Drew Brees speaks out against bullying

[Earl]

Drew Brees: "I want my fans to know that if you're making fun of someone because they're different from you, you're no friend of mine."

http://ellen.warnerbros.com/videos/?autoplay=true&media...

... a refreshing change from the likes of Brett Favre and Ben Roethlisberger

[Fat Man]

Drew Brees: "I want my fans to know that if you're making fun of someone because they're different from you, you're no friend of mine."

http://ellen.warnerbros.com/videos/?autoplay=true&media...

... a refreshing change from the likes of Brett Favre and Ben Roethlisberger

OK, I tried to watch the video.

FORGET IT!

It's probably not available anymore.

God forbid that a professional football player should ever speak out against bullying! His video was probably censored and taken down off the Internet.

Anyway . . . I can't access it, so, fucking FORGET IT!!!

And besides, I don't trust any jock at all.

I really don't give a flying fuck if he says he was never a bully.

As long as someone plays in professional sports, then he is part of an evil and morally corrupt organization that is rotten to it's very core.

He may not have been a bully, but he plays with bullies, so he's still a collaborator.

If he had any morals at all, or any professional athlete with morals, then they would break away from the NFL and the NBA and start a new sports organization, a reformed version of the old organizations.

Something for example: like RSL, Reformed Sports League, and it would require athletes to score at least a B average in academics, and I don't mean in easy-ass courses either, but in science and math, and it would also be involved in PE reforms.

And in the meantime, the NFL and the NBA should have criminal charges filed against them under the RICO statute.

RICO means, Racketeer Influenced Corrupt Organization.

So, if this Drew Brees were to actually quit the NFL or the NBA or whatever, and get some of the other good athletes to join him in quitting those criminal organizations and start what I call the RSL, Reformed Sports League, then maybe I'll listen to him.

Otherwise, they can all pack their Gucci bags and hit the fucking road!

I'm tired! It's getting late and I need to rest.

Fuck it!

[recovering_fan]

I don't trust any jock at all.
I really don't give a flying fuck if he says he was never a bully.
As long as someone plays in professional sports, then he is part of an evil and morally corrupt organization that is rotten to it's very core.
He may not have been a bully, but he plays with bullies, so he's still a collaborator.

Indeed, as Truman said:
"How many times do you have to get over the head before you figure out who's hitting you?"

This is a classic patriarchal bait-and-switch by the NFL: "Come back and worship me, baby, and I won't hit you any more!"

--RF

[Safety]

As long as someone plays in professional sports, then he is part of an evil and morally corrupt organization that is rotten to it's very core.

He may not have been a bully, but he plays with bullies, so he's still a collaborator.

This is a somewhat intolerant statement that contradicts what the description on the front page says. While I respect where you stand against bullying, I must say that this statement is very inaccurate. Just because a male hairdresser works in a business that is predominantly gay doesn't mean that he's also a homosexual; and just if a person is involved in rap music, that doesn't necessarily mean that he's a thug and commits crimes. This is an unfortunate stereotype that follows football players and athletes alike. While many of them can be bullies, not all of them are. This is why it brings me a great sense of ardor whenever I see a professional athlete standing up for and representing a cause such as this. Not only is it representing a worthy cause, but it's separating yourself from your coworkers, who are typically deemed as irresponsible men.

I have a lot of respect for Drew Brees, along with other athletes who fulfill their duties as legitimate role models

[i_like_1981]

I'm probably going to go with Safety on this one. Think about it - if Drew Brees, a revered "jock star", is expressing a contempt for bullying other people, then think of how many young fans he is disowning if they choose to bully others in a high school setting. You can't expect him to track down every single fan of his who is a bully and beat the living crap out of them. Young people are very much taken in and obsessed with their celebrity superheroes and are likely to look up to them as role models. By saying this, Drew Brees is trying to convince the jocks who are his fans that by bullying other students, he doesn't want them as fans. Sure, many of them probably won't care. But like I say, the only other way he could try to stop them is to go round their houses and beat them up or give them a real talking-down, and you can't expect him to do that, can you?

Best regards,
i_like_1981

[recovering_fan]

This is a classic patriarchal bait-and-switch by the NFL: "Come back and worship me, baby, and I won't hit you any more!"

[FYI, British readers, the "NFL" = the National Football League. That's American football, of course.]

--RF

Not to rant, but I am going to elaborate on what I meant here. (I hope the life-long anti-sports people at this site will forgive any sports jargon. It's not a "meme" or anything like that. But I am going to talk about football and a little basketball. Not much, though.)

