Four popular NBA players have recently been flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct after only a few weeks of regular season play. Although some sports fans would find these heated actions a sign of an intense season on the horizon, others may be wondering if players are pushing the limits too far.
According to the NBA rulebook, players acting unsportsmanlike has a negative effect on the image of professional basketball. The rule reads: [Flagrant fouls] consist of acts of deceit, disrespect of officials and profanity. The penalty for such action is a technical foul. Repeated acts shall result in expulsion from the game and a minimum fine of $1,000.""
There are two types of flagrant fouls. A Flagrant 1 penalty is called when a player unnecessarily commits contact against an opponent. A Flagrant 2 penalty occurs when a player unnecessarily and excessively commits contact with an opponent in an unsportsmanlike manner and the offender is ejected immediately from the game. The Commissioner - David Stern - then has the right to penalize the offender by charging him with a fine up to $35,000 and/or suspending him from future games.
Thursday night, Denver Nuggets forward Kenyon Martin earned a flagrant foul for intensionally slamming his shoulder into Cleveland forward Anderson Varejao. Martin was ejected from the game because he verbally abused an official after the call. ESPN.com reports that he was fined $20,000 by the NBA Saturday for refusing to leave the court in a timely manner.
Although these actions were unsportsmanlike, Nuggets head coach George Karl also had to physically remove Martin from the floor. Situations like this should never escalate to the point where players need to be escorted off the court, especially at the professional level.
All-Star forward Kevin Garnett of the Boston Celtics also got slapped with a penalty by the NBA Monday for his unsportsmanlike display against the Milwaukee Bucks Saturday. Late in the fourth quarter, Garnett tried to block Milwaukee center Andrew Bogut's shot. As a result, the two tangled as they aggressively went after the ball. The whistle was finally blown after Bogut's foot knocked Garnett in the side of the head, at which point Garnett smacked Bogut in the face.
Garnett received a one-game suspension and was forced to sit out of Tuesday's home game against the New York Knicks. Bogut also had his foul upgraded to a Flagrant 1 foul for starting the quarrel.
The NBA dished out a $25,000 fine to Phoenix Suns center Shaquille O'Neal Monday for his unsportsmanlike behavior the night before. O'Neal earned himself a Flagrant 2 foul and was automatically ejected from the game when he forcefully struck Detroit Pistons guard Rodney Stuckey as he went in for a lay-up. O'Neal went on to verbally abuse the referee and refused to leave the court in a timely manner as he argued against the call. On top of that fine, he also has to pay $35,000 for his participation in an argument last Wednesday in the Suns' game against the Houston Rockets.
Following this game, O'Neal explained he has never been the type of player to try to take someone out. He said the laws of physics explained why Stuckey, a much smaller player, happened to take the brunt of the hit. He compared himself to a brick wall and said he could not do anything about ""the little guy"" knocking into him as he went for the ball.
Thank you for that science lesson, Mr. O'Neal. It's too bad people only see you covering your own tail.
The 'heat of the moment' may have been what triggered the over-aggressive actions of these players, but professionals need to understand that they are role models in society today. Lashing out and slugging another individual or causing profane arguments, no matter what the circumstance, is not acceptable.
Media, in general, have been argued to contain too much violence. But when fans see their favorite players and role models getting into fights and causing obscene arguments on television, what message do you think they are receiving? Whatever that message is, it can't be a good one.
The NBA is trying to put a halt to these incidents by dishing out fines and suspensions, yet these problems continue to arise. Maybe if professional sports teams did not pay their athletes so much money, the penalties will seem a bit more severe and players may actually try to avoid the consequences of these unsportsmanlike actions.
If you think professional athletes get away with too much, e-mail Crystal at crowns@wisc.edu.
