MTV Awards

[stepay]

President Obama: "He is a (jack)ass."

Fixed.

 

Actually, it was an off the cuff remark that should not have gotten out.

 

Of course, the Prez should always believe the mic is hot.

 

Awesome though that it did. Whether or not you (the collective you, not YOU ProfD) like Obama, this was a great comment and good for his image, especially from those who wouldn't think he'd say such a thing.

[Tonysounds]

The Official Kanye Apologizer: http://www.atom.com/spotlights/kanye_west_apology/

[Cygnus64]

Steve said: Not that I relish taking up for Taylor Swift, but her age explains what she and Kanye both suffer from. Neither has learned the difference between famous and important.

______________________________________________________________

At least Taylor doesn't go around telling everyone how famous and/or how important she is. If that is happening you never hear about it. Everyone I know who is familiar with her says she is very down to earth.

 

Though this was a thread about these two individuals, and I did open with "Kanye is a dick", I then included Taylor only to try and comment on the larger societal picture.

We Americans have embraced and nurtured a culture that rewards fame above all else. We have always elevated our sports figures above our teachers, and our movie stars above our scientists, but now we celebrate whoever ate the most bugs on an island, morbidly obese people who lose 40 pounds, airhead heiress sluts, "Real" housewives and strippers. Richard Hatch, John & Kate, Omarosa, The Bachelor, the bachelorette, Sanjia, Heidi & Spencer.....it goes on and on.

So many people who make no contribution to the greater good, and yet we still treat them as if they are "important". It's no wonder so many of them believe it. And this is nothing compared to the pedestal we place our pop stars on. For every Beyonce there are 10 Kanyes. Brittney, Lindsey, Gaga, T-Pain, Chris Brown, Susan Boyle...

 

How DARE you not mention the Octomom.

 

Personally, I am mad as hell and not gonna take it no mo. I am officially boycotting Kanye West. I am throwing away all my Kanye West CDs.

[OldTuna]

Perhaps everyone's being a little too harsh with Mr. West. His seriously advanced case of ringworm may have eaten its way into his cerebral cortex. He probably just needs a good dermatologist and some anti-fungal meds.

[ProfD]

Perhaps everyone's being a little too harsh with Mr. West. His seriously advanced case of ringworm may have eaten its way into his cerebral cortex. He probably just needs a good dermatologist and some anti-fungal meds.

Don't stop on the surface. Go full scale lobotomy.

[OldTuna]

ProfD....YOU de man.

[MusicWorkz]

You cannot compare Kanye and Serena. He pouts every time he does not win an award. She's been a class act for years and had one outburst. It bothers me that the networks make such a big deal over her outburst, but still hire McEnroe to sit in the booth.

 

Good point on McEnroe. Regarding Serena-did anyone peep Federer's cursing at a judge two days later? An interesting article on the double standard here...

 

http://www.politicalaffairs.net/article/articleview/9011/

 

 

Original source: Edge of Sports

 

A top-ranked tennis player in a moment of rage cursed out a judge and shocked the world, headlining every sports and news program from ESPN to MSNBC. Meanwhile, another champion tennis player hurled expletives at a judge and the media barely yawned. While the tennis world still reels from Serena Williams's f-bomb-laced tirade against a line judge on September 12, the "classy" Roger Federer pulled a similar tantrum two days later and didn't get half as much coverage.

 

In US Open finals on September 14, Federer lost in five sets to the previously unheralded Juan Martín del Potro. In a tense third set, after a challenge by del Potro, Federer became infuriated with the line judge. After the judge told Federer to settle down, he said, "Don't tell me to be quiet, OK? I don't give a [expletive] what [del Potro] said, OK?" The 6-foot-6 power-serving Argentinean frustrated Federer throughout, and the favored player lost his famous cool. But after the match, there were no press conference apologies from Federer. And there were no calls for him to be suspended, fined or sanctioned. This despite the fact that his profanity was directed toward del Potro, a serious breach in tennis etiquette.

