Is it ok to be more critical of paid football players?

[Morrischiano]

Deion Sanders chastises media for "attacking" college football players

Hall of Famer and Colorado coach Deion Sanders had spent plenty of time recently challenging, and freezing out, reporters who dared to criticize him.

www.nbcsports.com

 

[iReC89]

no, and if it gets to that level of fan entitlement where personal attacks against college players is common, I will avoid supporting that system. I don't care how much you give to a player. It doesn't give you the right to attack them, and if you don't give anything and want to attack players personally, seek help.

 

[yesrutgers01]

I think it depends on the individual player. There are still some kids that are doing things the right way. So, let's say a kid like KM or Pierce, both who stayed...let's say Kyle fumbles at the 1 yd line on the game winning score or Pierce has a bad game...

VS a kid who has transferred twice 100% because of NIL and is just a hired gunslinger.

 

[AreYouNUTS]

Absolutely. ….
But as pointed out above, there’s a difference between some paid players and other paid players. There’s also a difference between being critical and being a douche bag.

 

[RUPete]

As others have said, it really depends on the circumstances. For example, a guy like Shedeur Sanders, who throws his teammates under the bus and generally acts like a dick, would get little leeway from me. But then again, I'm not really a vocal fan about that stuff.

 

[Plum Street]

I think if someone gets paid , you’re able to cheer and boo them . Although, I think booing college kids is still a little tacky
But that’s about it . You shouldn’t be harassing people personally or taking things to social media

 

[WhiteBus]

100% yes!

 

[RUGuitarMan]

I don’t boo players or teams I follow publically (pro or college) at games. I can be critical on message boards . However, as college sports become more professionalized, I think it’s naive to not expect more public criticism from fans and the media. This is all very big business now and it will increasingly be treated that way.

 

[JayDogSmooth]

I typically don’t boo anyone, whether it’s college kids or pros, but can understand why people would now that they are getting paid

Obviously, we do not want an NFL type atmosphere or there are raging drunks, walking around looking for fights, but things will definitely change in regard to expectations now that kids are getting now getting paid vis a vis the old way

 

[ClassOf02]

NIL combined with increased prevalence of sports betting definitely has things moving in the direction of more criticism being thrown at college players. It’s not something I’ll ever do (college or pro), but it’s definitely where the needle is pointing.

 

[bac2therac]

Absolutely. ….
But as pointed out above, there’s a difference between some paid players and other paid players. There’s also a difference between being critical and being a douche bag.

100%

Absolutely fair in this day and age

 

[mildone]

Depends on how you define “ok to attack”. Saying player X had a bad game is one thing. Saying player X sucks, or similar coarse and classless statements, is the behavior of a person being a childish asshole. And in that case, the attack says far more about the character of the attacker than the player.

Age or income level of the player is irrelevant. Think about it. If someone runs a company and publicly attacks one of their highly paid employees, of any age, with coarse or crude or otherwise insulting language (as opposed to privately with constructive critique), then that attacker is behaving like a childish asshole.

It’s a self-serving weak-ass rationalization for people to claim it’s okay to behave like an ass because of someone else’s income.

 

[GoodOl'Rutgers]

hmmm.. the claim for years about teachers was that they aren't paid much so they shouldn't be criticized. And, there is *something* to that, being critical of people doing important jobs that you wouldn't do for what they are paid.

BUT.. college players are different. What they get paid in NIL varies greatly. Certainly, those who pay them and donate significantly to NIL funding should get what they pay for. And colleges offering scholarships should get what they pay for.

Who has standing to criticize players and to what degree should such criticism be public? Very little should be public. Of course, coaches and public colleges answer to taxpayers and alums, directly or indirectly. So if they are asked questions publicly then the answers might include criticism of players. That's fair.

As for the public.. the spectators.. I think criticism should be limited to effort or lack of progress. Making the same mistakes over and over.. sure. Not showing effort... quitting in games... sure.. boo that stuff. Coaches making unpopular decisions.. sure. Players getting stupid penalties in bad spots.. sure. Ridiculous public behavior.. sure.

But for simply not being good enough? Why go the public criticism route for that? That's.. umm... not polite. But how do you criticize a coach for playing a player that seems poorly suited to his role due to lack of ability without criticizing the player? I have seen some here try to go that route by not using names.. just saying stuff like QB or OL.. but we all know who they mean. I suppose that is the proper way to do it, if it must be done.

Another option might be to go the "positive" route. You say stuff like "If only XYZ would do this.. he could be great". That is a criticism for them not doing "this" or not being able to do "this".. whatever that is... but is framed positively.

Tough call. But, at least for now, I think they should all be treated as if they are your friendly neighbors sons or daughters who happen to be athletes at your favorite college.

 

[miketd1]

I think it depends on the individual player. There are still some kids that are doing things the right way. So, let's say a kid like KM or Pierce, both who stayed...let's say Kyle fumbles at the 1 yd line on the game winning score or Pierce has a bad game...

VS a kid who has transferred twice 100% because of NIL and is just a hired gunslinger.

Agree.

Context matters.

 

[gef21]

My issue has always been the average fan does not know enough to criticize a sport like football, for the most part. I stopped watching The NFL because I got zero enjoyment from sitting around the normal NFL fan, Sunday is also a work day for game prep.

I enjoy watching college football, but I rarely watch with people (besides my dad and sons) and luckily sit around a good group at SHI stadium.

Parents and fans complaining are ruining sports at every level in my opinion.

 

[yesrutgers01]

My issue has always been the average fan does not know enough to criticize a sport like football, for the most part. I stopped watching The NFL because I got zero enjoyment from sitting around the normal NFL fan, Sunday is also a work day for game prep.

I enjoy watching college football, but I rarely watch with people (besides my dad and sons) and luckily sit around a good group at SHI stadium.

