Ray Allen's message in the Boston Globe

[Freebo]

I am sick and tired of professional sports players and others that excuse their disloyalty by saying it is a business or it is a business decision. No, it is not. Professional sports is not a business in the traditional sense. A traditional business makes a product or provides a service for consumers who buy or use those services in exchange for a fee. Therefore you have businesses like WALMART EXXON WELLS FARGO etc. They provide various products and services. If they do not perform the consumer simply goes to one of the competitors.

Sports is diferent!! Professional sports derive their profits by inducing people and commnunities to support them. Without the community or fan support the professional sports or players are NOTHING. Truly professional sports is one of the biggest rackets of in the world. They depend on community fan support to thrive, yet rather than pay the fans, they charge the fans to participate - what a racket. When their teams do not perform fans do not switch allegiance, they suffer through the downtime, some go through real suffering and few have been known to even attempt or commit suicide. The consumers of sports teams identify with their teams referring to the team as 'us' or 'we'. No one refers to their bank or local WalMart as us or we.

 Fans are part of the product. A good example is the Summer League that is going on. Put those same games in large arenas filled with fans in team colors screaming and yelling and you have a marketable product that makes for good TV, yet those fans rather than getting paid to be part of the product, actually have to pay for the 'privilege' of participating.

The professional teams also get something that normal business dont - the fans buy team merchandize, wear them, display them, eat and drink out of them, thereby paying for the privilege of advertizing for the team.

Communities do not root for normal businesses like Exxon, Walmart or Wells Fargo, but they root for professional teams and invest serious money and time in these teams.

Perhaps that is why fans take it personally when they feel a player has let them down.

So please stop this 'it is a business or he made a business decision' argument.

You are absolutely right, it's not a business, it's a family, and for some reason the Celtic family turned on him and now we are bashing him for leaving.

Thing is that, before he made his decision, everyone on this forum tried to make him retire, go elsewhere, signed and traded or whatever. And right now all of you are acting like he is the traitor. I absolutely hate what he did, but i cannot blame, people have been treating him like crap for at least the past year.

It's not just that he wasn't number 1, he was simply forgotten. He was the Chris Bosh of the Miami Heat, everyone knew he was useful for something, but until he went down with an injury nobody really appreciated him. If he came back, you would probably all start posts about how pierce and allen are too slow and old, and we need to get rid of them.
So, I say this: ENOUGH! Enough with the feeling sorry, if we couldn't appreciate him while he had him we sure as hell will when he is in South Beach.

[csfansince60s]

It is absolutely a hollow gesture. Actions speak louder than words.

I couldn't agree more.

...
People are acting like jilted lovers....then ready to see the business side of it when we land
this or that stud via trade.

The 'jilted lovers' thing is an okay analogy, as sports provoke really strong passions, like politics and religion, but in the end, I think war analogies work best for sports (which is why they are so frequently used, by both fans and players).

People are p---ed off because it's as though one of your soldiers, who you regarded as as brother, as family (another common sports analogy) with whom you've been to battle, fought tooth and nail with, experienced the incredible highs and lows with, suddenly, while the war is still raging, decides screw you guys; I'm going to switch sides to our mortal enemies and try to take you out, and oh by the way, for half the money.  The analogy works because it feels most like treason (although jilted lover works if you like that better).  In either case, it feels like an enormous betrayal of trust.  But it's not a bad or irrational thing to think that way.  We are indeed passionate about our team.  I think it's an entirely normal response.  Weird to me, from a fan's perspective, is the bloodless, measured, milquetoast response to Ray's defection approach.

+1...couldn't have expressed it better, especially the underlined segment

[Emmette Bryant]

With all the stuff we've heard about why Ray left; problems with Rondo, mad that he got benched, felt slighted because we didn't pursue him aggressively like we did with KG, I've come to the conclusion that Ray is really a Diva. 

He was one of my favorite players and I can't help but be disappointed in him.  Unfortunately these things happen a lot in sports.  I wish him well in life but hope he fails miserably as a basketball player.  He wanted to stick it to the Celtics and he did just that.  Seeing him there with LeBron, Riley etc. was icing on the cake.  The ad, is as others have aptly pointed out, damage control.  No dice Ray.

I agree with my great friend Bad News Barnes

[anthony83]

Ray if you really love Boston fans, you had stayed in Boston, now this is useless, you are in Miami, and if you had stayed in Boston, fans would love you more right now for choosing Boston before Miami .

[twinbree]

Judas Shuttlesworth!