 

Williams without question lost control as well. After being called for a critical foot fault in her semifinal match against Kim Clijsters, she said to the line judge, "If I could, I would take this [expletive] ball and shove it down your [expletive] throat." The foot fault was a terrible call, and it cost Williams the match. After her rant, she was given a point penalty, and the match was effectively over as Clijsters looked on in a state of bewilderment. It's worth mentioning that the call by the line judge was the equivalent of calling a technical foul in Game 7 of the NBA finals with the score tied in the closing seconds.

 

The behavior of Federer and Williams in these matches are examples of bad sportsmanship at its worst. But the double standard is enough to make you want to swallow your tennis ball. When Williams lost it on the court, she later apologized and admitted idolizing tennis's infamous enfant terrible John McEnroe. McEnroe, now an announcer on CBS, responded, "I guess she idolized me for the wrong reasons, apparently. I feel like I'm on the hot seat now.... I can't defend the indefensible." His co-anchor, Mary Carillo, was even harsher, saying, Williams "could have won the Oscar" for her calm performance at the press conference after the match.

 

On September 13 on ESPN2, Carillo called for Williams's suspension, saying, "If you care about the integrity of your sport, you throw somebody out of the game for a while." Later, she called Williams's $10,500 fine a "joke" and an "embarrassment." By contrast, when Federer cursed, CBS broadcaster Dick Enberg drew a distinction that it was not "venomous."

 

The question is not whether Williams was right or Federer was wrong. They were both wrong. The question is whether hypocrisy is acceptable. The double standard is obvious if we perform the gender flip test: if Williams were a man, would her behavior have been met with similar outrage?

To ask the question is to answer it: from McEnroe to Jimmy Connors, male players who blow their tops are part of tennis lore. McEnroe has repeatedly made calls for current pros to not be "robots" and have the "passion" he displayed. But in the country-club white-skirt-and-ponytail world of women's tennis, different behavior is expected. Williams, to put it mildly, doesn't wear white. She is the person who introduced the "cat suit" to the tennis court. Her physical dominance is heretical to demure expectations that still permeate the sport.

 

When you couple gender expectations with racial ones, the inconsistency is no longer just obvious, it's glaring. If Williams were a petite blonde, like 17-year-old American Melanie Oudin, and was called for a match-ending foot-fault-cum-disqualification, the US Open crowd would have turned Arthur Ashe Stadium into Attica. But Williams was booed throughout the match against Clijsters; and when her outburst began, the booing intensified. The next day when she played doubles with her sister Venus, Serena Williams was repeatedly heckled. Her "Americanness" at the US Open was in open question in the way a white player's cultural heritage never would be. Ironically, her most infamous match against Clijsters, as all tennis fans know, was at Indian Wells in 2001 where she was subjected to racial taunts and slurs. She has boycotted Indian Wells ever since and has said she will continue to do so, even though she has been threatened with fines and sanctions.

 

The Williams sisters' ascendance from Compton to queens of the tennis world has been well documented and earned them millions of dollars plus fans around the world. But it has also gained them tons of detractors, from the stands to the blogosphere. This doesn't excuse Serena Williams's conduct, and it's not an attempt to "play the race card"; it's just a fact. When it comes to conquering race and gender in tennis, we are nowhere near match point.

 

--Dave Zirin is the author of A People's History of Sports in the United States (The New Press) Receive his column every week by emailing dave@edgeofsports.com. Contact him at edgeofsports@gmail.com.

 

 

[kanker.]

You cannot compare Kanye and Serena. He pouts every time he does not win an award. She's been a class act for years and had one outburst. It bothers me that the networks make such a big deal over her outburst, but still hire McEnroe to sit in the booth.

 

Good point on McEnroe. Regarding Serena-did anyone peep Federer's cursing at a judge two days later? An interesting article on the double standard here...