Parents and fans complaining are ruining sports at every level in my opinion.

Agree- I've told it often enough- I used to think I knew what I saw on the field- I mean, you see an OT get absolutly beat on a play- speed rush around him on the outside or a guy surprising him on the inside. Pretty obvious who blew that play. Well, until you sit down with the guys in that play and discuss what the responsibilities were. There was a game at Army where a defender made my son look silly on a speed rush around him. In my eyes- obvious, the DE fooled Kevin into thinking he was coming inside and by the time Kevin realized it was outside, he was just whiffing the air. I asked him and Forst what happened on that play- Art tells me "that's on me, Kevin saw that I f-ed up my responsibility on the snap and knew my guy had a direct run to the QB, so he tried to get a quick punch on him and hoped he would have enough time to get to his guy on the outside" And he was right, later that week, I watched the game with the guys and there was the DT who was going to just blow it up instantly. And what it looked like Kev at RT was completely fooled on the play, his outside guy was going to be at least a second slower into the backfield so he came inside quick before going outside. And this is what Coach Flood had asked of his two NFL OT's. Help the younger guys out if you see them about to F everything up. lol

 

[DJ Spanky]

There’s also a difference between being critical and being a douche bag.

Sadly some people are not able to differentiate between the two.

 

[LeapinLou]

For me personally, it doesn't alter my behavior. But I'm a bit more tolerant of others doing it to someone being paid.

 

[ashokan]

Is media writing about a players family and friends?
If not then I dont care what gets written.
Colleges charge a lot just to park the car
People get cranky paying 100s/1000s of dollars for a bad team.
If games stink then things get sketchy.

Plus a lot of people are on a football team and some of them are creeps.
I remember being at parties where teammates were breaking furniture and pulling girls hair.
I knew of SU players who held a girl upside down while teammates spit at her.

Deion's kid Shilo does a coin toss and informs Nebraska players they will get their butts rolled.
Then Colorado loses and Shilo lands in the hospital.
Shilo is one of the least talented players but he has the biggest mouth.
He has a 11 mil suit against him for an old fight or some such,
He's begging to get written about

https://www.cbssports.com/college-f...ll-your-ass-at-coin-toss-before-blowout-loss/

 

[yesrutgers01]

Is media writing about a players family and friends?
If not then I dont care what gets written.
Colleges charge a lot just to park the car
People get cranky paying 100s/1000s of dollars for a bad team.
If games stink then things get sketchy.

Plus a lot of people are on a football team and some of them are creeps.
I remember being at parties where teammates were breaking furniture and pulling girls hair.
I knew of SU players who held a girl upside down while teammates spit at her.

Deion's kid Shilo does a coin toss and informs Nebraska players they will get their butts rolled.
Then Colorado loses and Shilo lands in the hospital.
Shilo is one of the least talented players but he has the biggest mouth.
He has a 11 mil suit against him for an old fight or some such,
He's begging to get written about

https://www.cbssports.com/college-f...ll-your-ass-at-coin-toss-before-blowout-loss/

Also different if it is a random writer or if it is a guy/girl that is standing in front of the coaches and players asking the tough questions.

 

[RUskoolie]

100% - they wanted to be treated like pros, I am going to treat them like pros.

Fun fact, one of our offensive players who does not start is making $110,000 this year. Should we criticize him or just pat him on the head and say nice try kid?

 

[mildone]

Sadly some people are not able to differentiate between the two.

That's true.

I'll be merely critical sometimes (obviously). And I'll be a douchebag to someone sometimes (also obviously). But when I'm being a douchebag, it's always because the person I'm being a douchebag to is being a douchebag themselves and what goes around comes around.

I'm not personally aware of any RUFB player in recent memory who has been a douchebag. And certainly not due to their performance on the field. Like @GoodOl'Rutgers said earlier, if a player is obviously not putting in effort or is getting into off-field trouble, that's more deserving of critique and even some insults. But if they just aren't getting the job done on the field, despite trying their best, then it's never okay to be insulting towards them, IMO. I'll never do it and if I'm caught doing it, I hope someone gets in my face about it because that's not who I want to be.

 

[yesrutgers01]

100% - they wanted to be treated like pros, I am going to treat them like pros.

Fun fact, one of our offensive players who does not start is making $110,000 this year. Should we criticize him or just pat him on the head and say nice try kid?

I think the difference is - are you booing them on the field. Are you just say "they suck" in a message board. Or, are you posting that because of x&y - it does not seem they are worth the NIL they received.

I know you had thick skin as a player- Kevin HAD to have thick skin- but now, more than ever, damn- these kids are a bit softer then you guys were.

 

[GoodOl'Rutgers]

... if I'm caught doing it, I hope someone gets in my face about it because that's not who I want to be.

People miss this part of life quite frequently, and it seems the frequency is increasing. Everyone's a jackhole at some point. Instead of ALWAYS defending what you said, how about some self-reflection? I think they will find that such ownership of poor judgment goes a long way toward being considered an honest person in future interactions.

 

[newell138]

I'd guess 95% of the booing you hear at RU games was due to some of the play calling during the Ash error

 

[mildone]

People miss this part of life quite frequently, and it seems the frequency is increasing. Everyone's a jackhole at some point. Instead of ALWAYS defending what you said, how about some self-reflection? I think they will find that such ownership of poor judgment goes a long way toward being considered an honest person in future interactions.

Exactly. We all make mistakes. Especially in our daily interactions where distractions and plain old bad moods can cause us to be less than the people we want to be.

 

[Shelby65]

Shelby forgets who played in the 1869 game, but players have been paid in one form or another ever since.

Speaking of the 1869 game, we have the same playbook. GS must have found it in the Alexander Library archives.