The Delicate Art of Hatred

Discussing the NBA is without a doubt one of my favorite pastimes. Anywhere, at anytime, I’m up for an interesting, relevant conversation about my favorite sport. My recent discovery of Twitter allows for some of the most productive debates among other members of the NBA blogging community. The thing about Twitter is that it acts as an exclusive club. While virtually everybody has access to it, I have the luxury of following and responding to whom I please. I surround myself with knowledgeable people with highly developed opinions and while this leads to levelheaded discussion, it hardly represents the vast majority of NBA fans. This majority is better represented on ESPN’s Daily Dime Live chat.

Daily Dime Live, or DDL for short, is one of the ways that I occupy myself on weeknights when I am ignoring the substantial workload given by my university. While the DDL is a moderated chat, it is open to any and all NBA fans. I do not get to select whose opinions come through to my screen and am therefore am exposed to views that I may not have considered otherwise. Before I delve into the main topic of this article, I want to establish how much I appreciate DDL as a running commentary and chatroom for the nightly NBA action. It provides a great environment for engaging in some of the best debates of both current and historical importance.

That being said, DDL and other similar discussion boards are not exclusive clubs. You will be exposed to opinions that differ from your own and in a perfect world; everybody would consider these new viewpoints with an open mind. After all, they are just opinions and believe it or not, every person is entitled to their own. Unfortunately it is a well-known fact that not every fan takes this approach. If you are bold enough to make a claim as outrageous as saying that Derrick Rose is not the MVP, you should be prepared to answer the question “Why do you hate D-Rose?” Before I continue, allow me to point out that if you think this is a reasonable follow-up question then you probably aren’t going to like where I am going with this post.

While my experiences in this chat are only one example of the entire NBA community, they seem to be prevalent in any NBA debate outside those of only the most knowledgeable basketball minds. If you claim that one player is superior to another, people assume you are discounting any accomplishment of the initial player. Can you praise one player without tearing down another? Of course you can, but many fans don’t see it that way. If you think that Dwight Howard has been more valuable to the Magic than Rose has been to the Bulls, that makes you a Rose-hater. Just because the factors that I hold as most important point to Howard as this season’s MVP, does not mean that I think Rose is the worst player in the league. Conversely, I enjoy watching Rose play more than Howard. I think Rose is an amazing player, one of the most entertaining and athletic guards we have seen in years. The Rose bandwagon has simply run out of control. It has become harder to appreciate Rose’s talents when you constantly have to remind Bulls fans that Rose is not the greatest point guard since Magic Johnson. Heck, he hasn’t even seized the title of best point guard in the league from Chris Paul yet. That being said, I think he is a very legitimate MVP candidate. I simply do not believe that he should be viewed as a runaway recipient of the award. Therein lies the problem.

Since I do not wholeheartedly endorse the Rose for MVP campaign, I am dubbed a hater. Imagine if this “logic” applied to everyday life. You drink Coke, so you must despise Pepsi. You enjoy McDonald’s, so naturally you think Burger King is the worst. This notion of jumping to extreme conclusions greatly hinders intelligent discourse. I love Derrick Rose as a player; I just think Howard has been better this year. I love omelets as a breakfast food; I just think bacon is a better choice this morning.

Too often people assume that because their own opinions are dripping with preconceived bias, others’ must be as well. I don’t mean to use the MVP debate as the only evidence for this phenomena but it is the most recent and topical example of it. Other instances can easily be found. I think the Nuggets cannot win the NBA Finals not because I hate the state of Colorado, but because I think they’re team lacks the superstar needed to succeed in the playoffs. Note that I didn’t conclude that Denver is a terrible team or that they will get swept in the first round, but rather that I don’t think they have what it takes to pull off a miracle run and win it all. I don’t hate the Knicks, I just can’t get on board with the idea that the combination of Carmelo Anthony and Amare Stoudemire will win a championship anytime soon. I know that living in New York fuels your love for the Knicks, but don’t assume that my living in Boston means that I am unfairly critical of them. These opinions are backed up by statistics and trends throughout the history of the league, not simple, arbitrary preferences.

By talking about the flaws of a particular player or team, you get accused of hating or knit picking. I agree we should appreciate their talents and focus on how spectacular these top echelon players have been this year, but what’s wrong with pointing out weaknesses? If you want to say that Rose has been a dominant offensive player are we then not allowed to cite his relatively low TS% of 54.4 or 3P% of 33.4? What Rose enthusiasts call “hating” has literally been done to every player in the history of basketball. Kobe Bryant is an all-time great, but what about his performance in the clutch? LeBron James is an athletic freak, but his shot selection is questionable and why does he refuse to post up more often? Dwight Howard obviously struggles at the free throw line and is therefore an ineffective go-to option with the game on the line. Being in the spotlight is great, but eventually that spotlight turns into a microscope. So no matter how much it may seem that experts and analysts are only picking apart your favorite player, I assure you that every player is criticized. It’s important to remember that no player is or ever will be perfect, not even Michael Jordan.

I am hesitant to bring race into the discussion; however, I think there is a point to be made regarding Jimmer Fredette. ESPN’s Rick Reilly recently published his stance on Fredette’s prospective NBA career and was blasted by many readers in response. Among many other things, I’m sure that Reilly was called a hater. This is a perfect example of fans getting caught up in what they believe to be somebody’s reasoning and ignoring what evidence is actually being offered. Reilly isn’t saying that Fredette will not succeed in the NBA because he is white or because he is Mormon.  Reilly is saying that Fredette plays virtually no defense and is probably not athletic enough. Whether I agree or disagree with Reilly’s stance on Fredette is irrelevant. However, I at least do my best to identify how he comes to his conclusion. Unfortunately for Reilly, it appears he is thrusting a racial stereotype onto Fredette because he just so happens to be white.

I urge you to consider what factors are actually contributing to a judgment before you throw the “hater” label on someone. Is the person actually allowing bias to shape their opinion or are you just being overly sensitive about your favorite player? Spend time discussing the league with people that think differently from you. If those who share your viewpoint are constantly reinforcing your love for someone, it will naturally be blown out of proportion.

At this point, I recognize that this entire piece has been nothing short of an extended rant about something that is unlikely to ever change. There always has been and always will be unreasonable fans with unrealistic perceptions. I simply hope to offer some sort of guidelines for being a tolerable fan, even if I did not touch upon anything new or unique. Now don’t criticize this article, because that would make you a hater.