It's Just Ron Being Ron

After losing 4 straight, (unheard of for the Lakers), they managed to win their last 2 games...(ppphheeewww). But through that bad stretch of losses, I monitored The Laker Nation and Forum Blue and Gold to read people's comments on blogs, and see if there was an accumulated negative reaction from the fans. While some were displeased with the results, (myself included), many made excuses for the team's poor performance instead of bashing the players for not doing their jobs. One blogger wrote about Ron Artest's lack of hussle and playmaking ability during that stretch, and some of the comments were very interesting. Take a look:

"I think its clear that Ron is slowed by a bad back."

"One thing that wasn’t really mentioned that I believe has to do with Ron’s “bad defense” is the fact that we have been playing bad teams."

"Ron will prove his worth again while being physical with the elite scorers in this years playoffs. He’s just cruising like the rest of Lakers for now, it’s a long season and it ain’t even 2011 yet!!"

These comments sparked two interesting points that I had not really noticed until now: 1), participants on these sites refuse to lash out against the players or the team as a whole; and 2), most participants fail to acknowledge the other team's impressive performance when the Lakers lose. The majority of these bloggers are fans, not critics, which means they will hardly ever talk down about the team, (understandably so), but it also means that they will not fully recognize the Laker's shortcomings on a bad night. It makes me wonder whether I would want to engage in these fansites after I finish my practicum project, or if I want to take my critiques to a more neutral environment.