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Birdman Chris Anderson
It sounds superficial. It probably is superficial. But, watching the NBA has become almost a chore for me, not because the talent is diluted and the art of great passing is all but gone, though it most certainly is, but because more than three quarters of NBA players have ugly tattoos.
Yes, I'm prejudiced against people with tattoos. I think they made a big mistake, I question their decision-making skills, and I think they probably lack in self esteem. I think a small tattoo on a sailor's forearm is okay, but more than a silver dollar size is too much. I think they make women look trashy, hence the word "tramp stamp," though Beyonce could have her whole body tattooed and she's still be gorgeous. I guess I just don't get it.
It's actually a novelty to find players who aren't tattooed. I can think of Dwight Howard, Tony Parker, and......does Wally Szerbiak have one?
I've been watching the conference finals the past week, and the games have been pretty exciting. Not many people would have guessed that the Orlando Magic would be a Lebron three-pointer away from leading three games to none. But....I can't get past these tattoos.
There are two players, one in each series, who must have OCTD--Obsessive Compulsive Tattoo Disorder. No matter how many tattoos they get, they need more, and no matter how ugly this "art" makes them look, they can stare into a mirror and think it looks good.
On the Cleveland Cavaliers, Delonte West looks like he belongs in a circus. After filling up both arms, West actually walked into a tattoo parlor and said, "stick some needles in my neck." It's hard to tell where one ends and another starts, but he has at least a dozen tattoos, and looks like a moron. Sorry, but he does.
In the West, the Denver Nuggets' Chris Anderson is nicknamed "birdman," supposedly because he can fly to the basket, and he flaps his arms after a big play. I actually think it's a good nickname because he looks like a peacock.
A friend of mine passed away last year, way too young, and his teenage son had a big tattoo put on his arm in remembrance of his dad, something he later admitted was the most painful thing he'd ever experienced. I immediately told my son, "Don't you ever do that if I go before my time." "But," my son said, "it would be a way to remember you." Hey, I changed his diapers a thousand times, taught him how to ride a bike, shoot a gun, catch a fish, throw a curveball, and have never missed one of his football games, basketball games, baseball games, band concerts or school conferences, and he needs an ugly tattoo on his arm to remember his old man? Hey, remember me, the old guy that pays the bills? You wanna remember me? Wear my favorite sweater, or my only nice watch, but don't scar your body forever.
Basketball, when played right, can be a thing of beauty. But, the two-bit punk attitudes, tattoos and chest-beating has made a great sport look like a thug convention.
The Indiana Pacers' Marquis Daniels had a tattoo of a man committing suicide (lovely), Gilbert Arenas has the words "change we believe in" on his fingers in honor of Barack Obama, Luke Walton has a tattoo in honor of the Grateful Dead, and Tim Duncan has a tattoo covering his chest in honor of the nerdy game Dungeons and Dragons. The most idiotic reason for getting a tattoo? Amare Stoudemire wins the award. The Sun's star claims that "if I died right now, my kids could get to know me by my tats." Uh, Amare, why don't you just talk to your kids!
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Delonte West knifes his way through two
heavily-tattooed defenders
Comments
The players ARE marvelous...and I agree it's hard to get past the tats. If you can, though, it's been a helluva playoff this year.
Mr. McNary, what you've just said is one of the most insanely idiotic things I have ever heard. At no point in your rambling, incoherent response were you even close to anything that could be considered a rational thought. Everyone in this room is now dumber for having listened to it. I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul.
agreed he contradicted himself many times.......XP
This article proves that this world is still filled with ignorant people who judge others on their skin and appearance, rather than their merits and accomplishments.
I guess your love of the game isn't what it should be if your enjoyment can be diminished in any way by something as trivial as body art.
You're jealous. Coz you ain't got one.
If tatoos are enough to keep you away from watching the NBA then your not much of a basketball fan.
get over it you pussy Kyle McNary
tattoos are great so man up you pussy and stop crying like a bitch
I don't think tats make the game unwatchable, but they are damn ugly and distracting.
I certainly notice players with no visible tats: this includes Ray Allen, Michael Redd, Dwight Howard, Lamar Odom, Grant Hill and a ton of other players. Pau Gasol and it seems a majority of foreign born players do not have noticably visible tats.
