Quote:
Originally Posted by Jiri Hrdina
The obsession started before Neal sucked. Basically the moment he was acquired. To be fair that poster largely turned out to be right in his assessment of the player.
I always figure stuff like that though has to involve some personal interaction that went poorly. Certainly I've had a couple of those that has impacted my perception of players I used to like. Similarly, some of my favorite players are those I've had positive interactions with.
Really we shouldn't conflate good athletes being good people - but its hard to not root for the good guys.
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This post is spot on and it's why I have tried to learn less and less about athlete's private lives as the years go by. Aside from it being none of my business, I don't want to confuse my appreciation for the sport with what happens outside of it. I think you also have to realize that an interaction with an athlete is but the briefest possible snapshot into their life and may not be reflective in any way of them as a person. Or that these are young men for the most part who will mature over time.