Fans are Stupid, Myself Included

by John Morgan on Nov 18, 2009 7:18 PM PST Comment 24 comments

Fanatics cheer a stoning.

Sometimes I do stupid things like click on Yahoo links. I did that a second ago and followed it to a Boing Boing article about Demi Moore and her supposed photoshopping. The link interested me because I have done touch up work before, and because the story was presented as, wait on it, the WORST Photoshop Ever. It's not. As one Boing Boing commenter pointed out, it might not even be a mistake. Her sarong bulges from her upper hip, but that could be Moore's pose. She clearly has a hip cocked.

My point: It sure looks like Darnell Dockett did something malicious and unsportsmanlike to Matt Hasselbeck, but it sure as hell is hard to know. Sometimes it's best to channel that gut outrage into inquiry.

I watch a lot of football. NFL officials are wont to error. Big surprise, huh? On the big scorecard, NFL officials are miles ahead of the casual fan in assessing penalties. I rarely, rarely find a truly bogus call.

The NFL and its officials are bound to the bottom line, and the bottom line loves fairness. Fairness creates parity and parity made the NFL. Fairness keeps games competitive and fans excited about the outcome. The NFL is the most successful sports league in the United States. It is wildly popular and profitable. The gains it would receive by fixing a game, a season, a Super Bowl, are tiny compared to the risk entailed.

Most times, a mistake is a mistake. The officials are not biased or corrupted. Maybe Dockett did something dirty and no one saw it at the time. Maybe it wasn't dirty. Fans of all stripes have become habitual victims, sure their team is screwed over on travel schedules, penalties and primetime games. I embrace skepticism but not cynicism. Next time something looks questionable, off or wrong, try giving the officials the benefit of the doubt. The impartial professional, standing feet from the play, that is as expert in his field as the players at football, might just be right, and we, the partial fanatics, sitting at home and maybe a little buzzed, might just be wrong.

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Great post.

I still say Dockett did Hasselbeck dirty.

Sam Bradford, future Seattle Seahawk.

by Carl Shinyama on Nov 18, 2009 7:25 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

I still want to know what was up with the

1st and goal turning into a 4th and inches at the 10 yard line. Did anyone get a good explanation on that?

by Fear on Nov 18, 2009 7:43 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

I was a little confused on that too.

by PascoJoe on Nov 18, 2009 8:30 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

yes, it was a dead ball foul. But you need to check the down and distance again.

"Superhero like even"

by censor1979 on Nov 19, 2009 6:32 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

From what I saw, the natural action of the play resulted in Dockett's forearm resting on Hasselbeck's neck.

It doesn’t look like he put it there intentionally. The rest is a big fat mystery.

by abender20 on Nov 18, 2009 7:49 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

After the play

Several Cardinals were heard taunting “WHO’S YOUR DADDY! WHO’S YOUR DADDY!” while standing over Matt’s prostrate, hypoxic form. Matt, ever the competitor, choked quietly "Blessed indeed is the man who hears many gentle voices call him father!"

by John Edwards on Nov 18, 2009 8:02 PM PST reply actions 3 recs

+ eleventy

that, my friend is very funny indeed.

I BELIEVE...

by ArizonaVikingsFan on Nov 19, 2009 8:48 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Right after Dockett 'elbows' him, he gets up awkwardly as Hasselbeck holds his neck.

His body language looked kinda like someone who was thinking “Oops, hope he’s okay”

Not saying this is definite, just my take.

The Yankees suck-a-doodle-doo!

by JamMasterJesus on Nov 18, 2009 8:06 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

useless to obsess on it

I would agree NFL has a general lack of utter incompetence sometimes seen in other sports, such as even baseball. I don’t believe referees are bought, but they are biased – they are human beings, whose minds can be overruled by such trifles as fatigue, peer pressure, or barely conscious motivations which can influence. Some studies even suggest some of our decisions are actually made by our reflexes instead of our mind, and our mind justifies them in our head afterwards, especially where there is reward involved. So we’ll never be perfect. The ride is more important then the outcome. I am more satisfied with a well executed game then a win.

by paul2 on Nov 18, 2009 8:42 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

Thankfully I saw this right before I hit "post" on my own rambling rant.