I wonder how he will take coming off the bench, being a 2nd line player on team where 2 players are placed above everyone else, and what will he have to swallow when he is chewed out by Lebron and Dwayne.  His leaving was sour grapes and as stated above he should get what he has sown.  I hope he gets booed mercilessly when next in Boston.  He snubbed his teammates and his fans.  I love the attitude Doc and Danny have shown.

No Ubuntu for Ray and no attempt at team in Miami.

Ray might not mind being 4th or 5th fiddle on Miami. From all the stuff I've read about this move I can think he won't feel slighted there because their stars are obviously better than him. In Boston maybe he felt he was on the same level as KG, Paul and Rondo and that's why he didn't like taking a backseat. To be honest I'm still bewildered by his decision to go to Miami but that's the best I can come up with.

[Yoki_IsTheName]

Ray if you really love Boston fans, you had stayed in Boston, now this is useless, you are in Miami, and if you had stayed in Boston, fans would love you more right now for choosing Boston before Miami .

Not even that. He could've went to Miami if he wants, but he should've kept the sour grapes in him like what a "consummate professional" would do.

[Ogaju]

The Ad is a lie because they truth is Ray is now a Heat, so his picture in Celtics colors is a LIE. Stop lying to yourself Ray put on your Heat uniform.

Something sick about Ray placing an ad in Boston paper in Celtic uniform while he probably has an ad in Miami papers in a Heat uniform.

Liar Liar Pants on Fire!!!

[BadNewsBarnes]

Thanks, Emmette!

TP to Mencius for his war analogy post.  Very well put, you captured what a lot of us are feeling about this debacle. 

[Rainmaker]

Dragging his kids across the country to take a 50% pay cut.

 

He'll manage on 3 mil

I really can't believe how bitter people are about this.

Ray Who?

[LilRip]

As much as I try to hate Ray for taking his talents to our rival, I just can't hate him after that ad. It's like with Nash, I can't hate him even though he belongs to the other arch enemy.

the difference is that Nash was TRADED to the Lakers. Sure it was just for draft picks, but the point was, the Suns organization was fine with letting Nash go even if it was to the Lakers. Do you think Ainge would've traded Ray to the Heat? Last I heard before he signed, the Celtics were really making a hard push to re-sign Ray. It's a completely different situation.

[Jon]

It's a nice gesture.  I just don't quite get why he left again.  

I understand how he may not have felt important in Boston and how he may have felt he needed a change of scenery.  I just don't understand how going to Miami addresses any of his concerns.  

He

A) agreed to a very small contract

B) won't start on Miami

C) will get fewer looks on Miami

D) won't be viewed as important as Miami already won a title.  

I could totally understand him going to the Clippers or the Bulls (if Rose were healthy) to step into the starting SG spot and to be "the missing piece."  It just baffles me how he went to a situation that was totally the opposite of that in Miami.  

[D Dub]

I think the problem most fans have is that Ray is making it out like he was forced out and that's just not true.  

He chose to take a 50% pay cut to go to the team that is the biggest obstacle to the Celtics and another title.  That's a slap in the face to the organization, players and his fans.  Why should the Boston fans not be upset?

He tried to screw the Celtics and now wants the fans in Boston to appreciate him?  He can't have it both ways.  This was nothing more than a way for Ray to try and deflect some of the negative hit his reputation has taken in Boston.

It actually makes me believe that the guy has a real ego problem.  It's not like he took the Miami job to help his career so his opportunity to show appreciation to the Celtics fans has passed.  

Welcome to celticsblog, have a TP for a great post.  Couldn't agree more. 

[Neurotic Guy]

Dragging his kids across the country to take a 50% pay cut.

 

He'll manage on 3 mil

I really can't believe how bitter people are about this.

I wouldn't be nearly as bitter if we were the C's of the mid-90's or if the team he went to was in the other conference or an also-ran.  But a month after the Heat beat us barely in the ECF -- to go for 1/2 the cash to Pat Riley, Lebron and Dwayne, he deserves ire.  No one denies is right to do it, and I don't even suspect that most think he has any responsibility to be 'loyal' to Boston.  But he jilted us for the rival and for less when we are a hair away from another banner.  He's getting what he deserves from the fans. 

[clover]

Ray if you really love Boston fans, you had stayed in Boston, now this is useless, you are in Miami, and if you had stayed in Boston, fans would love you more right now for choosing Boston before Miami .

Not even that. He could've went to Miami if he wants, but he should've kept the sour grapes in him like what a "consummate professional" would do.

Bingo!

(But no, now we know about his resentment of all his teammates' contracts, Rondo's BBIQ, Bradley's starting role, KG's getting courted first, Doc and Danny doing their jobs...)

[luvspiluv]

I'm pretty sure Celts fans who sympathise with Allen will cheer and clap once he starts draining those 3 pointers against Boston.