First, let me say that while I was sports fan I admired Drew Brees. My cynical comments were not about him. While I was still a fan, I enjoyed following his progress in football. I started off my relationship with him by smirking dismissively at him from afar during his playing career with San Diego, during the early part of last decade. A lot of people told me that he was not that good, and since I am no expect on football, I believed the pundits. Then he turned up on "Sports Science", where they talk about the physics of sports, and I was astounded at the accuracy with which he threw a football. Then he won the Super Bowl with the Saints, and I felt genuinely glad for him. He seemed very modest in his interviews, too. I guess getting replaced by Philip Rivers in San Diego and watching your career almost end will give you a sense of perspective that stays with you when you take your place among the game's best.

But when the women and the feminist men who watch Ellen tell me that a few remarks of his somehow rehabilitate sports as an institution suitable to provide American boys with "legitimate role models" I have to scoff at the idea. In the months before Brees appeared on Ellen and made those anti-bullying statements which have earned him the ardor of some in this forum, there was some very different stuff unfolding on America's premier sports network, ESPN. In March, when a bunch of (relatively) nerdy guys from Cornell University surprisingly defeated some teams in the college basketball tournament, Colin Cowherd held forth on his SportsNation comedy show for about five minutes on how little respect he had for nerds and how all women despised nerds. He saw fit to differentiate between nerds (people who did things like memorize pi and assemble computers) and smart people (who did things like practice law or appear on sports entertainment shows). Then, in June or July, one first-year NFL player named Dez Bryant foolishly refused to carry pads for some of the veteran players, and ESPN commentators showed the whole world what happens to NFL players when they don't fall in and serve their elders. (There was footage of players getting tied to goalposts, basically. Just your standard low-grade hazing.)

Anyway, it seems to me like the NFL and sports in general are sending us mixed messages. Boys watch ESPN, and their mothers watch Ellen. And while boys are watching footage of players tying each other to goalposts to break each others' will, mothers are listening to Brees talk about respecting diversity. It's good cop, bad cop. Bait the mothers with Drew Brees's charm; switch to low-grade hazing when the boys are watching.

If Brees had appeared on Colin Cowherd's SportsNation and told Cowherd that, contrary to Cowherd's own opinion, nerds ought to be treated with respect, I might have been impressed by that. (Don't do it, Drew. It's not worth the aggravation!) But did his words on a show like Ellen really send a message to American boys? No, it's just Ellen, so who cares? It only counts if you say it on ESPN!

--recovering_fan

PS--The only athletes I consider role models are the ones who tell us they are not. There are such athletes, and I like them.

[Jerry McGuire]

Colin Cowherd is an idiot who appeals to the lowest common denominator on his radio show. And like you said, it's a comedy show. He's obviously just saying outlandish things for ratings.

As for Fat Man's rant... I don't know. You are so misguided it's shocking. To berate someone because they don't give up their livelihood and create a separate league (do you even fathom how much money that costs and realize it will NEVER compete with the well established NFL?). I mean, it isn't just you, but most here are so willfully ignorant and hateful I just don't even know if it's worth it to post here when my words fall on deaf ears (or eyes...whatever).

[Fat Man]

Colin Cowherd is an idiot who appeals to the lowest common denominator on his radio show. And like you said, it's a comedy show. He's obviously just saying outlandish things for ratings.

As for Fat Man's rant... I don't know. You are so misguided it's shocking. To berate someone because they don't give up their livelihood and create a separate league (do you even fathom how much money that costs and realize it will NEVER compete with the well established NFL?). I mean, it isn't just you, but most here are so willfully ignorant and hateful I just don't even know if it's worth it to post here when my words fall on deaf ears (or eyes...whatever).

A good athlete who works for the NFL or the NBA, that's like saying, a good bank robber or a good drug dealer, or a good pimp who works for the MAFIA!

I rest my case!

[Earl]

Sorry, but I have to agree with Safety and Jerry McGuire on this one.

Sure, Colin Cowherd (not his real surname, I assume) is a jerk. (I guess I should say that I've never heard of him -- since, not surprisingly, I don't watch ESPN.) If they are to be taken seriously, his remarks about nerds are contemptible. Most of the Soviet dissidents, who certainly were courageous, could be thought of as nerds.

