MTK
01-11-2006, 10:08 AM
I couldn't care less about the fine, the fine means nothing to me. $17,000 to Sean Taylor is nothing, and if the NFL really thought the act was so heinous, they would have fined Taylor more, not less, than they fined Clinton Portis for wearing the wrong socks, for crying out loud.
And I realize that the NFL is a different world, a world where hitting is part of the game. The thing we really should be asking ourselves is why don't the refs throw a flag everytime someone throws a punch? A lot of the time, the refs just break up the action and don't throw flags. Why? Because they don't want to tip the competitive balance of a game. So why should spitting be treated any different? Why would you eject a player for spitting, thus influencing one team's ability to compete? What is the basis for this judgment? It's an emotional reaction, specifically the emotion of disgust. If you're letting emotions rule your judgments, you are by definition not being fair.
Fines aren't levied for punches because they are a more understandable element of the game than spitting. It's understood that players may lose their cool and throw a punch, but it's not acceptable to spit. It's a social norm in the NFL I guess.
Just curious, if the roles were reversed, if Pittman spit at Taylor, would you have the same exact opinion of the incident?? I'm sure you'll say yes for the sake of supporting your "unemotional views", but I'm inclined to think you wouldn't have the same view.
And I realize that the NFL is a different world, a world where hitting is part of the game. The thing we really should be asking ourselves is why don't the refs throw a flag everytime someone throws a punch? A lot of the time, the refs just break up the action and don't throw flags. Why? Because they don't want to tip the competitive balance of a game. So why should spitting be treated any different? Why would you eject a player for spitting, thus influencing one team's ability to compete? What is the basis for this judgment? It's an emotional reaction, specifically the emotion of disgust. If you're letting emotions rule your judgments, you are by definition not being fair.
Fines aren't levied for punches because they are a more understandable element of the game than spitting. It's understood that players may lose their cool and throw a punch, but it's not acceptable to spit. It's a social norm in the NFL I guess.
Just curious, if the roles were reversed, if Pittman spit at Taylor, would you have the same exact opinion of the incident?? I'm sure you'll say yes for the sake of supporting your "unemotional views", but I'm inclined to think you wouldn't have the same view.