In the past, we at Belly Up Sports have discussed the fanaticism that comes with being a fan. To some degree, it’s expected. At Texas A&M they have midnight yell practices. In European Soccer, teams have dedicated songs about things like walking or bubbles. And in Buffalo, fans will leap off of a camper van through a ring of fire and onto a folding table. In all situations, we expect and understand sports fans will be crazy. But when it comes to Russell Westbrook? Name-calling gets crazy.
Last week, after another loss in an abominable season, Russell Westbrook took his post-game presser time to discuss, amongst other things, name-calling.
"Westbrick to me is now shaming, like it's shaming my name and my legacy for my kids."
— ??? ???????? ???? (@sportingnews) March 8, 2022
Russell Westbrook spoke at length about criticism he and his family have faced this season. pic.twitter.com/uYtzI4cTEc
Russell Westbrook’s comments sparked a firestorm across the sports landscape. To some, this appeared “soft” or “weak.” It looked like a pampered millennial who has trouble dealing with criticism. To others? The openly human side of Westbrook made him more endearing. Westbrook was discussing how difficult it was making life for his kids, not for himself.
Russell Westbrook
In defense of the fans, Westbrook is having one of his worst years in the pros/ He hasn’t been this low in scoring since the 2009-2010 season, he’s having his fourth-lowest assist season in his fifteen-year career, and he’s shooting his worst eFG% since 2011. On the whole, the 33-year-old former MVP and future Hall of Famer look somewhere between the end of his career and his walk into Naismith.
Westbrook sought a trade to Los Angeles last summer as a chance to go home. Westbrook had been on a different team in 2019, 2020, and 2021and (understandably) saw returning to the city he grew up in as a safe haven. Further, with guys like LeBron James and Anthony Davis on the roster, it looked like he’d have a chance to go out on top. Los Angeles has proven to be neither safe nor on top.
Westbrook has his own maniac fans on #NBATwitter. To be fair, they’ve continued with unwavering support. Amidst montages of shots off of the side of the backboard, profiles with pictures of Westbrook as their profile picture will explain, in detail, how “The Brodie” is a scapegoat. That James and Lakers Nation needed a fall guy for what was going to be a bad season. If you ever want to see profiles attack like you’ve struck a wasp’s nest, retweet one of their arguments with a bad statline of Russ’s.
Westbrook has played poorly this season, and even his staunchest supporter won’t dispute that. And, while they failed to move him at the trade deadline, it does appear that the Lakers are going to trade him away if he signs his $47 Million player option for next season.
There is an expectation that the Lakers' acquisition of Russell Westbrook may not be completed until the new league calendar year, similar to the NOLA-MEM trade, and it could even be finalized as a larger, multi-team deal during free agency, according to league sources.
— Jake Fischer (@JakeLFischer) July 29, 2021
Suffice to say that Russell Westbrook no longer wants to play for the same hometown jersey he’s worn on his chest for years. And that’s the fault of the fans.
Calling Ballers Names
Russell Westbrook is far from the first NBA player to be mocked by fans, and won’t be the last. In the last season, we’ve seen a slew of insults hurled from the city of Philadelphia at Ben Simmons, LeBron James has been called things like “LeBum” or “LeMickey” over the internet, and Kyrie Irving has been called things like “high-rie.” That’s not even to mention the body shaming of a kid like Zion Williamson, who has yet to play in a game this season but is just 21-years-old. And that doesn’t include things like mocking James Harden or Luka Doncic’s weight gain (even if “Luka Donthicc” makes a great t-shirt).
At what point is it all just silly? When does it become mean? And to what extent does buy a ticket, or creating a Twitter account, allow you to antagonize another person?
For decades, name-calling in sports has been heralded. The Boston Garden had a home-court advantage built on it. Philadelphia wore it with a badge of pride. Crowds in Utah flirted with blunt racism at times as they became the Jazz’s sixth starter.
That’s not to say fans shouldn’t cheer, nor that they shouldn’t have the emotional connection to the games and teams they fall in love with… but is this the only way to express that?
In American history, there have been evolutions in the way we identify one another and talk to and about one another. Those adaptations are tough for some to swallow, but the names some grew up calling one another aren’t ok anymore, or they’ve changed, or what have you. Calling players out of their name is no different. Sure, you used to call Charles Barkley fat in 1994. It wasn’t even necessarily the worst thing The Round Mound of Rebound got called. But does that mean we need to berate a 21-year-old kid with that today?
The Line
At the very least, while we may disagree on things on a case-by-case basis, one thing feels simple: when an athlete tells you to stop, that’s the moment to stop. You may not think of a nickname as being a big deal. Fans may think the front row ticket allows them to do anything they want, even spit on Trae Young in Madison Square Garden.
That’s extreme, but it’s not too far down the road from yelling obscenities from the same seat. And obscenities are nothing more than insulting nicknames that lack creativity.
It’s not that there’s nothing to be critical about Westbrook about, because there has been.As there has been with James, Simmons, Harden, Doncic, and Williamson. But Westbrook has, in simple terms, laid out the case to stop. So it’s time to stop.
Athletes have more access to the fan than ever before. Any dweeb with an internet connection can make a profile on Twitter, using a fake name and profile picture, and berate players. That’s negative. It’s hateful. And there’s no place to excuse it, even if it happens every day. That same access has opened up our ability to get to know these players. It allowed us to get to know Westbrook’s “Honor the Gift” brand. It allowed us to get insight into The Boardroom with Kevin Durant or The Shop with LeBron James.
Now, it’s allowing us to hear Westbrook, and others, out. So it’s time to listen.
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