Seems Players Actually Do Read Sites Like This One

[Archer2]

An Interesting article, to say the least. I have long felt that players and recruits pay more attention to sites like this than many here seem to believe. It's one of many reasons I try not to be too harsh with my criticism. Some of our fans should keep this in mind when they're venting.

http://www.newsobserver.com/sports/college/acc/unc/unc-now/article120572933.html

 

[dadika13]

I don't know if it's because I'm from NYC and the only thing we have are brutally honest media members but I don't see why players or recruits are phased by this.

As Nate said, it comes with the territory of being an athlete at a major program.

Are we (I) too harsh at times being that these are college kids? Absolutely. I'll be the first to own up to it. But my thought is that if you can't take what some random dude is saying online, how are you going to take 10,000 screaming college kids at road arenas?

Either way, I do think it's an interesting topic. The recruiting part I get, we don't want our recruits thinking that we hate our players.

 

[Archer2]

I think they understand 10,000 rival fans screaming all sorts of nasty things at them on the road, Dadika. I also think they expect a little better treatment from their own fans. One thing I'll give the d00k fans on DI, I rarely see the same level of criticism leveled at their players as I routinely see dispensed here. And while they're not overly civil to rival fans who express dissenting opinions, they certainly seem more civil to one another than we are here. IOW, generally they can agree to disagree without resorting to pissing contests.

 

[dgheel57]

We have been warning members for years that players do check out message boards to see what fans are saying about them.

 

[Archer2]

Over and over again, dgheel. Just seems to fall on deaf ears.

 

[dadika13]

I think they understand 10,000 rival fans screaming all sorts of nasty things at the on the road, Dadika. I also think they expect a little better treatment from their own fans. One thing I'll give the d00k fans on DI, I rarely see the same level of criticism leveled at their players as I routinely see dispensed here. And while they're not overly civil to rival fans who express dissenting opinions, they certainly seem more civil to one another than we are here. IOW, generally they can agree to disagree without resorting to pissing contests.

When you're right, you're right. I know I'm going to be easier on our guys moving forward.

 

[HeelFan58]

An Interesting article, to say the least. I have long felt that players and recruits pay more attention to sites like this than many here seem to believe. It's one of many reasons I try not to be too harsh with my criticism. Some of our fans should keep this in mind when they're venting.

http://www.newsobserver.com/sports/college/acc/unc/unc-now/article120572933.html

Yep Nate and Luke been absorbing the abuse while more high profile guys seem to get excused.

 

[coryfly]

Yep Nate and Luke been absorbing the abuse while more high profile guys seem to get excused.

It has always been that way (except for with Barnes). Fans need dudes to take out their own frustrations on.

I hate the way some of these kids are attacked. OTOH, I would expect it if I were in their shoes. Hopefully they learn not to play any attention to it and know that most people appreciate them.

 

[Ozheelfan]

Never liked player bashing... can't understand how adults lose control of their emotions enough to crap all over a player.
it is possible to point out in-game errors without coming accross like a whining entitled spoiled fan.

 

[IDUNK4HEELS]

As a Carolina fan for over 55 years it bothers me a lot to see young men proudly wearing the Carolina jersey being abused so much here and other media. I would love to wear the jersey just once even for just a minute and to HELL with the so-called fans.
Very unfair to expect Nate to be anything more than he is, a pure point guard. No one complained when Jimmy Black or Derrick Phelps or Ronald Curry ran the point and hardly ever wanted to shoot but the biggest difference is that had scorers on their teams to take up the slack. Marshall also did not shoot much as he was surrounded by three NBA players. With Berry out and only Jackson scoring consistently for the team someone anyone had to step up and take some of the pressure off Jackson.

It is really unfair to expect Britt to play like Ford, C. Smith Lebo, Felton or Lawson because they were expected to score from the point just like Berry is.

Every year the couch potato fans who could not even wear Nate Britt's jock strap find someone to blame the team's woes on and sometimes it is a player and other times it is the head coach.

Recently people like Drew, McDonald, Tokoto, Meeks and even All American Brice Johnson have been the unfairly target of the fans wrath because these YOUNG MEN did not rise above legends of the past and live up to the fans personal egos and agenda.

Yes I could fully understand if all of this venom came from Duke or Kentucky fans but from your own fan base is silly and embarrashing.

