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View Full Version : Finally Hansbrough (and the media) gets called out



astoria26
03-09-2008, 03:02 PM
Here's a funny article to at least put a smile on everyone's face. We're not the only ones tired of the media lovefest over Hansbrough:

"North Carolina's Tyler Hansbrough would be at the top of my "not-to-like" list. And right now, it's a list of one . . Apparently no one else in college basketball hustles the way Hansbrough does. Other players dive for loose balls, but when Hansbrough does it, you would think he's diving on a grenade to save the lives of his teammates the way the TV announcers describe it."

There's also mention of G's incident last year:
"When Duke's Gerald Henderson broke Hansbrough's nose with his elbow last season, you couldn't help but wonder whether that was for all the college basketball players who were sick of the gushing over the North Carolina forward. Henderson was suspended for a game. You also couldn't help but wonder if the networks at least might have taken a moment to consider whether they had played a role in the bloodletting."

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/cs-080308-tyler-hansborough-morrissey,1,5048999.column

dukemsu
03-09-2008, 03:11 PM
Here's a funny article to at least put a smile on everyone's face. We're not the only ones tired of the media lovefest over Hansbrough:

"North Carolina's Tyler Hansbrough would be at the top of my "not-to-like" list. And right now, it's a list of one . . Apparently no one else in college basketball hustles the way Hansbrough does. Other players dive for loose balls, but when Hansbrough does it, you would think he's diving on a grenade to save the lives of his teammates the way the TV announcers describe it."

There's also mention of G's incident last year:
"When Duke's Gerald Henderson broke Hansbrough's nose with his elbow last season, you couldn't help but wonder whether that was for all the college basketball players who were sick of the gushing over the North Carolina forward. Henderson was suspended for a game. You also couldn't help but wonder if the networks at least might have taken a moment to consider whether they had played a role in the bloodletting."

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/cs-080308-tyler-hansborough-morrissey,1,5048999.column

Beautiful. Let the backlash begin. For whatever reason, there are players who are picked by the media as favorites (to be fair, at points in his career JJ certainly was, though he became a target in his senior season to many) and the media then beats them into the ground. Love is another one-you'd think no other big man could throw an outlet pass. Padgett is similar-you'd think he were Bilas' first born son.

I wish these guys could just watch the games and not turn it into a rootfest.

weezie
03-09-2008, 03:12 PM
Thanks! This actually cheered me up a bit!

dukegirlinsc
03-09-2008, 04:05 PM
The article did help in the recovery process, and I'm glad it's not just me that thinks all of those things about him.

dukerev
03-09-2008, 04:48 PM
Very interesting point that Morrissey (sp?) makes about how the media always seems to lock onto white players for their "hustle" and rarely does a black college player become a media darling in the same way.

hondoheel
03-09-2008, 04:59 PM
Very interesting point that Morrissey (sp?) makes about how the media always seems to lock onto white players for their "hustle" and rarely does a black college player become a media darling in the same way.

The reverse is of course true of fan hatred.

dukerev
03-09-2008, 05:10 PM
I agree with you, hondoheel.

It is also obvious that Hansbrough has absolutely nothing to do with the coverage of him (in the same vein, neither did JJ or Morrison or Wojo or Laettner or a dozen other white players have anything to do with it). This is a media issue, not a player issue. In the same way that we (generally) don't get breathless 24-hour coverage if a black or Hispanic child is kidnapped, but do (generally) if there is a photogenic white girl.

What is also true is that the media (generally) gives most of its airtime to those things that create ratings. We, the people tune in to overblown coverage of the latest "Great White Hype" in basketball and coverage of tragedies of photogenic white girls.

On a related note, the question is what a player does with the coverage of himself. And asking a early-20-something college kid (who by the way, has to balance a 40 hour a week basketball commitment with trying to make grades in college) to make all the right decisions when in the glare of the media spotlight is a pretty tall task.

Papa John
03-09-2008, 09:10 PM
This is a media issue, not a player issue.

Absolutely... And since you've brought this up, I'll mention the only thing that bothered me about how the officiating got played by the announcers last night... For UNC and Hansbrough, their ability to generate fouls on their opponents is lauded as creating foul trouble situations and chances for points at the charity stripe... And what, pray tell, do announcers most often have to say about Duke's similar ability to generate fouls on our opponents? Do Billy Packer and Len Elmore spend the same amount of time debating the veracity of calls that go Carolina's way in games?

Harumph!

wumhenry
03-09-2008, 10:44 PM
Oh, fer crissakes! It's March, UNC is rated Number One in the country, and Tyler Hansbrough is UNC's best player. "Great White Hype" my ^$%^$%^$%.