Rants and Raves

I am not normally one to peruse the message boards about UCONN women’s basketball because I have my own place to put my thoughts. Right here. Your asking why I am saying this. I will tell you. I had a friend send me a link to a message board about women’s basketball at ESPN.com because there was some really stupid comments about the ethnicity of the UCONN women’s team. I myself do not think this way because I believe we are all one color, one race, one people. Sometimes I begin to wonder about the people who post on message boards that really make themselves look like aholes idiots. Is it necessary for people to be so racial when it comes to making comments? Have any of these people ever played an organized sport? I have a friend who I will admit knows more about certain women’s teams than I do. I don’t knock her for that in fact I give her credit. I know ALOT about sports, sometimes way too much. But never, ever, would I even consider making a comment that I felt was racial or demeaning to others. Read more after the jump.

Ok, good to see your still reading. Let’s get into the comments in question.

Slewbopper
	Ketia Swanier should be taking 10 minutes of WHITE Mel’s 40 minutes.

Is it necessary to point out Mel Thomas’ race? Yes Ketia is black and Mel is white. So what? I am 10000% sure that Coach Geno Auriemma doesn’t play someone more or less because of their ethnicity.

Slewbopper
	I make statements that are obvious on this board and am called a ******* klansman?.What I am is a realist with no concern for policical correctness. How does that make me a racist?There is one thing I have figured out about many people on wimmin’s internet bball message boards. They want to bring people up on charrges for anything that is not politically correct . In the process they forget that certain things are going on out there in the world that are changing our ways of life….not for the good. While giving attention to what you think is moral you are overlooking what is really happening.and what needs to be done to address it. I am a moderate. Hahaha. CF is the only guy posting on this board that I agree with about our present problem. He and I disagree on how to solve it.. BTW, our present problem is Iraq. It is the biggest ****up since the Gulf of TolkienWhat is that line about history repeating itself? Two years and 50 days left Chablis. Too late to impeach shrubus minimus. Maybe the new congress will put an effective leash on him

In this one, he says he is a realist and has no concern for political correctness. In my humble opinion whether or not you are politically correct, the statement he made is still racial. Maybe its just my upbringing? I don’t know. Let’s consider this. Do you think Coach Geno Auriemma and his staff sit in the office and say let’s go out and recruit the best black players or the best white players. You can bet your paycheck the don’t. They go out and recruit the best athletes. Plain and simple. Best Athletes not based on race or ethnicity.

bballfan2005
	I don’t see why everyone’s crucifying Slew. He’s just telling the truth without sugar coating things. As a UConn fan, he knows what he’s talking about with regard to his team.

Whether or not he’s sugar coating things or not, to most people his statements are racial.

Fab5Fan88
	Slew, no offense, but your comment might have been more racist than any Uconn’s fan. Especially after last night. Kalana (happy feet) deserved to sit on the bench, where as Mel had one of the best defensive games of her career. To me, it racist to state that Mel Thomas gets as much credit, minutes, favoritism from Geno/fans…because she is the cute little white girl, IS also racist. It works both ways. Just something to think about. IMO, she’d be loved if she was the exact same player, but black, just as much. In fact I’ll go a step further. I don’t think Mel would get as much criticism as she does from Uconn fans, if she was black. Of course I could be being naive. But I remember Tamika Williams being just as loved as Sue Bird….Uconn’s cutest little white girl.

I agree with most of this fan’s perspective. But I would have to say this, we all have our favorite players that we don’t pick on race. We pick them because maybe they are on our favorite team or we like the way they play.

The slewbopper character does make a few statements that I have to agree with.

Slewbopper
	On a sad note, I would say there were about 7500 (10.147?) at Gampel tonight. Why? We haven’t had a white star, or a star for that matter, or an All American at UConn since Dee left. In the past there was Rebecca, Jen, Kara, Shea, Svet, Sue, and Dee. They were all first team All Americans at least once.CT and TN , the north and the south, are no different when it comes to racism. it seems that Tennessee wimmin’s bball fans are more oblivious to it than CT fans though gauging from early attendance.figures. The Voles out drew the Hussies 15,000 to 7,500

Ok I lied. I don’t agree with him on the white star part or the fact that Tennessee women’s fans are more oblivious to race. We really haven’t had a big star here since Diana. And I am sure we probably never will get a player like her ever again. Unfortunately in the state of Connecticut, we were blessed to have some great teams. We (people of CT) were spoiled by all these great teams and we expect the same of the current teams.

As far as the people of Tennessee being oblivious to race, that’s a crock of shit. It is not that at all. Tennessee’s basketball program was far more popular before the UCONN women were. UCONN really didn’t get onto the national map for women’s basketball until 1991 when they reached the Final Four. I am not sure if any Connecticut readers remember the perfect season of 1994-1995 when UCONN was begging fans to come to Gampel. For a long while, it has been impossible to get a ticket. Now it’s still hard to get one but there are tickets available for certain games. That’s why I agree that we are lacking in attendance this year. No star player and no championships in a few years. Face it UCONN women’s fans, we are spoiled.