Written by Professional athletes, especially the stars, are frequently envied for their athletic abilities. Everyone has their favorite player that they try to model their game after, or go around yelling things like “Kobe!” when throwing garbage into the bin. However, there is an absurd amount of negativity that surfaces anytime one of these players isn’t as good as they’re expected to be.
Players are expected to maintain and exceed elite levels of play over the course of the season and, if they’re fortunate, the playoffs. Now, a season is long time to go without making mistakes or having a bad game. These are real people, who have their own lives and problems, outside of the game.
Blake Griffin was an integral piece of the “Lob City” Clippers, alongside Chris Paul and DeAndre Jordan. An elite finisher around the rim, he was a powerhouse to be feared coming down the lane. During this time, he averaged 30+ minutes, 8+ boards, 3+ assists and contributed a modest amount of steals and blocks. After the end of the Lob City era, when Chris Paul was traded to the Rockets and Griffin to the Pistons in 2017, Griffins stats understandably took a little bit of a hit for the remainder of the season. Griffin began to lose stock among fans, despite posting strong numbers in his first full season with the Pistons. However, his stats once again declined in the following seasons, leading fans to discuss how bad they thought he was.
It was only in March 2021, when Griffin was traded to the already loaded Brooklyn Nets, that fans decided he was good again. Too good to be going to the Nets. In the month he has been on the Nets, he has posted his best shooting percentages since leaving the Clippers, but played the fewest minutes and posted the fewest points, boards and assists since then as well, proving it’s not all about the stats. Griffin takes the negativity in stride, a difficult task, let alone when tons of relentless fans keep reminding you what they think.
“It’s kind of funny to me because for the last couple years, all I’ve heard is how bad I am. You sign with this team, and everybody’s like, ‘That’s not fair!’ People say whatever they want. I don’t put a whole lot of value in other people’s opinions.” -Blake Griffin
https://nypost.com/2021/03/29/blake-griffin-cant-help-but-laugh-at-nets-darth-vader-status/
It is up to the fans to recognize that pro athletes are people, not just mechanisms for posting strong stats night in and night out. The negativity that arises around a player after a bad game serves no purpose to the player, the organization or the sport as a whole. Anyone who has been in that position, having a bad game, missing the game winning shot, etc. knows that the negativity afterward is just as bad as the mistake, if not worse. What other examples of negative fan perspectives have you witnessed and how do you think these perspectives affect young, aspiring athletes?