I remember reading in the 2016-17 Carolina Basketball yearbook this quote from Nate Britt when asked why he asked for number zero for his jetsey. His response was quick and honest, "Choice #0 to prove people who think he is a zero wrong".

No problem being critical of a player who has a off game but to blame him for a total teams effort is just down to earth stupid. I am dumbfounded to understand why people dislike Nate so much. Could it be because his brother scored the winning basket in the championship game last year or could it be he had a big turnover against Wisconsin in a final 4 game or could it be he is not Phil Ford or others legends who have run the point or could it be YOU want him to do things that the coaching staff knows is really not part of Britt's overall game.

It seems to me that with Berry out that the fans should support Nate more than ever because as a senior and he is playing past his limitations with little offensive support from his teamates. Could you do better? No need to answer because we both already know the answer...

 

[gary-7]

Over and over again, dgheel. Just seems to fall on deaf ears.

I know for a fact Kennedy got his fill of it last season. It's one thing to talk publicly about bad performances/habits or needs for improvement --- hell, Roy does that and it's fair game--- but when players are called "garbage" or a "wasted scholarship" or have their character questioned before there's reason to, that crosses the line.

 

[soap - new and improved]

Anyone who ever truly believed players don't read boards is pretty naive.

Still feel strongly that those who Bash UNC Players should get a warning 1st time, week off 2nd time, 2 weeks off 3rd time and perma-banned on number 4.
Won't happen here for numerous reasons. I just decided to put that type person on ignore. The board reads so much cleaner and is far more enjoyable since implementing that decision.

Still doesn't address our players and recruits having access to read the worst sort of garbage written about our players and Hall Of Fame Head Coach.

 

[superstar57]

Hate anyone getting picked on, but some really good basketball have been slayed on message boards.

Think this is more of a social issue, meaning there are many people that get slammed on social media. We as a people have got to learn how to deal with social media comments.

This problem is far beyond a message board, but I understand the point being brought out that people do read this.

Nate I am a fan of, and personally don't bash our players because I am a huge Tarheel fan, but Nate just went 4-22 when we needed him. Ummm

 

[Tom79]

We have been warning members for years that players do check out message boards to see what fans are saying about them.

If our "fans" had ever bothered to read the information put forward by the athletics offices they would not be bashing our kids. Some of these "fans" start it during the recruiting process. Are they so blind as not to understand how this effects UNC sports? Fans indeed....

 

[TarHeelNation11]

A lot of back-patting going on in this thread lol

 

[Archer2]

A lot of back-patting going on in this thread lol

I don't think it's back patting at all and have a hard time seeing how anyone could interpret it as such. It's stating what should be obvious to UNC fans. The anonymity of message boards leads people to say things they would never say to other people if they were face to face. It causes a loss of civility when emotions run high.

 

[keysersosay#1]

This is a must read for all fans, including our friends who routinely HATE this forum yet spend vast amounts of time here trashing and ridiculing their fellow Heels and also members of the team.

I have used the ignore button a lot lately and frankly it is sad to have to do that.

I have always tried to take the Coach Smith positive approach, realizing I could never come close to him in terms of dealing with people and handling his players and LIFE in general.

That does not mean that one cannot be critical...far from it.

this board is filled with critical analyses of each game and each players performance ...good or bad.

Those who have crossed the line OVER and OVER again, who go on other boards, especially dook boards, and trash their own Heel fans are to be rightfully ignored and I will continue to do so.

No one is patting themselves on the back here...only realizing that the constant desire for negative garbage disguised as "realism" is a bunch of crap.

Coach Smith would not put up with the nonsense and vitriol which spews daily from a few "fans"..it is toxic and repulsive, and as this article points out, has real implications for players and potential recruits.

 

[GoToHeelDook]

Let's see the difference in our criticism when we field 3 5 stars a year and have 2 national championships in the last 6 seasons.

Just saying. Win and win handedly and the criticism goes away.

I think they understand 10,000 rival fans screaming all sorts of nasty things at them on the road, Dadika. I also think they expect a little better treatment from their own fans. One thing I'll give the d00k fans on DI, I rarely see the same level of criticism leveled at their players as I routinely see dispensed here. And while they're not overly civil to rival fans who express dissenting opinions, they certainly seem more civil to one another than we are here. IOW, generally they can agree to disagree without resorting to pissing contests.