These are my general feelings as well, and you stated them more succinctly than I could have.

"I'm tired of chasing after my dreams. I'll just find out where they're going, and catch up later." - Hedberg

by jteckmann on Nov 18, 2009 8:54 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

go for it

no price per word charged.

by paul2 on Nov 18, 2009 9:06 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Where and when officials are bought is hard to know

but throughout history, they have been bought. The NFL seems, to me, to have far better officiating than the NBA or MLB.

by Salty on Nov 19, 2009 6:40 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

The officials missed it, but it was intentional

It’s on camera, but that doesn’t mean the officials saw it. I’m fine with the officials missing it, but not the NFL.

Dockett fell into the pile and found his elbow on Matt’s neck. That part was unintentional. What happened afterwards is obviously intentional. Anyone who’s ever been in a pile of people knows this. If you find yourself with your hand on someone’s groin, or their face, or some other fragile body part, you don’t put your weight on that hand and stand up. You move the hand somewhere you CAN put weight, and then get up. Dockett saw where his arm was, and left it there and applied weight.

I don’t think “it’s hard to know” at all. Dockett is known as a dirty player who cheap shots guys in the pile. He’s been doing this since college and it’s on youtube several other times. He was called on it when he tried to twist Forsett’s head later in the game. Any normal player, once they realized their arm was on someone’s neck, would move it before getting up. Dockett saw where his arm was and put weight there. You can see him do it, it’s clear as day.

Dockett is obvious too. He’s twittering about it after the game and trying to do damage control. If it truly was unintentional, then he wouldn’t have even known his arm was there and never would have responded. Right after the game he was denying it even happened. Once he figured out it was recorded, he backpedaled and said it was an accident.

The officials aren’t at fault here, but the NFL is if they don’t suspend him. It was a dirty play intended to hurt someone after the play. I fail to see how this could be less serious than a stupid substance abuse thing. How is smoking pot worse than cracking someone else’s neck? This is the same sort of thing as the guy who stepped on the other player’s head a few years ago. Should have a similar penatly.

by lordtd on Nov 18, 2009 10:53 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

Suspend?

Might be the fan in you speaking. The fact that even Seahawks fans can’t agree on it being intentional or not says enough: this should be a fine. A suspension? No way.

by Vasilii on Nov 19, 2009 8:54 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

$7500, no suspension

Same fine that Babs got for something that happened DURING a play, not afterwards.

I can forgive “accidents” that happen in the midst of the slam-bang action. What Dockett did happened long after the play was over, and was no accident.

by Mr Fish on Nov 20, 2009 5:31 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Agreed, give them the benefit of the doubt.

And when there is no doubt……. hold them accountable for their actions, or lack there of. This seems fair enough to me.

"Superhero like even"

by censor1979 on Nov 19, 2009 6:31 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

The woman with the foot painted on her

what is the thing over the big toe?

by Salty on Nov 19, 2009 6:42 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

she’s a fan of the West Carolina Tar Toes…

I BELIEVE...

by ArizonaVikingsFan on Nov 19, 2009 8:52 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Please use the subject line while you're at Field Gulls.

I will smash your face into a jelly.

by Phildopip on Nov 19, 2009 12:10 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Has seattle given up on it's season?

Are you guys not that excited for the upcoming game in Minnesota? Or have you already realized that Arizona is going to take the easiest division in football?

by cdubs on Nov 19, 2009 6:50 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

This division is Arizona's to lose

And hell yeah it’s a terrible division. If anything, I’d like to see that change, because no matter if the Cards, Niners of Hawks win, there’s no way to get respect for winning this craphole division.

I’m still excited about the game but honestly, fever-pitch was hit last week which was our last legit shot at challenging the Cards. Season is over for this team now, but it’s still my team, so I’ll still be watching, screaming in frustration as Mullet Man makes his 10th sack and 3rd forced fumble on Hasselbeck and Favre throws his third TD to Rice in triple coverage.

by Vasilii on Nov 19, 2009 8:56 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs