Maybe someone could invite LeBron James to a first event. We seem to cheer for the team that beats us so that we can say we only lose to champions.
I was thinking about GP when I read about him. Not a shining example.
Someone get him to Buckeye next year and Iāll be impressed.
Who? :yikes:
You know, the most-deserving NBA MVP, one of the most talented, selfless, team-first players around, whom the moronic media and haters continue to senselessly berate as they make mountains out of mole hills while hypocritically continuing to kiss the posteriors of practical felons who actually deserve to be treated like garbage. Although I must admit that one of those felons did tell the media they were full of it in pursuing this non-story. He gets cool points for one evening.
If weāre going to pick a sports poster child for un-GP and post his name here (thought it wasnāt supposed to be used as a measuring stick for othersā¦), then please letās find someone else who actually deserves the label for prolonged, demonstrated idiocy. Selecting a guy for a singular, HUMAN error in judgment is bogus.
And while I agree with the perceived intent of your smiley that this topic should have never been brought up in the first place on this forum, to ignore and downplay human talents in areas outside of engineering and technology is to do the very thing we chastise the āmainstreamā folks for whenever they ignore or ridicule scientific endeavors and those who pursue them.
In a nutshell, thereās room enough in this world to appreciate great sports figures AND intrepid roboteers.
Kobe Bryant isnāt a felonā¦
LeBron James is a team player, and very much not a ballhog on the court. There are a lot worse players than him in that regard, and his on court performance is pretty much exactly what you want in an athlete: being a member of a TEAM.
Still, him not thanking / handshaking / congratulating any other players and storming off after a loss is definitely not GP. Regardless of it being sensationalized, itās true. Oh wellā¦
Also you have Cavs fan bias 
If weāre going to pick a sports poster child for un-GP and post his name here (thought it wasnāt supposed to be used as a measuring stick for othersā¦), then please letās find someone else who actually deserves the label for prolonged, demonstrated idiocy. Selecting a guy for a singular, HUMAN error in judgment is bogus.
Heh, Allen Iverson comes to mind.
LeBron James didnāt need to say anything to the media or to his opponents. He said everything that needed to be said on the court. He averaged 50+ combined Pts, rebs and asts something only that Jordan guy did. He wanted his teammates to talk to the media and to shake hands for him, since they didnāt contribute anything in the actual games.
Also, AI is my boy, donāt ever talk bad about one of the toughest, fiercest and most competitive players of his generation.
The man is only human and he was hurting inside after giving his all and finding that it wasnāt enough. Yes he could have made the effort to stay a moment longer to show proper sportsmanship but I cannot honestly say that I would not have felt the same if I were in his shoes.
This is why I do not like the word GP anymore. It is used as a judgmental tool where people eagerly point and shoot the finger of judgment at others behaviors when there is not one person on this earth who can claim that they they have not had their moment of weakness as well. To simply quote: Let he who walk without sin cast the first stone.
After losing the last qualifying match, team 23 didnāt need to say anything to their opponents. It got 25 moon rocks into the other teams trailers, something only rival team did. He wanted his alliance partners to talk to the media and shake the other teamās hands for him, since they didnāt contribute anything in the actual games.
How can you get away with that kind of attitude? Iām not saying heās an awful person and that he totally meant it, but that kind of rationale for it doesnāt really work.
Lebron James is an amazing player. I donāt like your comparison to the robotics team Chris, I think its a completely different circumstance. The Cavaliers were favored heavily to win, probably sweep the series. James put up the fifth highest amount of points ever by a player in a 6 game playoff series. He covered Orlandoās best player not named Howard. His team didnāt have to do much to win and they still loss.
So I think :
- Scoring halfish your teams points
- Being heavy favorites
- Only winning two games
are some reasons why I would not be to happy if I were LeBron.
I think I can grant LeBron a pass for this. Besides never do we hear of LeBron gettin technicals for arguing calls. Hes a great person, a great role model for kids.
