Interesting ESPN decided to show on a day in which TNT is showcasing their last regular season games.
I'm just going to be honest here. Racism f^cked AI in this situation....at least in the beginning. Do I think he hit that woman in the head with a chair? Come on. I doubt it. I can't fault him for sticking up for himself when having racist remarks yelled at him. And then AI get's sentenced to 5 years in prison for a fight in a bowling alley? Obviously he didn't have to do that time, but I guess this is how America is. The piece itself was pretty good...was really about race and class. Love or hate the guy, you got a better vision of exactly how his life was. A lot different from a guy like Lebron huh? One discriminated against, the other raised to the heavens as the savior of basketball. Saddest part for me about the whole thing, America is still far far away from where it should be by now. And at the risk of sounding rude here, for those who may not like the stuff discussed, perhaps as being to non basketball related,(though connected with the AI Doc.) just forget it and move on.
As soon as AI's lawyer decided against a jury, he was already gonna be sentenced. His lawyer was an idiot, a trial by jury would've found him innocent in a heartbeat given his celebrity status
i thoroughly enjoyed it. very insightful. funny how his strength is was also his downfall. by that he was so tough because of his childhood (i already knew about the sewage in his house stuff before the document but damn that 's just terrible.) but that toughness also fueled stubbornness that made it hard to coach him. powerful story that gave more insight to why he was the way he was.
Good stuff, I still enjoyed the Reggie Miller one more and the Hank Gathers one had me in tears. I always give Iverson credit for remaining defiant in the face of the his detractors.
so, in other words... if somebody says something racist. The guy who gets offended has the right to nearly kill the other guy? and get away with it? i guess this is how America suppose to be in ur point of view.
While I agree with most of what you said, the comparison to Lebron doesn't make much since to me. Even if he didn't hit the woman with a chair, he was involved in a bad situation; and AI has a history of being reckless and irresponsible. I don't think the Lebron comparison is fair because I haven't heard of him being in similar situations and acting in the manner that AI has. A big reason why Lebron receives more praise is that he's acted more mature and at a younger age than AI. While I do understand that he wasn't treated fairly, was a victim of racism, and one hell of a basketball player; he hasn't earned the praise that other elite players have received due to him being irresponsible.
I'm looking forward to this. Iverson is unique... he is statistically a selfish basketball player yet I can't think of anyone in basketball history who sacrificed his body so much for the game. He is the most noble ballhog I've ever seen. In the larger sense, the guy is full of contradictions and depending on which side of these you tend to emphasize, it determines how you view Iverson and really is a reflection of how you view the world. Also, I'm hoping they talk a little about his high school football performances, which are legendary. There are a number of Youtube videos up (I'm at work and can't post) that show you a glimpse. IIRC, he once had 7 interceptions in a game and as QB could throw ropes on the run. Truly an amazing athlete.
<a href="http://media.photobucket.com/image/rolling on the floor laughing/autumn59/rollingonasslaughing.gif?o=12" target="_blank"><img src="http://i247.photobucket.com/albums/gg149/autumn59/rollingonasslaughing.gif" border="0"></a> Oh, I debated whether to even reply to this, it's so wrong in it's interpretation of what I said. First off Nazi boy, at no point did I say you had the right to nearly kill someone. I basically said you have the right to stick up for yourself. Limits, of course. Secondly, AI didn't nearly kill the woman....he isn't even seen in the video. Whether he participated in an act of violence is questionable. But it's all good....and I love you.
you do realize it premiered last night? they did talk about his football career but the documentary really doesn't focus on athletcis.
I understand what you are saying. I suppose my AI-Lebron analogy was an attempt at showcasing major differences, with Lebron being so loved and accepted. So your mention of Lebron not being in similar situations, I agree. Lebron has always, for the most part, been well behaved. In addition, he has handled all the hype and pressure with maturity. I also agree that Iverson has made a lot of bad decisions throughout his life...but I was keeping those unrelated to this particular one.....where I think he was just a victim of circumstance. But overall, I think we are close to the same page.
Haven't you heard the first rule of rhetoric? The first person to pull the nazi card in a civil discussion loses the argument by default. You could have raised some intelligent points but now we'll never know since you resorted to pure hyperbole and childish name-calling.
Other than the part about how some people were coming up with conspiracy theories, a segment that I thought was one-sided and totally unnecessary (if you know the theories are crazy, why even bring them up except to defame the other side?), I enjoyed the documentary and thought it provided a fairly even perspective, allowing you to make your own judgments. It also delved a little too deep into the author's own relation to the story, who I could care less about and I thought it was rather self-centered. If the movie was just for himself, then sure, but it was a commission by ESPN and its wide audience. Like his mentions about his father playing basketball, loving sports, how he grew up in the town where the incident happened and all that...look, that's all good, but you should realize that nobody cares who you are and that the Allen Iverson incident is the far more interesting and compelling story we'd like to hear about. The rest of the movie I had no complaints about and was happy to educate myself in a fascinating period in, really, American history and its long struggle with race. It's a shame he couldn't get AI himself to speak on the matter, though, from a publicity standpoint, the reasons are obvious considering he hasn't "officially" retired yet.
I got the same feeling but I thought his family perspective was important because of the racial dynamic. His father was there when the high school was all-white, he was there during integration, and allen was there in its current state. I think that was a decent element to the story.q
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