Stop comparing yourself to Gilbert
Gilbert Arenas is better than you.
I'm sorry, he is. So please stop comparing your situation to his. Are you world class in your field? Are you an integral part of a multibillion dollar business? Are you the face of your franchise?
If not, please stop acting like the NBA or the Washington Wizards should treat Gilbert the way your boss would treat you. We are all different people with different circumstances. And when you are more talented than 99.9% of the rest of the world you will have the luxury of second and third chances that the rest of us don't. I'm sorry that's the way the world works. Get over it.
You don't get like it? Get better. Become great. Make yourself the face of your franchise. Become world class. If you do, then you'll get the benefit of the doubt for your mistakes that the rest of us don't.
See, for some reason most people just want to hate on people like Gilbert Arenas. 'Nobody deserves that kind of money and fame at such a young age,' they say. Really? You do what he does then - become Top Ten in the NBA in scoring and assists coming off an injury. Put thousands of fans in the seats and sell millions of dollars of NBA merchandise. It's what the market will bear stupid.
I promise if your services were wanted by competing companies, each worth hundreds of millions in a billion dollar industry, you'd be well paid too. And if you were the star of your organization and one of the key reasons why your company generates millions, you'll get away with things the guy in the mail room can't. It's the real world. Get used to it already.
I'm sick and tired of taking calls on the radio and reading emails from people saying if they brought guns to work as a practical joke they'd be fired. So what? I'd be fired too. But I'm not Gilbert Arenas. And neither are you!
Now, this isn't to say Gilbert shouldn't be punished or that the law should treat him differently. In the eyes of the law, we are one and the same. He should get whatever the average person gets as far as the law is concerned. The law is different than real life. If Gilbert speeds or assaults someone, then he should get the appropriate penalty.
But in real life he gets to make mistakes the rest of us don't. Why? Because he is elite in his field and he has a value that can't be easily replaced. When that value goes away, so do his second and third chances. So does his benefit of the doubt.
I bet you if you admitted that you had sex with multiple interns like David Letterman, you'd probably lose your job too. Notice Dave wasn't out on the street though. You know why? He's world class. He's one of the two or three best talk show hosts in the world. He gets leeway the rest of us don't. Because even with his infidelities, he's still worth millions to CBS. As soon as he's not, he's gone. Ask Conan O'Brien.
Kiefer Sutherland has been arrested multiple times for driving under the influence. He served 48 days in jail in 2007. Last year he was arrested for assault. Guess what? Last time I checked, 24 was still on TV. If you had the same issues, you'd probably be fired right? Sorry the rules aren't the same for the average person. That's the way the world works. Kiefer is one of the more marketable actors on television. Fox can make millions from his show, even with his transgressions. As soon as they can't he's gone. It's that simple.
In fact some would argue that the only reason the Wizards are taking such a hard stance with Gilbert is because as great as he is, the team is not producing. They aren't living up to expectations and they are looking to get out of his big deal and start over. Because of that, he may actually be vulnerable. Luckily for him, the players union is so strong that it's extremely unlikely that his contract can be voided. The Wizards are going to have to pay him his money. And frankly he deserves it.
 |
Categories (click for archive)Eric Bickel | Junkies |
I "don't get like it".
Wow. Miss the boat much EB? It seems to me you are taking peoples comments out of context. I take them to mean that they would be fired because having a handgun at work in DC is AGAINST THE LAW! Maybe it's just me, but Gil isn't above the law, and as recent court cases have proved, he will not get off because he is the "face of the franchise" or "great at what he does".
The Wizards should take advantage of this Christmas present they've been given and void this idiot's contract. Or at the very least settle for a reasonable amount. But given the history of bungling that this franchise has, they will probably botch this slam dunk too...
I hate when you are right.
You could have saved yourself however long you wrote this by just saying "celebrities get away with more than regular people do." This also would have saved you from looking like a complete clown with those awful arguments you made about being "elite in the field" and having "value that isn't easily replaced."
If he was so valuable, why are the Wizards trying to unload him? What he did was explicitly forbidden by his employers and is a FELONY in the city where he did it. He should be canned. His celebrity isn't saving him. The only thing saving Gilbert here is the player's union.
You're right, I'm not like Gilbert Arenas. I'm not an admitted felon.
If any of the above regarding Gilbert being world class was true it would be an excellent article... unfortunately (for gilbert) he isnt. He no longer (in my opinion never was) is a top 10 player, he doesnt get the "stay out of jail free" card that comes along with the elite talent EJ mentioned above.
