Should On-Court/Field/Ice Incidences Allow for Criminal Charges? When? How?

[Fafnir]

ask a cop what he would do if a guy performed a chop block on another guy in teh middle of the street,

Or a perfect form tackle seeing what you hit, or post defense, or a hard blindside screen to a pedestrian.

[angryguy77]

If players had to worry about being charged at every turn, the game would change for the worse. The biggest fans of the nba would be lawyers looking for a payday(no offense roy )

[rutzan]

assuming risk is not the same as giving someone the right and/or privilege to do whatever they want...

you want the real proof in the pudding...

do you have a son, father, uncle, grandfather, brother...i would like to see people's reactions if somebody did what Metta World War and Pittman did to one of their loved ones...

i would like to see people walk the walk just like they are talking the talk now...

if you tell me otherwise...go sell ice in alaska...i don't buy it...

[indeedproceed]

ask a cop what he would do if a guy performed a chop block on another guy in teh middle of the street,

Or a perfect form tackle seeing what you hit, or post defense, or a hard blindside screen to a pedestrian.

I'm just saying, Garnett backhands Brand's nuts on a boxout, he might get a personal foul.

If a random guy cup checks another random guy, that's assault, brotha.

[Fafnir]

assuming risk is not the same as giving someone the right and/or privilege to do whatever they want...

you want the real proof in the pudding...

do you have a son, father, uncle, grandfather...i would like to see people's reactions if somebody did what Metta World War and Pittman did to one of their loved ones...

i would like to see people walk the walk just like they are talking the talk now...

if you tell me otherwise...go sell ice in alaska...i don't buy it...

My wife while in HS was two hand shoved in the back while running for a layup and tore up her ankle so bad she's developed a degenerative condition that required surgery.

All it was is a foul, not a criminal act. Her mom still gets mad thinking about it and was screaming about it at the time. That doesn't mean that police should have prosecuted.

If you do that to a runner exercising on the street, its assault.

[rutzan]

are you equating that with what Metta World War and Pittman did?

sorry about your wife...btw...

[Fafnir]

are you equating that with what Metta World War and Pittman did?

A two handed shove to a player in the back while she is giong up for a layup is easily as dangerous

She suffered a far worse injury than either James Harden or Lance Stevenson (based on what I've read). She cannot even play basketball anymore.

When you play contact sports, you assume some serious risks.

[Eja117]

how about this...go ask a cop what he would do if that happened in the real world...that is your answer...no matter how you want to spin it...

When you walk into an office you don't assume the risk of injury. When you walk onto a court or field you somewhat do.

No cop is going to the local Y or park and make an arrest for hard fouls.

The only real incidents I can think of I think would have been warranted were McSorely, maybe that huge fight between the Pacers and Pistons...oh wait...there were charges in that

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pacers–Pistons_brawl#Charges

I can't think of anything in football or baseball off the top of my head. Although when Pedro pointed at that Yankee and said out loud "I hit you here" and pointed to his head that's definitely illegal and I have no problem with charges there. Also Don Zimmerman should have gotten a talking to.  

Mike Tyson biting an ear off and then swinging at a cop when he got in the ring although the lawyer would probably plead permanent insanity.

Amazingly in NASCAR it's ok to ram a car going like 200 mph even though it can kill someone and the biggest thing to fear is some verbal abuse by Danica Patrick.

Xavier/Cincy? Prob not

Miami vs Florida International when Brandon Merriwether repeatedly stomped a guy's head. Yeah probably.

Latrell Spreewell strangling his coach...absolutely.

Bob Knight strangling his player.  I wouldn't have had a problem with deportation in that case.

[rutzan]

assuming risk does not mean you condone violent action...especially from world-class athletes who weigh 250 pounds...winding up your elbows and aiming above the shoulders is not the same as throwing bows or shoving under the boards...it is cut and dried...it is so obvious...

[indeedproceed]

assuming risk is not the same as giving someone the right and/or privilege to do whatever they want...

you want the real proof in the pudding...

do you have a son, father, uncle, grandfather...i would like to see people's reactions if somebody did what Metta World War and Pittman did to one their loved ones...

i would like to see people walk the walk just like they are talking the talk now...

if you tell me otherwise...go sell ice in alaska...i don't buy it...

I am completely missing your point here. You want me to get my father INTO the NBA, you want me to get him in a versatile sixth man role on a contending team, and while playing a rival team in the same conference, you want me to allow Ron Artest to elbow him in the back of the head?

Seems like a lot of work.

(kidding)

In all seriousness, my brother is 5 yrs younger than me, and he followed in my footsteps into football and rugby, but he took it one step farther and became a top wrestler in the state for his weightclass.

I've seen kids drop him on his head, wrench his shoulder (which is like Avery Bradley's..came out all the time before he hung up the boots), heck I even watched one older kid from a rival highschool grab him straight up by the nuts and bodyslam him.

I was proud of him, never stayed down if he could get up, never gave up, and always conducted himself with class.

[angryguy77]

People who play sports, especially at the pro level, do so with the understanding that they are putting themselves at risk for injury. Contact is expected, not to say this makes hurting someone ok, but it's a given that it can happen. When someone is on the street and they are assaulted, they don't usually expect that to happen. It's the social contract that most people respect, and it's why we have laws.

The playing field isn't governed by the same laws, nor should it be taken to the level you're suggesting.

If you think Lebron/Wade are horrible floppers now, just wait until the courts get involved.

[rutzan]

there is a big difference between playing hard and playing dirty...intentional and pre-meditated action...especially followed by a wink...that seals the deal for me...

[jojowhite10]

Never, ever, ever. As a person who played college athletics in multiple sports, I can tell you that sometimes a "cheap shot" happens in order to send a message. There's an incredible psychological element to high level sports. You have to be focused at all times, if you have to worry about impending criminal charges if you jump up for a header and "accidentally" elbow someone (that was a move I sometimes pulled) or slash a guy with a stick a bitttt too hard, then you'd take a lot of the competitiveness out of a sport.

[indeedproceed]

assuming risk is not the same as giving someone the right and/or privilege to do whatever they want...

you want the real proof in the pudding...

do you have a son, father, uncle, grandfather...i would like to see people's reactions if somebody did what Metta World War and Pittman did to one of their loved ones...

i would like to see people walk the walk just like they are talking the talk now...

if you tell me otherwise...go sell ice in alaska...i don't buy it...

My wife while in HS was two hand shoved in the back while running for a layup and tore up her ankle so bad she's developed a degenerative condition that required surgery.

All it was is a foul, not a criminal act. Her mom still gets mad thinking about it and was screaming about it at the time. That doesn't mean that police should have prosecuted.

If you do that to a runner exercising on the street, its assault.

Oh hey, I can bring it home!

My senior year in hikeschool during my senior game (last home game), I was chop-blocked below the knee (illegal, pre-meditated), tore my MCL!

No charges!

[KGs Knee]

Sometimes I think internet bloggers should be criminally prosecuted for starting ridiculous threads.

Doesn't mean it will happen, or is sensible.