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AsiaMinor
01-26-2012, 11:01 AM
Most of the time I just lurk here, coming in to read comments to gain a better understanding from the more knowledgeable posters -
but some of the comments (especially in the Duke v Maryland thread) cause me to speak out about negativity toward our team.
In past years, it seemed at least, that if a player had a bad game, posters were not as quick to say disparaging things about them
as they are currently doing. It isn't pleasant and it isn't fair. As an example; when Andre has a great shooting game, it's all
rainbows and unicorns, if he has an off night, he's unfocused and "better left off the floor." My observation is he, like some others,
plays best when we have a point guard running the team who actually gets the ball to him so he can shoot. He's not as adept
at creating plays as certain others, but he does bring value. Similarly knocks on Seth, Austin and others are at least unkind
and almost cruel. These are kids for heaven's sake. They are learning, they are not Nolan. They are not Singler. They are
the team we have. Thanks for reading.

jv001
01-26-2012, 11:11 AM
Most of the time I just lurk here, coming in to read comments to gain a better understanding from the more knowledgeable posters -
but some of the comments (especially in the Duke v Maryland thread) cause me to speak out about negativity toward our team.
In past years, it seemed at least, that if a player had a bad game, posters were not as quick to say disparaging things about them
as they are currently doing. It isn't pleasant and it isn't fair. As an example; when Andre has a great shooting game, it's all
rainbows and unicorns, if he has an off night, he's unfocused and "better left off the floor." My observation is he, like some others,
plays best when we have a point guard running the team who actually gets the ball to him so he can shoot. He's not as adept
at creating plays as certain others, but he does bring value. Similarly knocks on Seth, Austin and others are at least unkind
and almost cruel. These are kids for heaven's sake. They are learning, they are not Nolan. They are not Singler. They are
the team we have. Thanks for reading.

I have tried to refrain from looking at the game day threads during the games. Most of the comments are made in the "heat of the battle" and the most experienced Duke fans do not post during the game. That means we get some wild comments as you stated. In years past it did seem that players indeed got a pass for a not so good game. I'm sorry to say that now that doesn't happen. Is it the younger posters that think Duke should win 30-35 games a year and reach the FF every year? I don't know, but things have certainly changed. I believe it's ok to make a comment on a player's short comings in a particular game, but be positive when making it. I would never suggest that Coach K leave a player off the court. He knows more about college basketball and Duke in particular than I'll ever know. Thank you for your post. I agree with most all of it. GoDuke!

superdave
01-26-2012, 11:38 AM
I think in-game and post game threads are the worst. You often get people driving by and tossing a garbage sentence or two out during or immediately after a game. Emotions run high right around live action I suppose. DBR is great because of the in depth discussions between games in many other threads. The Phase threads happen to be my favorites, but Tommy's Defensive Charting threads are very useful and Kedsy's What's Really Wrong with our Defense thread is great analysis too. If you are not into the Xs and Os, you may not get into those threads. But there's meat on those bones if you're into it.

Occasionally I get inspired to fight back against negativity, and I know others do too, but sometimes I just wait until the post-game drive by is over and post the next day because I'm not in the mood.

dukedoc
01-26-2012, 12:00 PM
I agree with the OP. I think a big issue, as you indicated, is the lack of a Nolan or Kyle. We have a lot of talented guys on the team who on any given night can go for 20+ points. Thus far, for the most part, that has served us fine because at least one of them has had that solid night and the rest of the guys have followed that player to victory (with the 3 exceptions, of course). However, on any given night those same guys can disappear. That volatility breeds a sense of vulnerability. When fans feel vulnerable, like any human being would, they are prone to lash out inappropriately. Not saying it's appropriate, because it isn't, but it also isn't all that surprising.

Also, as has been pointed out, we fans, in general, are spoiled. We expect the joy of victory without the pain of defeat. We expect the 5 star recruits without the ones that say no to us. I try to not read the boards for at least 12-24 hrs after sometime disappointing, like a loss or being spurned by a recruit, happens. Calmer heads are more fun to read.

