who Play in the NFL" shocked with the revelation that 21 percent of NFL players had been arrested for serious crimes.
How many of them are my beloved Raidahs...?
...sheeeeet...its jes da white man messin' a brother up wif all dem criminals statististicals...you know how dat is...
The old Washington Bullets were considering changing their name because it sounded to violent, and they finally did. To just "The Bullets".
I stopped being interested in NBA basketball when Larry Bird retired. I know that sounds kind of racist but to be honest, I wouldn't have cared if Bird was white or black. Bird was the ultimate team basketball player. When he left the Celtics, the void was never filled.
Amen. The Bird-Johnson rivalry was great and both were team players, not showboaters. The NBA is thuggy and tries to portray itself as such. I check the scores on ESPN, but have not watched a game in years.
I do watch college ball. They still play a team sport.
Not to take the blame off the players, but I'm always amazed at women who go to hotel rooms with these athletes, and are shocked that the athletes want to have sex with them. Do they really think the athletes just want to talk to them?
It's been several years since I watched an NBA game either in person or on TV. Today's players are just so arrogant, obnoxious, immature and downright criminal, as well.
If 40 percent of them are committing "serious" crimes, I would imagine the number jumps to about 80 percent if all crimes are counted. It's probably 99 percent if you include the crimes that they haven't been caught for yet!
Of course, the clinton culture eats this up. The same people who will stand in line to buy Bubba's new book are the same people who will think nothing of plopping down $100+ for a replica Lakers jersey. The Michelle Kwans and Sharon Stones of the world will keep flocking to the Staples Center as "celebrity" spectators, even if the rosters begin to include serial killers.
NFL? I only hear of it on Rush.
Hockey? Didn't people used to play that back in the 70's?
Olympics? Do people still do that?
Baseball. An American art form and still salvageable.
AV
The NBA probably refused to offer her hazard pay.
Any comparison between marijuana use and steroid use in sports is silly. When a guy can gain 60 pounds of muscle in 2 years by smoking pot then it will have a similar negative impact on sports.
Maybe because they hadn't thought of it.
Bet 40% of players in the PGA also have criminal records too, well maybe not. I wonder if the reason might be the blatant criminality in the current Black culture?
40% of senior management at Enron now have criminal records.
Yeah, but they're not lionized and people don't pay to go see them.
Now here is another statistic, and I'm not pulling this out of a hat either. One in twenty black Americans is currently in jail. Since the vast majority of those are men, one can deduce that close to one out of every 10 black men is currently locked up behind bars.
I think that is just sad. It's a reflection of the total and utter failure of the liberal system of welfare, racial discrimation (by way of quotas, affirmative action and lowered standards) and other handouts. If I were a black man, I'd be outraged with the "keep 'em on the plantation" mentality of the Democratic Party.
AMEN ! GO YELLOWJACKETS !!!!
You should get interested again. The Pistons are quite a story. All solid citizens. Look at what has happened to R. Wallace since he came on board. This guy was the #1 bad actor of the NBA. Since he came to Detroit he has become a team leader without a hint of trouble. He hasn't even fouled out of a game.
In particular, the minor leagues, where tickets are less than $5.00, where the "executive lunch" features a box seat, a hot dog, peanuts and a beer for less than $10.00.
Three years ago, I took my son to a Knicks-Lakers in Madison Square Garden as a gift for his birthday. It was a Sunday afternoon and a regular season game.
The "stars" (Bryant, O'Neal, Sprewell, Camby, yada, yada) either didn't play, played very little, were injured, suspended or wouldn't play. Those who played did so at half-speed. The game was awful and we left shortly after halftime.
NBA basketball is a terrible product and I'll never buy it again.
If I could gain 60 pounds of muscle in two years by smoking pot, I'd be cruising in Chicago right now waving $100 bills out my window.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/040316/to250_1.html
Raptors cheerleader fired for nude photos
The way I read the statistics, it says 1 in 20 black males, not 1 in 20 blacks. Still shockingly high.
Man, you're reading my mind...
No correlation. Extreme sports like skating, snowboarding, surfing, etc. are all infused with MJ. These people are not rapists and thugs. OTOH, steroid use does make people agressive.
I recalled another statistic from my college criminology class. Only about one in fifty felony crimes results in a conviction. Of course many of the crimes are committed by the same people but still, if 40% of the population have not only been convicted but are still under control of the system, then an extremely high percentage must be committing crimes.
I stand corrected. I did not read carefully. Still, as you say, 1 in 20 incarcerated black males is a damn shame. So many lives wasted. When will do-gooders realize that institutionalizing poverty (through government handouts) is not the answer?
...I agree. Professional sports should be played in private no media coverage, no spectators...
Go Pistons!
Well put. Ben Wallace and Richard Hamilton are fantastic examples of hard work and attention to physical conditioning overcoming marginal natural skills.
I've been suprised by the calming effect of Larry Brown on Rasheed Wallace. 'Sheed has been the difference on the flor this year, Brown has been the difference off it.
Does anyone still wonder if dumping Rick Carlisle for Larry was the right call?
Totally agree. We put these athletes on a pedastal and above the law because of the ridiculous ticket prices we pay. We can (and are) in the process of correcting our error which reached a zenith with MJ. These thugs are still reaping the dollars that MJ earned for them.
This doesn't even touch at the unwritten law of the NBA, Many Children Left Behind.
bttt
Definitely has nothing to do with race.
You are correct in that assessment, but my point was that the NBA is so far in the dark ages that they don't even drug test their athletes for banned drugs. They even look the other way when a player is arrested for possession and continue to let him play (Bonzi Wells anyone?).
I wouldn't be suprised if 1/2 that league uses. (Arguments aside as to whether drugs should be leagalized, it's still an illegal activity in this country).
Bonzi Wells to Ruben Patterson, and Damon Stoudamire.....
All are or were Jail Blazers.
LOL!
I stopped watching on a consistent basis when the Lakers/Celtics dynasties of the 80's finally crumbled. ......right around the time when players started wearing shorts below their knees, congratulating each other after every free throw MISS, and treating the fundamentals of the game with utter disdain.
Why would you want to do this? Or rather, why would you want others to do this? If someone messes up, they should be punished according to the law. I see no need to deny that person the means to make a living for crimes committed before they were even NBA players, such as Iverson.
I stopped watching when Larry Bird retired.
I joined you 34 years ago when I returned from Vietnam (oops, I sound like Kerry) and didn't have the heart to pay less attention to that SERIOUS situation in favor of sports. I never went back.
Not quite as many as are Ravens....
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