So, tattoos make women look trashy, yet Beyoncé could be covered and she'd be gorgeous? I just stopped reading after that, to be honest. How are you a writer?
i agreed with him but at the same time i disagreed with him. beyonce looks good but in a trashy way and tatts look good but it depends on wat kind u get.
It's clear to men Kyle McNary haws low self esteem and a small penis since. who wrotes an article crying about tattos which don't effect the game of basketball in anyway? Kyle McNary is a total doushbag who can't get his wife to cum, maybe he should spend more time working on that instead of gaying out over NBA players tattos.
you're lame.
amen. love the article--i live in cleveland, and while I like Delonte, it took a while to be able to look past all those tatts, i mean please-let people see you not ur bad attempt at art--he has the money he should remove them
and you have the money for a knife so maybe you should cut your eyes out so you dont have to look at them ...i just saying we all have options so maybe you should think before you type
Self esteem is a two-way street. A highly visible tattoo may scream "I don't like me" as much as it may scream "I love myself and what you think of me is irrelevant."
So, Kyle, do you feel the same way about women with breast implants? Botox? People who opt to wear contacts insted of glasses?
All of these are choices people make to change the way they outwardly appear and inwardly feel. I guess tattoos are just trashy because they have long been associated with the fringes of society - bi
Blasted hidden word count! Okay, so part 2.
bikers, gangs, sailors
Why do you allow tattoos to bother you, Kyle? It's not an infectious disease and they're not a crime. Just you and your eyes who think everyone should be more or less in a box and look and act in way morally acceptable to you.
Idiot.
You are an idiot. Never, never write again.
You have no right to talk s**t about what someone does to their body. Why don't you write about something that you know about. Leave the tattoo talk to those who know and appreciate it. Stupid 'effin idiot.
DUMB ASS!!!!! They who Tattoo are nothing but PIGS!!!!!!!!!!!
With the NBA Finals and Stanley Cup playoffs in full swing, Kyle McNary rants about tattoos in a sports column... Minneapolis Sports Examiner: you pay him too much for this (assuming you pay him more than $0/year) Kyle McNary: do us a favor and find another profession. Like bullet swallowing...
How do you even have this job? What trash.
I am really glad that you wrote this article, Kyle. It reminds me that we all have freedom of speech. Here is my rebuttal article, it makes about as much sense as your original article too.
----------------------
Middle Aged Balding Men Make News Almost Unreadable.
I like news, but damn the middle aged balding men who write articles like "Tattoos have made NBA almost unwatchable" really make the news almost unreadable. I think it shows a lack of personal hygiene when someone goes bald. Exce
Perfect rebuttal.
I heartily agree with this article. Some of the players have gone way too far. And Chris Anderson is a total tool. Being covered in tatoos may be fine if you're a millionaire basketball player, but they influence kids into thinking that they're cool. I see so many dumb ass kids with massive tattoos on their necks and hands and sometimes even their faces (!) and I just think: You dumb punk. You're going to be stuck working as a fry cook for the rest of your life because you look like a frea
...Except for my father because even if he was balding I would still love him.
I am an a**hole, there I said it. I question people just for the sake of questioning. If my tattoos were covered but I wore a shirt that said my penis is pierced, would I offend you Kyle? I truly hope so because if you cannot get your head out of your ass long enough to realize that my decisions are just that, mine, as yours are your own.
Quite honestly, I don't give two hot craps about what you think of my ta
... tattoos and you in your mesh jersey, balding, and grumpy. I think we would have fun. ---------
See, I told you my article would make about as much sense as the original. The End.
you are obviously intrigued and interested in tattoos.. maybe you kyle should do some research about why people get tattooed first..
this would allow you to create a much better argument against tattoo culture.. instead of your half hearted opinions
you ARE a journalist right?
Kyle McNary represents every reason why people should get a tattoo, be you sports star, housewife, or dumb punk fry cook freak. The social conservatives like McNary who claim tattoo are horrible scars are silencing self expression at any level, in and out of sports.