 

[Butterbutt44]

What a fluff piece I thoughtwe didn't give click s to that site

 

[tarheel0910]

No one complained when Jimmy Black or Derrick Phelps or Ronald Curry ran the point

Either you are extremely young or you have a bad memory. Curry was routinely criticized as a basketball player AND a football player.

so-called fans.

If our "fans" had ever bothered to read the information put forward by the athletics offices they would not be bashing our kids. Some of these "fans" start it during the recruiting process. Are they so blind as not to understand how this effects UNC sports? Fans indeed....

spews daily from a few "fans"..

Here's part of the problem that some don't seem to understand. When you start using terms such as "so-called fans" or put the word fans in quotation marks you are just asking for an argument. People don't like it when someone questions the type of person they are or insinuate that they are somehow not as good as someone else. If you truly want to keep this board more civil you should probably stop doing those things.

I don't think it's back patting at all and have a hard time seeing how anyone could interpret it as such

Most of these posts have basically boiled down to an "I told you so" or "I was right you were wrong" type of post. That's the definition of back patting. That being said, I don't have a problem with someone doing that. If you want to point it out that you were right then by all means do so, but you should expect some blow back when you do.

One thing I'll give the d00k fans on DI, I rarely see the same level of criticism leveled at their players as I routinely see dispensed here. And while they're not overly civil to rival fans who express dissenting opinions, they certainly seem more civil to one another than we are here. IOW, generally they can agree to disagree without resorting to pissing contests.

Praising DI? Shouldn't that be an automatic ban?

 

[UNC71-00]

What a fluff piece I thoughtwe didn't give click s to that site

This. Anyone who links the News and Observer should automatically be banned for 48 hours.

 

[Raising Heel]

I don't bash players and have gone on the record saying I don't like it.



That said, I support someone's right to speak their mind freely even if I disagree. The notion that people should be punished here for voicing their opinion is asinine. If you don't want to hear it, that's what the ignore feature is for.

 

[Raising Heel]

...the couch potato fans who could not even wear Nate Britt's jock strap....

He and I are about the same size, actually.

 

[DSouthr]

I don't bash players and have gone on the record saying I don't like it.

View embedded media

That said, I support someone's right to speak their mind freely even if I disagree. The notion that people should be punished here for voicing their opinion is asinine. If you don't want to hear it, that's what the ignore feature is for.

Free speech does not mean you can say anything you want to say unfiltered. This site has rules of what is and is not acceptable and your ability to post here hinges on obeying those established rules. Now those rules get skirted, by the good graces of the staff here to try to give posters as much latitude as possible and yet some few seem to need to push those boundries and claim it as their rite as a citizen to say anything they want to say.

The owners of this site establish the rules of conduct and our mods enforce those set rules, now they do bend over backwards out of their respect for what this site is intended to be but don't mistake their kindness for it being your rite. If you feel the need to say anything you want to say unfiltered then it is your rite to go establish your own site, establish your own set of rules of conduct, and enforce them in any manner you see fit.

To me it comes down to a single word, RESPECT... It is about being respectful to players, to coaches, to the school, to the owners of this site, to the staff of this site, and to those that elect to share and exchange thoughts and ideas and beliefs here. Disagreement is fine, I think I have maybe at one time or the other disagreed with every poster here, well maybe except for shun. And yes I have been disrespectful to some that I feel have been disrespectful first, I try as best I can to keep what I say as respectful as I can but truth is a very limited few just do not seem in any way to care about that word respect, they want to be respected but do not know how to deserve it. Some say well just use the ignore button, it works great but I don't think we should ignore disrespect, I think the only way you can handle disrespect is to take it head on in a evil exists when good men do nothing mode. So I bore you time & again with sermons like this, not because I want to and not because I want any special treatment for it, just because someone has to be that voice that asks nicely for folks to be respectful and maybe scream it from time to time if they can't hear it softly. Folks, it is not just this board that seems to have lost the definition of the word respect by some, it is a growing problem in this world we live in and I for one do not like it, don't understand it, and find it very hard to either tolerate or ignore it. Because I may not agree with you does not mean I do not respect you, because i debate a point with you does not does not mean I lack respect for you or the point you are making, truth is my respect increases for those that debate me and bring good points to the table.

 

[DSouthr]

He and I are about the same size, actually.

Wait now, you have checked his jock to know?