Jarhead
01-26-2012, 04:57 PM
This is a good thread, and I couldn't agree more with its theme. I just don't get this need to criticize the players during the game via an in-game thread. It's a message that cannot be heard, so for whom is it intended. It's easier to just yell at the TV screen which may even make you feel better. If not, why post it on a fan forum. The players probably don't dwell on such fan criticism, any how. The coaches know how to critique their performances, and how to motivate them. I hardly think that the typical poster in one of these threads is qualified for that task.

MChambers
01-26-2012, 05:04 PM
This is a good thread, and I couldn't agree more with its theme. I just don't get this need to criticize the players during the game via an in-game thread. It's a message that cannot be heard, so for whom is it intended. It's easier to just yell at the TV screen which may even make you feel better. If not, why post it on a fan forum. The players probably don't dwell on such fan criticism, any how. The coaches know how to critique their performances, and how to motivate them. I hardly think that the typical poster in one of these threads is qualified for that task.
I don't read the in-game threads, for the reasons you and the OP have suggested. I also often skip the post-game threads after a loss.

These are young men doing their best. They want to succeed. Beyond that, they are the people the coaching staff has decided are best suited for Duke basketball, which involves playing high quality basketball, but also strong academics and character.

roywhite
01-26-2012, 05:30 PM
There's an issue of an entitlement feeling among some of our fans, who have been absolutely spoiled by Duke' s success under Coach K. A season that falls short of the Final Four is sometimes considered a failure, even it includes landmarks like 30+ wins or a conference title.

To be fair, that's not unusual in sports; it was true of UCLA fans from the Wooden era, Alabama fans from the Bear Bryant era, Celtics fans, Yankee fans, etc.

I do think college players, especially those who are putting in the work academically and are on track to graduate, deserve more slack than pro athletes.

Jarhead
01-26-2012, 05:35 PM
I don't read the in-game threads, for the reasons you and the OP have suggested. I also often skip the post-game threads after a loss.

These are young men doing their best. They want to succeed. Beyond that, they are the people the coaching staff has decided are best suited for Duke basketball, which involves playing high quality basketball, but also strong academics and character.

I don't read the in-game threads, either. During a game it's a distraction, and the players deserve a lot better treatment.

I wonder how we can keep certain threads out of our forum lists. I know that we can ignore posters, but I haven't seen any way for threads.

killerleft
01-27-2012, 09:57 AM
Most of the time I just lurk here, coming in to read comments to gain a better understanding from the more knowledgeable posters -
but some of the comments (especially in the Duke v Maryland thread) cause me to speak out about negativity toward our team.
In past years, it seemed at least, that if a player had a bad game, posters were not as quick to say disparaging things about them
as they are currently doing. It isn't pleasant and it isn't fair. As an example; when Andre has a great shooting game, it's all
rainbows and unicorns, if he has an off night, he's unfocused and "better left off the floor." My observation is he, like some others,
plays best when we have a point guard running the team who actually gets the ball to him so he can shoot. He's not as adept
at creating plays as certain others, but he does bring value. Similarly knocks on Seth, Austin and others are at least unkind
and almost cruel. These are kids for heaven's sake. They are learning, they are not Nolan. They are not Singler. They are
the team we have. Thanks for reading.

That's a good observation. As some other posters have said, it is best to avoid in-game threads, and the first few hours of after-game threads, if you want to miss the worst of the negativity. That's what I generally do.

I understand that posting that stuff here may keep the dog from getting kicked at home. The only danger for my dog, though, is that I may rub his back raw in agitation when things aren't going well. And STILL he'll watch by my side. Man's best friend, indeed.

ChicagoHeel
01-27-2012, 11:54 AM
I think this is a good thread. But if you think this is a problem here, check out ICC. Last week, I was appalled at the slew of negative comments during the VaTech in-game thread. For the most part, I'm done with in-game threads- the exception may be the UNC-Duke game, as I like to see how you are interpreting what I'm seeing.

In general, fans tend to overreact to a single game and to individual plays within a game. The fan who steps back and with a cool head analyzes individual moments within the broader context of the season is much rarer. The big upside of DBR is that those kinds of fans tend to drive the conversation. There are also a number of those type fans at ICC, but their voices can be drowned out on occasion.