/Back on topic
I think it would be cool to see James at a FIRST competition but I really donāt think hes the type of support we want right now.
According to our awesome legal system, neither is O.J. Simpson. Well, up until a few months ago, anyway.
āPractical felonā = āIām innocentā wink wink nudge nudge A long and distinguished list that includes Ray Lewisā¦ If you want to point out sports figures that symbolize the worst that industry has to offer, start with people like this.
I would love to see the Cavs involved with the Buckeye Regional in some way. The Indians are already sponsors of the Buckeye Regional in some capacity. Theyāre in rotating sponsor list shown on the big screen - they even have their mascot Slider attend the event, which is fun.
Do we really have to accuse NBA players of being felons? He wasnāt proven guilty and she refused to testify against him, and her testimony was the entire caseā¦ Do you want a legal system where you could be convicted based on that?
I agree that many others, like OJ, are definitely not role models who have likely gotten away with committing crimes. LeBronās certainly an exception to this rule, and itās easier to see now that he just kind of screwed up a little on something thatās not a matter of national importance. I donāt think he somehow earned or deserved the right to storm off, but itās not the end of the world by any means. He didnāt allegedly kill anyone 
Disclaimer: Iām a huge Lakers fan, so Iām probably biased about Kobe.
The words, Gracious Professionalism, are one thing. The actions that reflect GP are another. The fans (many of whom post incessantly in social networks in rude ugly ways), reflect the actions as much as the athletes. Sportsmanship is another word that brings more meaning when watching it in action, either as good sportsmanship or poor sportsmanship. Athletes and fans are familiar with both of those and are very capable of reflecting the latter when things donāt go their way.
Just as it is becoming evident in FRC, the Championship level, and getting to the level of competing on Einstein, holds very high stakes for the teams involved - so it has been in our current society for the professional and amateur athletes and teams for many years. The fishbowl that society watches and judges them in and through, is mighty and the glare of it holds ugliness, disrespect, bias, and poor sportsmanlike behavior.
That is a part of a culture change I would love to see. Removing the glare and weakening the strength of the fishbowl, esp. in areas of judgement and criticism. Athletes, as members of this society, are accountable for their actions and are responsible for them and they have to answer to their coaches, their team, their managers, and possibly their owners. Some would say they have to answer to their fans but, perhaps their fans have to answer to them as well.
I have no problem with what Lebron did. He LIVES to play basketball and win a championship. I dont think anyone can imagine what it feels like to know you worked year round for something, and lose it, eventhough you personally had one of the greatest performances of all time. I know after losing matches I am pretty upset, but that doesnt come close to what he was experiencing. The frustration probably hit him hard, and walking away was probably the best thing to do. It is never good to speak with media when you are upset about something. Odds are, you will end up saying something you will regret.
I completely agree with you. The past few years I have seen teams who call other teams "un GP when things dont go their way. It really bothers me.
Look at it this way: 90% of the time people who criticize the decisions/actions of others would have done no better (if not worse) in the same position (those who would have done better typically arenāt the sort to rub a mistake in your face). Not to mention that for one team to describe another as not graciously professional is kind of hypocritical.
[Mini-rant]Youāre also not alone. Itās bothered me for a long time how people are so quick to jump on the mistakes of others, especially famous people. People construct these sky high expectations of celebrities, politicians, and sports stars and then act all shocked when they donāt meet them. Does it strike anyone else as mildly messed up that after what sounded like a very impressive performance (sorry I donāt watch sports that often) the thing people remember is him walking away angry? He might have made a mistake, but all of this hype is unnecessary.[end of mini-rant]
Sorry about the rant.
In a nutshell, I think that whether or not Lebron James made a mistake isnāt the real question. The question is why is there such a massive hullabaloo about it. Sports stars are mortal, they make mistakes just like the rest of us. I do like the idea of inviting him to a FIRST event though, sounds like it would be fun.