 

[heelmanwilm]

@DSouthr but some opinions dont deserve a respectful response as they embarrass the fan base the team and the school by being so ludicrous and idiotic that no objective reasonable person would agree (the poll voters conspire to keep dook ahead of unc, the ncaa made unc lose to nova for revenge, etc) And i dont want ANYONE, player, recruit or otherwise, reading those lunatic fringe poasts without seeing that at least one unc fan (pats self on back) does not put irrational fanhood thinking ahead of common freaking sense and logic. Being a unc fan is not a blank check for being an idiot.
I will also add that this is a kids game played by teen agers. If anyone measures their self worth by the success of this team to the extent they wanna "be someone's huckleberry" over it then they deserve to be parodied and laughed at. Get over yourselves.

#theootbway

 

[UNC '92]

Free speech does not mean you can say anything you want to say unfiltered.

Wrong, that's exactly what free speech means. You just aren't free of any consequences as a result of what you say.

 

[heelmanwilm]

Wrong, that's exactly what free speech means. You just aren't free of any consequences as a result of what you say.

EXACTLY!

And it's a two edged sword! If u wanna exercise free speech to make an outlandish statement dont criticize me for using free speech to ridicule it.

 

[Archer2]

Here's part of the problem that some don't seem to understand. When you start using terms such as "so-called fans" or put the word fans in quotation marks you are just asking for an argument. People don't like it when someone questions the type of person they are or insinuate that they are somehow not as good as someone else. If you truly want to keep this board more civil you should probably stop doing those things.

You mean using derogatory terms such as "Raiders" and "Oompa Loompas" to refer to fellow Tar Heel fans, something done regularly on OOTB? Does that make the board more civil?

Most of these posts have basically boiled down to an "I told you so" or "I was right you were wrong" type of post. That's the definition of back patting.

That was not my intent. This thread was meant to point out that recruits and players do indeed read message boards, something many of our fans seem to believe doesn't happen. It was an attempt to get fans to realize that these kids are human and have feelings too. The same thing goes for the parents of these kids. We have much less invested in their success than they do and no one wants to succeed more than they do.

Praising DI? Shouldn't that be an automatic ban?

You don't know how much it hurts to post that. Sometimes the truth hurts.

 

[UNC71-00]

You mean using derogatory terms such as "Raiders" and "Oompa Loompas" to refer to fellow Tar Heel fans, something done regularly on OOTB? Does that make the board more civil?

Oompa Loompa was a response to that dude who calls Ootbers Minions. Funny you didn't seem worried about correcting him.

Raider is just a funny spelling of Radar, just like poast. How is that insulting to anyone?

As far as players at any blue blood schoo, they should have skin thick enough to ignore comments they don't like on a message board. If they aren't able to accomplish this, then I seriously doubt they will be able to succeed at a blue blood school.

But if it makes Meeks feel better, then I will congratulate him on being successful with his diet this year.

 

[Butterbutt44]

I know for a fact Kennedy got his fill of it last season. It's one thing to talk publicly about bad performances/habits or needs for improvement --- hell, Roy does that and it's fair game--- but when players are called "garbage" or a "wasted scholarship" or have their character questioned before there's reason to, that crosses the line.

Humble brag 4 life.

 

[heelmanwilm]

An Interesting article, to say the least. I have long felt that players and recruits pay more attention to sites like this than many here seem to believe. It's one of many reasons I try not to be too harsh with my criticism. Some of our fans should keep this in mind when they're venting.

http://www.newsobserver.com/sports/college/acc/unc/unc-now/article120572933.html

Yes i agree. I dont click on their stuff but to reply to your poast Sometimes we as fans lose perspective and can be way too harsh. Personal attacks against the players is esp over the top imo.

 

[trestyles]

This goes on with every major college Basketball and Football program. Hell. Leonard Fournette got it from LSU fans all season long. You go to a major program, this is one of the negatives.

 

[tarheel0910]

You mean using derogatory terms such as "Raiders" and "Oompa Loompas" to refer to fellow Tar Heel fans, something done regularly on OOTB? Does that make the board more civil?

Well, I've never used the spelling raiders and I've never used Oompa Loompas, so you're going to have to take that up with those people. I think you missed my point though. There are a few people who constantly say that they want this to be a civil board, but then proceed to declare that the people that they don't agree with are not good fans. In order for it to be civil both sides have to be civil. If you are going to ask for something and then in the same post do the exact opposite you shouldn't get mad when you don't get what you want. If you want to keep using the "he did it too" excuse, then by all means go ahead and do it. Just don't get upset when the other side does it as well. You could always rise above it and not participate. That would help more.