 

http://www.politicalaffairs.net/article/articleview/9011/

 

 

Original source: Edge of Sports

 

A top-ranked tennis player in a moment of rage cursed out a judge and shocked the world, headlining every sports and news program from ESPN to MSNBC. Meanwhile, another champion tennis player hurled expletives at a judge and the media barely yawned. While the tennis world still reels from Serena Williams's f-bomb-laced tirade against a line judge on September 12, the "classy" Roger Federer pulled a similar tantrum two days later and didn't get half as much coverage.

 

In US Open finals on September 14, Federer lost in five sets to the previously unheralded Juan Martín del Potro. In a tense third set, after a challenge by del Potro, Federer became infuriated with the line judge. After the judge told Federer to settle down, he said, "Don't tell me to be quiet, OK? I don't give a [expletive] what [del Potro] said, OK?" The 6-foot-6 power-serving Argentinean frustrated Federer throughout, and the favored player lost his famous cool. But after the match, there were no press conference apologies from Federer. And there were no calls for him to be suspended, fined or sanctioned. This despite the fact that his profanity was directed toward del Potro, a serious breach in tennis etiquette.

 

Williams without question lost control as well. After being called for a critical foot fault in her semifinal match against Kim Clijsters, she said to the line judge, "If I could, I would take this [expletive] ball and shove it down your [expletive] throat." The foot fault was a terrible call, and it cost Williams the match. After her rant, she was given a point penalty, and the match was effectively over as Clijsters looked on in a state of bewilderment. It's worth mentioning that the call by the line judge was the equivalent of calling a technical foul in Game 7 of the NBA finals with the score tied in the closing seconds.

 

The behavior of Federer and Williams in these matches are examples of bad sportsmanship at its worst. But the double standard is enough to make you want to swallow your tennis ball. When Williams lost it on the court, she later apologized and admitted idolizing tennis's infamous enfant terrible John McEnroe. McEnroe, now an announcer on CBS, responded, "I guess she idolized me for the wrong reasons, apparently. I feel like I'm on the hot seat now.... I can't defend the indefensible." His co-anchor, Mary Carillo, was even harsher, saying, Williams "could have won the Oscar" for her calm performance at the press conference after the match.

 

On September 13 on ESPN2, Carillo called for Williams's suspension, saying, "If you care about the integrity of your sport, you throw somebody out of the game for a while." Later, she called Williams's $10,500 fine a "joke" and an "embarrassment." By contrast, when Federer cursed, CBS broadcaster Dick Enberg drew a distinction that it was not "venomous."

 

The question is not whether Williams was right or Federer was wrong. They were both wrong. The question is whether hypocrisy is acceptable. The double standard is obvious if we perform the gender flip test: if Williams were a man, would her behavior have been met with similar outrage?

To ask the question is to answer it: from McEnroe to Jimmy Connors, male players who blow their tops are part of tennis lore. McEnroe has repeatedly made calls for current pros to not be "robots" and have the "passion" he displayed. But in the country-club white-skirt-and-ponytail world of women's tennis, different behavior is expected. Williams, to put it mildly, doesn't wear white. She is the person who introduced the "cat suit" to the tennis court. Her physical dominance is heretical to demure expectations that still permeate the sport.

 

When you couple gender expectations with racial ones, the inconsistency is no longer just obvious, it's glaring. If Williams were a petite blonde, like 17-year-old American Melanie Oudin, and was called for a match-ending foot-fault-cum-disqualification, the US Open crowd would have turned Arthur Ashe Stadium into Attica. But Williams was booed throughout the match against Clijsters; and when her outburst began, the booing intensified. The next day when she played doubles with her sister Venus, Serena Williams was repeatedly heckled. Her "Americanness" at the US Open was in open question in the way a white player's cultural heritage never would be. Ironically, her most infamous match against Clijsters, as all tennis fans know, was at Indian Wells in 2001 where she was subjected to racial taunts and slurs. She has boycotted Indian Wells ever since and has said she will continue to do so, even though she has been threatened with fines and sanctions.