I understand the cynical reaction towards Brees. Actually, I can identify with it quite well. But I have learned that there are individuals who contradict just about every negative stereotype you can think of. Individuality should be appreciated and respected. IMHO, I don't think that Brees is representing the NFL. I believe he's just speaking for himself. At least that's what I'd like to believe.

I'm just as opposed to bullying as anyone else in this forum. I recognize that there is a pro-bully subculture among some school administrators, parents, and other people. This "boys will be boys," "bullying is just part of life" mindset needs to be changed; but it won't be changed overnight. I appreciate anyone for speaking out against it. Perhaps Brees' message will impress some of his young fans.

[Fat Man]

Good morning Earl.

OK, I'm just pissed off because I was not able to see the video in which Drew Brees spoke out against bullying.

It has probably been censored.

I guess what happened was that the NFL sent some hired thugs over to the reporter's house, kicked down his front door, then upon entering the reporter's residence, they shot his cat and dog, smashed the tropical fish aquarium, set the bird cage on fire, beat the crap out of his wife and kids, and then warned the reporter that if he made any more video tapes with any football player speaking out against bullying that he would end up wearing concrete galoshes and sleeping with the fishes!

Yeah! That's got to be what happened!

I get it now.

[recovering_fan]

Sorry, but I have to agree with Safety and Jerry McGuire on this one.

Sure, Colin Cowherd (not his real surname, I assume) is a jerk. (I guess I should say that I've never heard of him -- since, not surprisingly, I don't watch ESPN.) If they are to be taken seriously, his remarks about nerds are contemptible. Most of the Soviet dissidents, who certainly were courageous, could be thought of as nerds.

Well, I see you guys are sticking to your views, so I won't argue any further. I'll just clarify two things:

(1) Colin Cowherd: Yes, I believe that is his real surname (although it could be a stage name). He is very particular about how people pronounce it, for one thing, always making sure they say the 'h'. Cow-herd, someone whose ancestors herded cows. And, hey, even if he had the same surname as Noel Coward, it would just be a name and nothing more.

(2) What I think about his comments regarding "nerds": I consider men who assemble computers to be very useful people. They are great role models, because they are making a tangible contribution to society, just like people who know how to repair cars. And both NASA and the NSA consist mainly of nerds. GO NERDS!

(2a) I also think that memorizing pi to 150 places is something to take pride in. When I was a kid I took pride in being able to run 8 miles in just over an hour. Which is more impressive? Who cares! They are both things we can take pride in, because although they aren't going to radically change the world, they do make us feel strong and alive.

Cheers,
RF

[i_like_1981]

(2a) I also think that memorizing pi to 150 places is something to take pride in. When I was a kid I took pride in being able to run 8 miles in just over an hour. Which is more impressive? Who cares! They are both things we can take pride in, because although they aren't going to radically change the world, they do make us feel strong and alive.

Hahahaha... have you been reading through my stories? Well, of course, memorising so many digits and reciting them entirely from memory is difficult, but possible. Just pretend that each string of, say, 10 numbers is a phone number of one of your mates, and piece the whole thing together. But academic achievements... how many teenagers do we get nowadays bragging about them? Hardly any, as was the case back in my school in the 90's. It was always shit like "Oh I had, like, 7 pints of beer last night!" or "That was, like, well cool when you kicked the shit out of those two guys!" that people took most pride in. Acts of idiocy, basically, are what most teenagers pride themselves in. Big deal. People's characters are reflected best in the things they take the most pride in doing.

Best regards,
i_like_1981

[Jerry McGuire]

It has probably been censored.

It works fine for me...

http://ellen.warnerbros.com/videos/?aut ... 83344c5376

Drew Brees is a class act and a genuinely nice guy. If anyone in the NFL is to be used as a role model for children, he should be the first on the list. Probably one of the greatest Super Bowl images is him getting emotional after just winning the championship and he's holding his baby son in the air. And I don't even like the Saints!

And Colin Cowherd is his real name. He is a fool whose schtick is to be the "casual" sports fan. He says he likes the Yankees, Lakers, Miami Heat, etc. All those teams are teams that have won championships lately. Hello! Bandwagon much?

[HugeFanOfBadReligion]

most here are so willfully ignorant and hateful I just don't even know if it's worth it to post here when my words fall on deaf ears (or eyes...whatever).

Again, just like in that other thread, you are generalizing us. Did you not read my post in the other thread were I stated that? Most of us don't believe all athletes are unintelligent moronic bullies, we all have individual views and they all go to different extents.