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  1. #21
    I was lucky enough to see Mason Plumlee in CVS and was a total fan boy and asked for a picture... He said OK and was really cool about it. Highlight of 2011... Thanks Mason

  2. #22
    Join Date
    Mar 2008
    Location
    raleigh
    I'm sure that Gerald was thinking about what it would have been like to be on the title team, however:

    bobct.jpg


    He'll just have to live with that.
    "One POSSIBLE future. From your point of view... I don't know tech stuff.".... Kyle Reese

  3. #23
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Raleigh, NC

    TH

    A few years back when the first two rounds of the NCAA tournament were at the RBC center I ended up sitting about 20 rows behind Torry Holt (WR NCSU and the St. Louis Rams). Torry was there one day with his friends and the next day with a youth and some friends. After two days of sitting behind him and watch him take pictures with fans, sign autographs, etc and be extremely outgoing, polite, pleasant the whole time I became a huge TH fan. He was especially gracious and upbeat to kids and their parents. People let him be when the ball was in play but during extended timeouts and halftime people would come down to meet him. He turned no one away, had a smile that lit up the the room and took it all in stride. His friend were also very polite and accommodating.

    I have to admit that when I hear Gerald deny a Duke fan a picture it is a little disappointing and I think it's appropriate for the OP to ask if there was something unknown as opposed to ripping G! I like G! and wish nothing but the best for him.

  4. #24
    And why would anybody want a picture with Gerald Henderson? #Confused

  5. #25
    Join Date
    Oct 2009
    Location
    Durham
    Quote Originally Posted by DukeBlueNikeShox View Post
    And why would anybody want a picture with Gerald Henderson? #Confused
    G can fly, baby!
    1200. DDMF.

  6. #26
    I had the same experience with Elden Campbell when he was playing for the Charlotte Hornets. I was WAY younger at the time and wanted to get my picture taken with him at Carowinds while we were standing in line for the same ride. He had his little boy with him and said that there's a time and place for that and right now isn't the time. Of course I was a little mad about this being that I was so young but now looking back on it, it makes sense. I've carried that principle with me ever since. I know asking to get G's picture during a game is around his environment but he's a guest during that event. The time to ask for this is after his game's or at some signing event.

  7. #27
    Join Date
    Mar 2008
    Location
    Atlanta, GA/Durham, NC

    Well...

    Let me tell you that fandom is a funny and unique thing. Grown men that normally command respect turn into little kids right before your very eyes - and you can see it happen. There are times when it's appropiate and times when it most definitely is not. There probably should be rules but usually most would break them anyway.

    Why would they break them? Well because there's this sense of entitlement that because someone makes a lot of money then well - he owes you something (see above). There's a different standard for athletes and entertainers. I definitely can't recall seeing Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Jerry Krause, or even Mark Cuban ever being mobbed for autographs/photos.

    It's hard for the average citizen to understand that although that guy makes more money than you he still gets a paycheck just like you (hopefully). He could be living check to check - just like the majority of America. Rare is the athlete that doesn't change his lifestyle after being in the pros for a little while (and some of it is absolutely necessary to get ANY kind of tax break) but usually they tend to want to live the same kinds of lives they have always lived (for example - I happen to know that Gerald is generally a pretty reserved fellow).

    Most athletes are gracious and some truly LOVE their fans. Most also know the fickle nature of fans as well. Ron Artest has a real love for any fan he can get and will travel to obscure parts of California for autograph sessions. Some sessions for only 2 grand a pop. Chump change in his world.

    Then there are those that just get it. As an example, when I was in high school I personally asked Grant how he dealt with all the attention (after witnessing some females go stark freaking mad in front of us). In a nutshell, he basically said that his worth was in every autograph and every picture. Great advice too. Grant has always had a deep understanding in the value of people.

    But back to rules - I thought I'd think of a few to help out. I want you all to be able to get that perfect photo but you have to remember that it's all in the approach (for example - I have a picture of me, Puffy, and Jay-Z in South Beach b/c I reminded Puffy of a party we went to years ago).

    So...

    if a guy is eating - don't approach him (you hear Eminem say this constantly)
    if a guy is drinking - don't approach him (just ask Charles Barkley about that)
    if a guy is with his girl - leave him alone cause he's got enough on his mind
    if a guy is with his children - let the family be
    if the guy is a spectator - be discreet, most of you wouldn't run up on Ron Artest like that and the rest of the players deserve the same respect

    But if this same guy is in uniform or at a corporate sponsored function - then feel free to yack it up. He'll be dressed for pictures as well. After games there's usually a free for all autograph session. As much as you WANT these guys to be free - they aren't. EVERYONE pays for their time and if they aren't being paid then they're probably paying somebody for whatever you catch them doing.

    Some pointers, if it isn't corporate sponsored in some way - don't pull out a basketball or ask them to sign your jersey. That's ridiculous. If you see a guy out on the town, don't be a creep and ogle the guy - buy him a drink or pay his tab. I promise that will get you some pictures. Talking to athletes/enterainers is a lot like talking to women. You don't just ask a woman for her phone number as soon as you meet her (unless you are as incredibly good looking as myself) so you use a bit more discretion when approaching an athlete. It's one thing to meet a fan that's genuinely concerned but it's a whole other thing when you get approached with a pen in hand - it's like "who are you?"

    People didn't like A.I. early on because they didn't have access to him - but this was all by design so look for the signs. If there's a guy standing in front of you with a pen in hand, it's probably best to double back in some way. I mean, what kinda man waits in line for another man's signature when it's not on a check?

    See Donovan McNabb at a Subway? He's probably fair game. See him at an expensive restaurant? Well aren't you there to eat?

    Let your manhood be the guide to your fanhood. And if you can't do that, look from afar and get to be the guy that gets to say "I saw Charles Barkley throw a guy threw a window." B/c that's just as cool...

  8. #28
    Join Date
    Nov 2009
    Location
    Silicon Valley
    Quote Originally Posted by SupaDave View Post
    Why would they break them? Well because there's this sense of entitlement that because someone makes a lot of money then well - he owes you something (see above). There's a different standard for athletes and entertainers. I definitely can't recall seeing Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Jerry Krause, or even Mark Cuban ever being mobbed for autographs/photos.
    I agree with most of what you say, but isn't this a bit contradictory? I don't think it's about the money but rather the profession. If you choose to go into the entertainment business (of which professional sports is a subset), people do you expect you to be gracious with fans and the media (which feeds the fans), in general. This is the reason why people like Barry Bonds and Albert Belle have such a bad rapport with the public. Gates, Jobs, and Cuban do not have the same expectation of them, because they are businessmen, not entertainers. Inversely, as someone else posted, those athletes who do make an effort to interact with their fans are often some of the most admired.

    (Let me reiterate, though: athletes certainly are not *obliged* to interact with fans, and their choice not to, for whatever reason, is fine with me. I harbor no ill will toward Gerald—I just was wondering if there were some known reason for his decision.)

  9. #29
    Not everybody has to be a very social person. Some people just are not super social or friendly (as opposed to be unfriendly).

    i sometimes think about how people who are famous go about living their life - they can't go anywhere without being bothered and if they are not the most outgoing person to start out with, it will be a hard life.

  10. #30
    Join Date
    Mar 2008
    Location
    Atlanta, GA/Durham, NC
    Quote Originally Posted by evrim View Post
    Not everybody has to be a very social person. Some people just are not super social or friendly (as opposed to be unfriendly).

    i sometimes think about how people who are famous go about living their life - they can't go anywhere without being bothered and if they are not the most outgoing person to start out with, it will be a hard life.
    The inability to handle the spotlight has ruined many a career...

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