Oddly enough, all of the examples of tattoos McNary has cited are not abstract art pieces that may or may not pique his fancy. Those tattoos that McNary finds nauseating were put on those people's skin because they mean something.
Continued from below:
...This is FAR from superficial
Kyle, regardless of whether he CHOOSES to get a tattoo or not, hopefully your son can see past the fallacies of your writing.
times change! u havent ur old and the leaGUE IS NEW TRY ADAPTING i BET YOUR PARENTS DIDNT LIKE ELVIS?
Worst article on the internets. If I see this nazi on the streets I will point and say rude things at him.
... you know I want to write out a huge comment on how STUPID this so called article is, but I get the feeling I would be wasting my breath.
How people like you can be writers I'll never know. If your going to have an opnion at least word it so it dosent make you sound so much like a backward yobbo.
I don't understand how any sort of reputable publication can allow openly bigoted trash like this be circulated. Wow.
I have to say that I absolutely love this article. One or two tattoos is ok, but why these players chose to be a walking billboard just gets me. Once I use to count the amount of guys with tattoos in the league, now I count the guys without and believe me they are easier to look at. What are these guys going to do after they retire.
This dude is racist
I am heavily tattooed. I work in a tattoo shop. This was hilarious to me. Thank you, and even though I'm one of the people you hate, good for you for speaking your mind like an American should.
www.beercanhill.com
Keep up the good work!
Stop hating and get money
I'm so tired of people complaining about what other people do with their bodies, their money, and their time. If it's not hurting you, then why bother commenting about it? Tattoos and body piercing mean nothing other than a person enjoys expressing him/herself. I bet you decorate your home with sports memorabilia, right? Who cares if someone else wants to decorate their body? Why do we waste time deriding people on their choices when there are more important issues out there? If someone is going to regret their tattoo, your badly-written article isn't going to be the catalyst that changes their mind.
AMEN!!! All the tats just looks nasty. All the money they make and they won't to walk around with all of that graffiti all over their bodies.
I agree. If you have one too many tattoos it looks bad. And I don't understand why people have to get tattoos to express themselves? Its like they walk around with a sign on their bodies saying: I'm insecure! Look at me I need attention!!
I love tattoos. I think they make people look fresh and wholesome. My children have them and I encourage it. My 8 year old son has 9 tattoos now and he really enjoys laughing about them while drinking whiskey with me and my friends.
You know what else I hate about players with tattoos? When they're black players with tattoos.
Hey Kyle, are we still hanging out tomorrow?
I also agree with this article! Let me finally speak my mind of this: These tattoos are disgusting! I'm seriously thinking of boycotting all NBA watching because of these poster-size tattoos and because of all of horrible attitudes in the league.
These guys need to get a clue. They are paid exorbitant salaries unlike the rest of us in America. They need to be more like Dwight Howard--I know he gets some technicals, but he has composure and a good attitude(and he is not draped in tattoo ink).
I also find it hard to watch the NBA because of the tattoos (and the horrible attitudes).
The older I get, the more disgusted I get.
So when are we gonna put these tattooed coloreds back in their place, buddy?
This guy should be fired. Seriously, this is such a bad article by a horrible writer. Ignorance, idiotic, moronic, racist, discriminating, those are some words that come to mind from this chump. I can't wait until your son dates that girl with the tramp stamp. Are you going to ban him from dating her?
This guy continues to prove he has no skills. I can't believe I just wared 5 minutes of my life reading this guy.
Tattoos don't make a person, open your mind.
It makes me sad to see this ignorance coming from my home state. A tattoo is a personal decision one makes memorial or aesthetic reasons. And if an employer is going to judge me by what I wear on my skin its a pretty good indication that he isn't the kind of person I want to be working for, what other judgments and prejudices will he hold against me?
I can respect your freedom of speech, it only reaffirms that I can have my fantasy of quarantining the senile, bigots and closed minded folks and let them create their sterilized, uniform, and regulated dystopia.
Hey, Permanent Insanity (appropriate nickname), do you have any ideas of your own, or do you just rip off lines from movies? Seems like there are plenty of people who agree with me (most!). Maybe you can come up with a better rubuttal than "you're idiotic."
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