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No Kidding Jeers of Nets point guard served one worthwhile purposePosted: Monday June 03, 2002 10:23 AMUpdated: Monday June 03, 2002 7:14 PM
Sports Illustrated senior writer Phil Taylor touches on a Hot Button issue each Monday on CNNSI.com. After you read Phil's take, give us yours. We can only hope that when the NBA Finals open in Los Angeles on Wednesday, Nets point guard Jason Kidd, his wife and 3-year-old son are treated with more decency than they were in Boston during New Jersey's Eastern Conference final showdown with the Celtics. Anyone with an ounce of civility understands that the ignorant clods who pelted the Kidds with chants of "wife beater" and other verbal blows during those games are the worst kind of fans, pathetic little losers who somehow never learned that there is a line between heckling and abuse. It's impossible not to feel sympathy for Joumana Kidd and little T.J., who did nothing to deserve said treatment, and it's easy to understand the outrage that Jason felt toward the handful of morons in the FleetCenter stands. But he should save a portion of that anger and direct it at the face he sees in the mirror. This isn't easy to say because in my own dealings with Kidd, I have found him to be nothing but a gentleman -- classy, friendly and honorable. In the 17 months since he was arrested for striking his wife, he has said and done everything possible to show how sincerely he wants to make amends for the offense. Admirable as that is, it's just not that simple. When Kidd lifted his hand to his wife that night, he changed his life, and that of his family, forever. That single act has consequences he never could have imagined, not the least of which is he made his wife and son potential targets. Kidd opened the door for liquored-up louts who have no conscience, so he shouldn't be surprised that they barged in. Does he deserve to pay that kind of price? No, but since when do athletes get only what they deserve? They don't deserve to make tens of millions of dollars, lead lives of luxury and enjoy the adulation of the public just because of their athletic skills, either. This isn't about what should be, it's about what is. Should someone who has admitted to spousal abuse have 20,000 people cheering their lungs out for him when he plays at home at Continental Airlines Arena? Athletes like to quickly dismiss negative incidents in their lives. Over and over we hear them brush off some offense by saying that it's in the past, that they're putting it behind them. But sometimes wishing doesn't make it so. There are some mistakes that just won't be swept aside. One of the most reprehensible things about the idiots who taunted the Kidds in Boston is that they made a mockery of a serious issue, teasing Kidd for striking his wife as casually as they would have needled him for shooting an airball. Domestic violence was just material for them, a tool they thought they could use to help the Celtics win. But in their perversity, they also served a worthwhile purpose: They reminded Kidd that this is real life, and in real life you can't always break free of your mistakes as easily as you can shake a defender with a crossover dribble. It's easy to identify with Kidd now that he's playing the role of a hero, leading the Nets to the brink of their first championship since the ABA days of Dr. J. When we think about those loudmouths and picture Joumana covering T.J.'s ears, our blood boils almost as much as Kidd's did. But we also hope that along with the rage, there is an equal amount of regret. Sports Illustrated senior writer Phil Taylor writes about a Hot Button issue
every Monday on
CNNSI.com.
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