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Reaction: Rocker's remarks Users sound off on John Rocker's comments
Posted: Wednesday December 22, 1999 06:05 PM
Shortly after posting John Rocker's story from Sports Illustrated on CNNSI.com, our mailbox was flooded with e-mails reacting to the controversial comments from the Braves relief pitcher. Below is collection of some of those comments. We would still like to hear from you. Send us your reactions and we'll post more of your comments in the coming days.
After reading Rocker's comments I have to think real hard. Where is the bigger crime? Orlando Brown shoving a ref? Or this loudmouth shoving entire races? I hope Rocker's career is a short one, and somehow he learns how very far from the truth he is.
John Rocker is another case of a spoiled athlete. His responses to people of different races and sexual orientation stem from ignorance. John Rocker needs an education in life. He is a very sick individual. We should all feel sorry for him, because even with the fame & fortune, John Rocker will always be a lonely and confused person not worthy of our time.
Aside from apologizing to the residents of New York state, he should also apologize to his teammates. Did he forget to notice that nine of his teammates are Hispanic? Two of his teammates are New Yorkers! John Rocker is entitled to an opinion but to come out and spew such venomous hate and have it printed, in the holiday season no less, is just terrible. How are we supposed to expect the youth of America to live together peacefully when their idols make bold statements like Mr. Rocker? I don't see how one can play baseball while wearing the cloak of the KKK. He should be banned from baseball.
I think it's great. Rocker show's a lot of emotion. If the people up in New York are in fact that rude, which I can believe, then they deserve all the bashing that comes their way.
He speaks of NYC being such a bad place. Is Atlanta known as heaven? He must have had bad experiences such as a sweep or getting completely shut out. He needs help and he needs it soon. A trade to the Yankees would do him well.
I'm a HUGE Braves fan and have been since I was a little girl. I can only hope that baseball fans realize that these are John Rocker's words/feelings NOT those of the other players or fans. The Braves players and fans have ALWAYS been respectful of other teams AND their fans.
It is sickening to think that someone with John Rocker's stature can say such comments about immigrants. It makes me sicker that the majority of people voting on your comment board voted to ignore his bigotry. It seems that our society still has a long way to go before we erase all those racists and bigots.
When we think of bad boys we think about Ryan Leaf for the NFL and Dennis Rodman who was once the bad boy in the NBA. Now John Rocker is the perfect example of the bad boy in MLB. To me, what John Rocker said was not attacking at the people of New York, he was attacking the whole country and it's people. The success of our country would not be as great if it were not for the other nationalities. John Rocker is a prime example of what is wrong with our world today. From this day fourth when I hear the name John Rocker, I will call him a discriminator and a REDNECK.
Was it not just two short years ago that baseball was trumpeting racial and ethnic tolerance as we celebrated Jackie Robinson's heroics? I believe that John Rocker owes Mr. Robinson and baseball in general an enormous apology.
It is better to have a prejudiced person expressing his views than one who does not. I like the fact that he is willing to state his opinions. I don't like his opinions though. The thing that I think most people are overlooking is that he plays baseball. He is not a politician. So why do we care what he thinks?
John Rocker and Marge Schott should get married, because they are two people who have a lot in common.
He should be suspended and fined just like the owner of the Cincinnati Reds was. How does he think his people got in this country? He does not look American Indian to me.
Rocker is awesome and he proved that on the mound last season. The controversy with the Mets only fired him and the rest of the team up more and it paid off in the NLCS. He ran his mouth and backed it up with his arm. How many other people can do that? Yes, some of his comments were politically incorrect and maybe not exactly appropriate, but he says what he feels. He doesn't sugar coat anything.
John Rocker is ABSOLUTELY correct about Mets' fans. Physical assaults and personal insults (such as talking about having sex with a player's mother) have no place in a baseball stadium. The manager(s)and/or owner(s) of the Mets baseball team should either control their out of line fans or not host baseball games against teams like the Atlanta Braves.
Wearing a MLB uniform is a privilege not a right. If Mr. Rocker is allowed to continue this disgustingly bigoted attack on Americans of foreign descent, in an Atlanta Braves Major League Baseball Uniform, it sends a horrible message to the American Public.
Mr. Rocker will soon discover that everything that goes around comes around. He is in for an unpleasant penitence for his behavior. That is really the best and most effective punishment. Life is cyclical and as the older players said "be humble" because when Mr. Rocker is not on top anymore, his deed will be returned in kind.
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