 

The Williams sisters' ascendance from Compton to queens of the tennis world has been well documented and earned them millions of dollars plus fans around the world. But it has also gained them tons of detractors, from the stands to the blogosphere. This doesn't excuse Serena Williams's conduct, and it's not an attempt to "play the race card"; it's just a fact. When it comes to conquering race and gender in tennis, we are nowhere near match point.

 

--Dave Zirin is the author of A People's History of Sports in the United States (The New Press) Receive his column every week by emailing dave@edgeofsports.com. Contact him at edgeofsports@gmail.com.

 

There's a big difference - Federer did not threaten the ref in his case. Serena did.

[mate stubb]

I still don't get why people say that the foot fault was a terrible call. I do not subscribe to the view that you overlook fouls at the end of a championship game and "just let them play".

 

That's bullcrap. You either call them objectively or don't bother calling anything.

 

Williams IS known to footfault, so it's not like this is completely out of the blue.

 

But Federer clearly got an unfair pass with his behavior.

[MusicWorkz]

There's a big difference - Federer did not threaten the ref in his case. Serena did.

 

If you consider that a threat man, then the threshold is pretty low. She lost it in the heat of battle and let her frustrations show to a judge that made a questionable call. McEnroe did that and THEN some during his career. She threw a tantrum and there was no qualifier on the content of what she said other than unsportsmanlike conduct-cursing at the judge, which is the same thing Federer did.

[MusicWorkz]

I still don't get why people say that the foot fault was a terrible call. I do not subscribe to the view that you overlook fouls at the end of a championship game and "just let them play".

 

That's bullcrap. You either call them objectively or don't bother calling anything.

 

Williams IS known to footfault, so it's not like this is completely out of the blue.

 

But Federer clearly got an unfair pass with his behavior.

 

I agree. If she did, she did, but even the clips show it was a questionable call from what can be seen. I think the thinking in the "let 'em play" camp is that unless it is something flagrant, in that 11th hour, you let the athletes do what they do and not play them TOO close like that.

[Cygnus64]

There's a big difference - Federer did not threaten the ref in his case. Serena did.

 

If you consider that a threat man, then the threshold is pretty low.

 

It's a threat. In 2009, kids can't bring an aspirin or so much as a butter knife to school, one cant bring matches or some shampoos on planes, they gotta take off their shoes, you know the drill. Telling someone that you are going to shove something up their poopchute IS a threat. If you said it to a policeman or a politician you would be in the klink.

[J. Dan]

Telling someone that you are going to shove something up their poopchute IS a threat. If you said it to a policeman or a politician you would be in the klink.

 

Not going to name any names, but for some, that would be a proposition.

[kanker.]

There's a big difference - Federer did not threaten the ref in his case. Serena did.

 

If you consider that a threat man, then the threshold is pretty low. She lost it in the heat of battle and let her frustrations show to a judge that made a questionable call. McEnroe did that and THEN some during his career. She threw a tantrum and there was no qualifier on the content of what she said other than unsportsmanlike conduct-cursing at the judge, which is the same thing Federer did.

In sports, refs are sacrosanct. She threatened to shove a ball down a ref's throat. That's a threat of physical violence. Yeah, we all know she wasn't going to shove the ball down the ref's throat, but it doesn't change the fact that it was indeed a threat of physical violence. Federer did not go that far. Federer deserves a fine for his outburst, no question. Serena deserves a fine and a small suspension of some sort. She also needs to have me console her through the whole thing, but that's another story...

 

 

[stepay]

There's a big difference - Federer did not threaten the ref in his case. Serena did.

 

If you consider that a threat man, then the threshold is pretty low. She lost it in the heat of battle and let her frustrations show to a judge that made a questionable call. McEnroe did that and THEN some during his career. She threw a tantrum and there was no qualifier on the content of what she said other than unsportsmanlike conduct-cursing at the judge, which is the same thing Federer did.

