Woodard

[jerry]

Criticizing a player's performance is absolutely fair game.

Agree!

 

[sheepdogs1]

And your point is……?

I have no problem with Tiny or anyone else expressing their opinions. But offering an opinion that Woodward has not been playing up to his usual standards is something entirely different from the incessant and pointless criticism that the kid receives here on a daily basis.

He's not a kid and if you called him a kid to his face he would likely be insulted and understandably so. When some kids, young boys, reach the ripe old age of thirteen they become men. Secondly, if he were to violate the law he would be tried as an adult, and he is also old enough to vote and serve in the military to uphold and protect the freedom of the nation's citizens. And he wasn't shooting 30% from the field because of a few bad games. In fact, you had illustrated that he had a bad run over the last two games preceding the OSU game when shooting 2 out of 5 from the field (against West Virginia) actually raised his shooting percentage for the season.

 

[scrybe]

Uncle!!!

 

[skyvue]

He's 20, if that. He's a college student and an amateur athlete. Whether or not he's a "kid" is open for (a rather tedious) discussion, but that just comes down to semantics.

I often object to how other posters critique college players -- not THAT they critique them, but HOW they critique them. They're not professionals making hundreds of thousands (if not millions) of dollars a year; they're teenagers (or very young adults) competing as amateurs. Yes, college sports are big business, but there remain key distinctions that separate them from professional sports. Some fans seem to view them as equivalent, given the tone and language of their criticisms of the players.

In the end, here's how I feel about it: Every young man or woman who competes on behalf of our university deserves our respect, unless and until he or she has behaved in such a way as to embarrass the university and the basketball program. If they work hard at their chosen sport, take care of business in the classroom, and comport themselves properly on and off the court, they deserve our respect and appreciation.

Which is not to say their on-court performance can't come in for criticism, but rather that those critiques should be respectful--that those who would offer public assessments of our athletes should remember that they're talking about young amateurs, and not about pampered multimillionaires.

 

[sheepdogs1]

He's 20, if that. He's a college student and an amateur athlete. Whether or not he's a "kid" is open for (a rather tedious) discussion, but that just comes down to semantics.

I often object to how other posters critique college players -- not THAT they critique them, but HOW they critique them. They're not professionals making hundreds of thousands (if not millions) of dollars a year; they're teenagers (or very young adults) competing as amateurs. Yes, college sports are big business, but there remain key distinctions that separate them from professional sports. Some fans seem to view them as equivalent, given the tone and language of their criticisms of the players.

In the end, here's how I feel about it: Every young man or woman who competes on behalf of our university deserves our respect, unless and until he or she has behaved in such a way as to embarrass the university and the basketball program. If they work hard at their chosen sport, take care of business in the classroom, and comport themselves properly on and off the court, they deserve our respect and appreciation.

Which is not to say their on-court performance can't come in for criticism, but rather that those critiques should be respectful--that those who would offer public assessments of our athletes should remember that they're talking about young amateurs, and not about pampered multimillionaires.

One thing you need to realize is that outside of basketball, most followers of Sooner sports would not know of Jordan Woodard for this is their only glimpse into his life as a college baller, student, amateur or so on.

 

[scrybe]

Thanks, skyvue. Good to know I'm not the only fan who feels that the criticism leveled at some OU student-athletes can be unnecessarily harsh.

 

[skyvue]

One thing you need to realize is that outside of basketball, most followers of Sooner sports would not know of Jordan Woodard for this is their only glimpse into his life as a college baller, student, amateur or so on.

I do realize that. That's all I know of him, too. I've never met JW; I don't know his family (or the families of any of our players). But I try to never forget, in formulating any critiques I might have to offer, that they are college students with a great many additional demands on their time and energy, not professionals getting paid millions.

 

[tycat947]

I do realize that. That's all I know of him, too. I've never met JW; I don't know his family (or the families of any of our players). But I try to never forget, in formulating any critiques I might have to offer, that they are college students with a great many additional demands on their time and energy, not professionals getting paid millions.

Well said!

 

[sportsfan]

Is it a reason other players don't receive the same criticism as Woodard. I think it is enough to go around but it doesn't seem to happen on this board.