L-O-L

Diversion of the day:

This is pretty much a quickie here. With the NBA Draft early entry deadline quickly approaching, everyone and their momma is throwing their name into the pool, hoping to get some run with Mickey Mouse in Orlando and a sense if they're wasting their time declaring this year. While some (most?) players are just too dense to realize they need to stay in school another year or 6 (Yes, Derrick Caracter, this means you - though I'm beginning to believe Coach Pitino was one more silly foul away from having your family find your body in a river, so maybe I don't blame ya), most (some?) of these guys are just "testing the waters". I do have plenty to say about nearly every individual who has declared thus far, most of which isn't nice and accuses the NBA of racism, but we'll save that fun for closer to the draft.

Today's excitement involved THE Ohio State awkward big white man Kosta Koufos deciding to "test the draft process". While he is inexplicably projected as a late lotto pick, despite nearly everything about him screaming "STIFF!", I'm hoping the Greek dude returns to THE Ohio State next season just so we can enjoy a frontcourt of TWO awkward big white guys stumbling over one another in the low post when BJ Mullens arrives in Columbus. As Bill Simmons would say, the unintentional comedy factor has a tremendous upside potential.

Anyways, today's musings relate to a fairly broad topic that just had me thinking this evening. Around January, I developed this intense obsession with K-State BBall phenom Michael Beasley. The reasons are endless - the way he crashes the boards, his silky outside J, the way he can play like the 6-10 power forward he is one moment and a 2-guard the next, the ridiculous stats, those pretty sleepy green eyes and that red hair...I'll spare you the rest. Anyways, said obsession led to me spending my work days endlessly Googling and YouTubing Lil' Mike. Great information out there on the youngin' too - he loves interviews, and his dear mama writes a blog about him that sounds more obsessed with him than I do any day of the week.

The common theme in most of the interviews and videos is how goofy of a person he is. In case you've missed out on his oft-told life story, he went to 98 different high schools, and was kicked out of the prestigious basketball factory Oak Hill Academy after his junior season for having a contest with Ty Lawson as to who could autograph the most items of school property (Mike won the contest with his autograph of the principal's car, and subsequently was dismissed). Overall though, he's a good guy...no criminal record, decent grades, not even a notable attitude problem. Essentially, the opposite of O.J. Mayo. But the main point of anything you read or see on him is how he's just a fun, Spongebob-idolizing (We are SO meant to be together), goofy kid who is trying to find a balance between having "too much fun" and becoming a responsible adult representing K-State (and now his soon-to-be NBA team).

So naturally, reporters kind of egg that kid side of him on when they're working with him. Lil' Mike seemingly gets really excited in front of cameras, and basically hams it up to the best of his abilities. He knows he's making people laugh, and even he and his mama said how his joy in life is making others happy. His press conferences are semi-famous, particularly the YouTube staple of "Mike and the iPod". Some K-State student group put together a series of random press conference moments, mainly involving Lil' Mike, displaying their silliness.



Now, for some reason, some people took offense to this, saying that it displayed a poor representation of K-State by its student-athletes. Another group even reposted the same video under the title "Student-athletes disgrace institution of higher learning". Comments throughout the internets assume they're all stoners, or just simply lacking intelligence and class. These guys, particularly Lil' Mike, are acting like clowns, camels, disgraces! Because apparently...being a kid is illegal.

Think back to when you were 18, 19. Maybe you were a freshman in college too. How many mature, serious moments did you have in an average day? How would YOU have acted if a camera was constantly in your face, inviting you to act silly?

I worked with/was tortured by University of Pittsburgh athletics for the last 4 years, where I was subject to way too many men's basketball press conferences. Particularly this past season, Pitt's own freshman phenom DeJuan Blair got a lot of postgame PT because of his monster numbers. And generally, he acted like a fool. He gave semi-serious answers, but he spent the rest of the time laughing, poking at his teammates, and basically...being a 19 year old boy. And the press would roll their eyes, while I tried my hardest not to giggle from the back corner.

For the record, it can be safely assumed that this sort of stuff goes on at EVERY athletic program, and probably most pro teams, unless you're in the NFL where a toenail clipping is fined. Kids act silly, stodgy reporters and prissy university folk roll their eyes and suck their teeth and thank whatever God/gods that THEY are better than that.

However, you don't hear or see these guys cussing out reporters, or telling the world that they're "A FUCKIN' SOULJA!", or making it rain, or whatever. They're not even making fart jokes! They're not doing anything remotely offensive! Are the offended parties at K-State going to take me to a frat party where they are playing an innocent game of Pictionary rather than beer pong, and prove that their university is so esteemed that some post game jokes are a threat to their well-being?

Now, I could flip this, and say that the media is exploiting these young black men in a "Bamboozled"-kinda way, encouraging them to act like clowns to perpetuate the overall image of them as lowly stupid people not meant to do anything but run, jump, and rhyme, but even my political ass isn't that crazy. I see it as it is - children being children. And you know what? I laugh. It's cute. Stupid, but cute. Maybe I'm a bit biased towards Lil' Mike, but hell, I'm telling you I found DeJuan's antics amusing, and I hate Pitt with every fiber of my being.

Then again, you're reading the words of a woman who sang "The Wheels on the Bus..." at the top of her lungs while waiting for the 71A this evening, so maybe my judgment is wacky. Regardless...I feel like people aim to target flaws in all young athletes, assuming these are all awful people who we shouldn't let our children see. And when you're not Pacman Jones, I guess you get chastised for your sense of humor. Chad Johnson (Prior to the contract bitching) was an amazing example of this ludicrousness - the guy really never did a damn thing wrong, but the world seemingly hated him for making checklists of cornerbacks and racing horses. And this logic might even be more amusing than the stupid media moments.

So really people - stop chastising the kids. Embrace your days of youth, current or past. Save the hatin' for the people who earn it by their actual disgraceful actions. I'm sure Pacman will F up sometime soon to give you something worthwhile to criticize.

Until then...continue to judge. But don't lie, you just wish you were part of this happy fun good time.