 

[RoseHeel]

IMO, A player shouldn't care what a bunch of "shmoes" on a messaging system think. They're living out their dreams. That's more than many of those people can say.

 

[DSouthr]

@DSouthr but some opinions dont deserve a respectful response as they embarrass the fan base the team and the school by being so ludicrous and idiotic that no objective reasonable person would agree (the poll voters conspire to keep dook ahead of unc, the ncaa made unc lose to nova for revenge, etc) And i dont want ANYONE, player, recruit or otherwise, reading those lunatic fringe poasts without seeing that at least one unc fan (pats self on back) does not put irrational fanhood thinking ahead of common freaking sense and logic. Being a unc fan is not a blank check for being an idiot.
I will also add that this is a kids game played by teen agers. If anyone measures their self worth by the success of this team to the extent they wanna "be someone's huckleberry" over it then they deserve to be parodied and laughed at. Get over yourselves.

#theootbway

If someone says something respectfully then they should be met with respect. You confuse something you do not agree with with it being disrespectful. Let me ask you heelman, if I say something that you strongly disagree with am I being disrespectful to you, if we debate a topic am I being disrespectful toward you? Because if you think I am then you are both missing my intent as well as proving my point. You can think what I say is stupid and heck it may in fact be, everyone says stupid things from time to time but does that have to equate to that person being a stupid person? Do you see the difference? Folks say things on a board like this that they would never say to people face to face, I say things here exactly like I would say them face to face. People are many times more respectful face to face than they seem to be on their computer and I have never understood that.

How did you put it "some opinions dont deserve a respectful response as they embarrass the fan base the team and the school by being so ludicrous and idiotic that no objective reasonable person would agree" ? Who gets to judge when a respectful post, an opinion offered respectfully, becomes an embarrassment to this entire fan base? When someone is called an idiot it is easy to see the disrespect, silly name calling is disrespectful EVERYTIME. Heelman, if I look you dead in the eyes and call you stupid, I would be acting very disrespectful toward you, wouldn't I, how do you think you would react if I did such a thing, my bet is not well. But if I simply said heelman, I strong disagree with you and this is why and in time we may find where we can agree or we may have to agree to disagree but in any event the cops would not need to be called. I think I disagreed with gary all day yesterday, he is still my bud, one of my best friends in life is a dukie, ya think we agree much when it comes to UNC & duke, that would be a negative but if we say anything disrespectful to each other it is in good fun and never intentionally insulting thou he would agree, it has got tense from time to time! LOL

Heelman, I can promise YOU this much, if you discuss, debate, exchange with me respectfully, that is exactly how I will be toward you. If I ever say anything that you feel is my being disrespectful toward you then I want to know because it is not my intent. But you can not be disrespectful toward me and expect anything but disrespect to come back at you nor would I expect you to. I think that is true for the vast majority of folks that post here, they just want to be treated respectfully and to treat others the same way, there are a limited few that don't seem to embrace that, I can not understand why.

 

[DSouthr]

IMO, A player shouldn't care what a bunch of "shmoes" on a messaging system think. They're living out their dreams. That's more than many of those people can say.

Actually, I TOTALLY AGREE! Now there are things said at times that I do not feel should be said but I agree the kids should let such things roll off because they are living the dream those message board posters can only dream of.

 

[dadika13]

So much back patting going on here. People who I could easily do a search and see them talking bad about our players are in here on their high horse.

I stand by my opinion that it is wrong to bash a college kid, especially when that kid is on your team. It's also a bad thing to show recruits who look here (if they do). I also think kids these days are softer, have rabbit ears, and need thicker skin.

Also, the N&O "writer" was the one to talk about message boards, Nate never did.

 

[trestyles]

IMO, A player shouldn't care what a bunch of "shmoes" on a messaging system think. They're living out their dreams. That's more than many of those people can say.

Yeah it's easy to say, however these kids grew up in the internet/social media era. Internet is a huge part of their life. Positive or negative, they spend a lot of time on it.

 

[TarHeelNation11]

Also, the N&O "writer" was the one to talk about message boards, Nate never did.

I wouldn't know because I didn't read it, nor do I ever read anything from the N&O. A true "fan" (since we toss that around all willy nilly now) wouldn't ever click on one of their articles, much less link one.