Comments on: Life in America is going to amaze Rudy Fernandez

By: Nikki4Rudy

Nikki4Rudy — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 03:52:53 +0000

I love Rudy Fernandez! Stay in Portland

By: Melk

Melk — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 20:02:36 +0000

“Or more likely just smoked it in joints like 98% of the spaniards do…” Information is out there to check what you say: http://www.pnsd.msc.es/Categoria2/publica/publicaciones/Guia2008/img/cannabis2.jpg (18% of 14-to-18 youngsters consumed cannabis in the last 30 days in 2006). Of course cannabis consumption is not equally spread among youngsters, so you could see high schools where this could rise up to 50% and some others where it is rare.

The case of Rudy must have been one of these last ones. Before he entered the ACB league in Spain, he was playing for Joventut younger categories, and if things go as I know do for Estudiantes (an ACB team from Madrid where a friend of mine used to play in 10-14 categories), their education is controlled before they even have a chance to face drugs. His father seems to have been a professional basketball player in Spain as well, and his sister played in WNBA last year.

By: Olaf

Olaf — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 08:03:00 +0000

Of course Spaniards are concerned with money, but maybe they don’t always believe that rich = good and poor = dumb/lazy like we do in the US. The class disparity in this country is our biggest problem and a source of widespread disorder (i.e. drugs and crime). But then again maybe we’re right about the dumb/lazy sterotype, considering how many poor people vote Republican…

By: chris

chris — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 01:40:04 +0000

p.s.

this post did disturb me, though

“in general in Spain girls would not act against their own inside feelings just to get money, the majority would not bear to live with an unwanted child from an unknown just for some monetary compensation, no matter how high. Money is less important here in a value scale than being true to personal feelings and values… money here is not regarded as THE goal in life. Quality of life is.”

maybe america really is so much more diverse and tolerant. when you bring up the word “values” in america, people automatically understand that these are -your personal- values. we don’t have ‘values’ as a whole.

well, maybe understanding that our ‘feelings’ and ‘values’ are different from other people’s ‘feelings’ and ‘values’ is in fact – an american value.

also – to a lot of people, money = quality of life. this is not being selfish or greedy while spanish people are all lofty, idealistic and in touch with the ‘right way’ to live.

money = better food, better housing, better healthcare, better education = quality of life

By: chris

chris — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 01:28:04 +0000

I didn’t read anything about a race or color anywhere in the Rudy transcript.

There’s some stuff in there that you can take to mean whatever you want, and having the word ‘race’ pop up in your head says a little bit about you in a wierd-reverse-psychological-whatever sort of way.

lemme hit you with some stories and statisticalizations (much harder to find than i thought):

U.S. Statistics
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/hus/hus07.pdf#067

NPR Story on Spain’s Rising Drug Use
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5069687

Hoopster Demographics
http://www.american.com/archive/americana-entries/hoopster-demographics

By: Justin

Justin — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 20:26:41 +0000

It’s not racist, it’s just true. Most of these kids keep bad company, that’s why most raised their hand when asked if they had friends on drugs. Now you get these kids that are about to be multi-millionaires, and well, they’re now looked at as a meal ticket. And let’s be honest…a good amount of them aren’t the most educated people in the world. We all know how colleges and now even high schools are when it comes to sports, they’ll do anything to let these kids play, and if they have to fudge a few grades, so be it. They’re viewed as a meal ticket from their friends, families, and sluts. These girls want an NBA baby daddy, it’s their meal ticket, they won’t have to work, just take care of the kid and collect the check. It’s not racist, it’s just how the system works. I’ve been to europe quite a few times, and I can assure you, the ‘baby mamma’ concept is foreign to them. If a woman wants your money out there, she tries to marry you, not get knocked up by you. And yes, they need to learn how to dress as well. Seriously. I dressed like trash when I was young, and I’m sure these kids do too…so it’s nice to have someone kind of show them how to look professional. As for the racist chants on this message board, you’re all idiots who get offended at every little thing someone says, and you are the reason America is becoming so PC.

By: Rusty

Rusty — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 17:47:46 +0000

C’mon folks……let’s not paint this into something bigger than it really is. The rookie orientation is what it is because the league finally woke up and realized it had to help young men deal with the responsibility of handling a 7 figure income….often when they are still teenagers. Many of these folks don’t really understand just how completely their lives are changing….that a “friend” is not always a friend.

Since when did this become an issue of globalization or that the league is being overly paternalistic?

Things are culturally different between Europe and the US…..it;s not a big deal. It’s also not racist.

By: sic

sic — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 16:24:25 +0000

Regarding the differences between the US and Spain. I suspect that it’s a class issue. While the US has many more billionaires, there is a great deal less poverty in Spain as it has a social safety net. The desperate situations that some US-born NBA players escape from is a far cry from what your average Spanish athlete has ever experienced, even from afar. It doesn’t surprise me that Rudy is surprised at how common these kinds of problems are for many NBA rookies. It’s not racist to point out this disparity, but it may be classist.

By: Fra

Fra — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 15:09:46 +0000

Are you kidding me? Quoting Evergreen: “I can understand Rudy’s amazement when surrounded by so many cases”. I completely agree with Spaniard and bkbb: “Believing that Rudy has never been exposed to anything like what was discussed in the rookie orientation is ridiculous and the people who believe it are also”.
I bet Rudy, M.Gasol and the young fella Rubio have been hitting their bongs till yesterday, or more likely just smoked it in joints like 98% of the spaniards do…

By: Evergreen

Evergreen — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 11:31:20 +0000

To Bkbb. Drugs happen everywhere over the world, but in Spain they are not to be found everywhere. It is perfectly possible to live hardly encountering them. I have no relatives or friends who are affected, and of all the people with which I relate it is an exceptional case when someone does have to face it. Even my nephews who are in school know, they know that a few mates are in it but it is rare and they are considered as bad models not to relate with. So drug exposure is limited in general, though in some neighbourhoods in big cities the situation is not as good. I can understand Rudy’s amazement when surrounded by so many cases: I would have been.

And regarding golddiggers, they may be a few cases in soccer, but in general in Spain girls would not act against their own inside feelings just to get money, the majority would not bear to live with an unwanted child from an unknown just for some monetary compensation, no matter how high. Money is less important here in a value scale than being true to personal feelings and values… money here is not regarded as THE goal in life. Quality of life is.