In sports, refs are sacrosanct. She threatened to shove a ball down a ref's throat. That's a threat of physical violence. Yeah, we all know she wasn't going to shove the ball down the ref's throat, but it doesn't change the fact that it was indeed a threat of physical violence. Federer did not go that far. Federer deserves a fine for his outburst, no question. Serena deserves a fine and a small suspension of some sort. She also needs to have me console her through the whole thing, but that's another story...

 

 

Agreed 100%. That was definitely a threat.

[Cliffk]

She also needs to have me console her through the whole thing, but that's another story...

Kevin you're a sick, sick man ... though I'm similarly afflicted, but that too is another story.

[kanker.]

Kevin you're a sick, sick man

Thanks for noticing

[zephonic]

this for Kev and Cliff:

 

WARNING: ADULT CONTENT

 

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_lbLJlafTPgU/SA9-aipqN6I/AAAAAAAAIvw/dL-sxd_CpKc/s1600/Serena%2BWilliams%2B(4).jpg

[Steve LeBlanc]

adult content? don't know about that but 100% fine content for sure, I think she's hot.

 

I didn't see the match but I can't believe anyone felt seriously threatened, she was pissed and vented in the heat of the moment, not all that shocking for sports these days IMO. Can't help but think at least some of the over-reaction is motivated by race.

[Bobadohshe]

If you're into that strong, womanly but powerful build, then there is no doubt she is bangin. But Kev, Cliff, Steve, I think she would probably tear us all apart. I hate to say it but that's prob more woman than I could handle.

 

Regarding her outburst, I agree with the notion that it was a shameful outburst, but it makes a little more sense in the context of cutthroat athletic competition with your blood pumping, where you play each match like your life depended on it. If you look at her body of work (what a body), her character is pretty solid.

[Steve LeBlanc]

If you're into that strong, womanly but powerful build, then there is no doubt she is bangin. But Kev, Cliff, Steve, I think she would probably tear us all apart. I hate to say it but that's prob more woman than I could handle.

 

 

definitely more than a challenge, however, i've handled similar in my lifetime ...doubt she'd have any interest in me but i can fantasize

[Bobadohshe]

She may be a huge Fine Frenzy fan.

[Steve LeBlanc]

She may be a huge Fine Frenzy fan.

 

bigger than most

[kanker.]

If you're into that strong, womanly but powerful build, then there is no doubt she is bangin. But Kev, Cliff, Steve, I think she would probably tear us all apart. I hate to say it but that's prob more woman than I could handle.

I run 6'2", 215lbs. I'm ready for the fight

[stepay]

adult content? don't know about that but 100% fine content for sure, I think she's hot.

 

I didn't see the match but I can't believe anyone felt seriously threatened, she was pissed and vented in the heat of the moment, not all that shocking for sports these days IMO. Can't help but think at least some of the over-reaction is motivated by race.

 

Let me get this straight...several of you think Serena Williams is HOT?

 

WOW! She's talented and athletic, but man oh man I never thought of her as hot...not one little bit. No need to defend your position...to each his own. She's just a bit mannish for me.

[wmp]

Perhaps you can hold her purse while she kills Kevin.

 

[Jeff Klopmeyer]

Completely hot.

[stepay]

Completely hot.

 

Really? Wow! I am actually shocked to hear that so many of you think so. Well tie me to an ant hill and fill my ears with jam! (little Andy Griffith show reference there).

[meccajay]

If you're into that strong, womanly but powerful build, then there is no doubt she is bangin. But Kev, Cliff, Steve, I think she would probably tear us all apart. I hate to say it but that's prob more woman than I could handle.

 

Dude, she dates Common...

 

http://urbanstrategist.files.wordpress.com/2008/12/rapper-common.jpg

 

...who's like a 160lbs vegetarian rapper. "...Wearing shirts extra medium"

 

If he can handle it, anyone should be able to handle it.

 

http://www.missxpose.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/bROWN-CHRIS3.JPG

 

http://concreteloop.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/spl54990_015.jpg

 

 

 

 

 

 

[stepay]

Perhaps you can hold her purse while she kills Kevin.