Why Rondo Is Stupid

When I saw Rondo return to game 3 and it was obvious he was playing one-handed, and all the announcers and pundits were applauding his bravery and character, all I could think about was the stupidity of the decision. All around. Watch the replay. The injury was horrific. The guy couldn't lift his arm. On a practical level, he wasn't going to be effective on the court. You can play with nicks and scratches and strains and sickness and through all sorts of things. And yet, there are many injuries you cannot play through at all - severe sprains, dislocations, tore ligaments, broken bones. Does being stupid mean you have character? All the pundits and sportscasters talking about bravery are a bunch of fucking assholes if you ask me. Why didn't anyone say, "Fellas, this is dumb. The guy is hurt, playing against the biggest, fastest, most physical players in the world, he's either going to hurt himself more or be ineffective. It's just a game." It says something about the male character that we need to lionize Rondo for playing when he clearly shouldn't and then on the flipside chastise guys like Gasol for playing "soft" all series. It is like a massive inferiority complex has infected the American male character. Who the fuck do these media types think they are? Who are they to judge Rondo and Gasol? Rondo ought to ask the hordes of ex-professional football players who played "bravely" throughout massive injuries and now can barely walk where those sportscasters and pundits are today pronouncing and applauding their "bravery." They don't give a shit about the players.

I wasn't inspired by Rondo. I was disappointed. Disappointed in a culture that celebrates physical abuse and stupidity and masks it as toughness. And for what? The Celtics still got beat. And Rondo was totally ineffective playing injured.

When I tore my ACL last year, I gimped off the field and then tried running up and down the sidelines thinking maybe I could go back into the game. Part of brain was wired to get back in, to shake it off, etc, etc. No doubt part of our sport culture that values toughness and bravery and all that shit. I felt dumb when I did side-to-sides and realized I had no stability in my knees and I later found out my ACL was completely torn. How is it possible that the thought even crossed my mind to go back into a stupid, inconsequential men's league soccer game? Is this what we expect of our men? It is idiocy, pure and simple. There are things such as bravery and sacrifice. But we go looking for such things in ridiculous petty dramas such as sport why? Why do we need to feel as if these things exist as some sort of metaphor about character and being?

Let's call what Rondo did what it was: dumb. Irresponsible. Self-destructive. We've watched Brett Favre do the same thing for years under the guise of toughness. What a bunch of bullshit, little-dick complexes coming to the surface. Just go buy a sports car, fellas.

UPDATE: And you know what else. Fuck Boston sports culture for putting the players under such scrutiny to act "tough" and "brave." What a bunch of massholes.