Imagine the David/Coco positions were switched and network execs were looking for a way to push David Letterman out the door. All of the sudden Dave serves up the intern and a side of extortion on a silver platter, do you honestly think the execs wouldnt use that to their advantage to squeeze Dave out?? Just the same with Keifer/24... if that show hit a rough patch and stopped being a ratings smash would they put up with Keifer?? No. Would Joe Johnson get the EB approved, celebrity justice get out of jail free card?? Because he has clearly surpassed Gil in every aspect of the game?? Would Jason Richardson get it?? Arenas would be lucky to make that type of impact on a team with real playoff aspirations.
As far as his contract being voided, he is a goner. No chance he collects one more penny from les bullez. Regardless of jokes, pranks, fingerguns, etc etc when you miss 15% of the season sitting in jail (assuming he begins his sentence on Mar 26th there would be 12 of 82 games left of this miserable season) how can you not be found in default of your contract?? Its an open/shut case.
Before we talk about what Gilbert deserves lets take a look at his last 3 years with the wizards... 47 games played, 43M in salary, 910K per game played. The Wizards and Abe Pollin (who will be thought/spoken of COMPLETELY differently, as an owner, a few years down the road) have to take a lot of the blame in this mess but does anyone in this town actually believe that gil negotiated that deal in good faith? Does anyone actually believe that he was surprised when he found out he was going to have a 3rd surgery that would keep him from playing that first year?? It was Gilbert's decisions on rehab that kept him out the previous 2 years. It is going to be Gilbert's mistakes that keep him out the rest of this year. To say he deserves to still be paid after this string of self destruction is insanity.
Dont get it twisted. I dont want Gil's contract voided because I have some personal vendetta against him, his race, or other so-called NBA thugs. I want his contract voided because without it being voided this team isnt going anywhere for the next 5 years. Trade him for a quarter on the dollar and all we are getting back are Raef LaFrentz type equal duration garbage contracts and maybe a few 12-30 draft picks. Keep him on the team they will be in the NBA limbo of never being good enough to contend, never being bad enough to draft the true superstar needed to bring them to the next level.
There are 2 types of wizards fans... those that want to void gilbert's contract and those that enjoy being 9-20 every year.
E.B. on economics and the application of the law all in one article.
The gun charge and the Wiz wanting to tear up Gil's contract are somewhat independent discussions. They wanted to tear up his contract before he brought his arsenal to the Verizon Center, now they might have found a reason to. I somewhat disagree that you can make the definitive statement that he deserves what he is getting paid. He DESERVED it before his knee stopped working and he was playing at an All-Star level. He DESERVED it before he acted in a manner that was unbecoming to the NBA and Stern suspended him without pay. He will deserve it if he can find someone else out there, after all this mess, to give him that kind of cash, but he's not going to get it.
How appropriate that on Martin Luther King Day, a post about someone NOT being treated by the content of his character. In fact, it's more like having excuses made because of the contents of his wallet. The fact that what you just detailed about high-dollar athletes and actors getting breaks the normal layperson doesn't is one of the biggest injustices in the world today. It's as if fame supercedes common sense... And being one of those laypersons... I don't call it being a HATER because I think he gets what he deserves. God forbid a high-dollar athlete or actor does something wrong and...*shudder* PAYS THE PRICE FOR IT!!! The reason people are lauding this fact is because it DOESN'T HAPPEN ENOUGH!!! Maybe if more of these fortunate few start getting a taste of REAL justice, they'd stop acting like a bunch JACK@$$ES!!! And I hope that happens...because I do enjoy sports... I do enjoy entertainers and their works. And if they just didn't THINK they were better than everyone else and above the law, I'd relish them even more. Being a VT grad, having to let Michael Vick twist (as he deserved) was one of the hardest things for me because of the joy he brought me and VT grads everywhere... But, it had to be done... So should it be with Gil...
Tim,
Way to NOT read the entire post or even understand it. I said we are all the same in the eyes of the law. Gil is NOT above the law. I specifically mentioned that. He will be punished accordingly.
But as far as work goes he gets away with more because of the value he brings to his company. As I mentioned in the post, Kiefer Sutherland broke the law several times. But he keeps his job because he's still valuable to Fox.
The only reason why the Wizards are making this a big deal is because the team is struggling. If they were winning I doubt any of this would have ever come out.
Too much of this argument gets distorted on our feelings about gilbert, how great a player he WAS, how good a player he IS, gilbert being gilbert, pranks, jokes, and gun laws. What we are missing is the real point... EB I want you to answer this question and this question only.
A player (any player) has been convicted of a felony (any felony) and is going to miss at least 1 game staying in jail. Does the NBA team have the right to decide whether to void that players contract??
(and if you still say NO a couple follow ups)
If a felony/jailtime is not enough, what is?? Who is the arbiter of what is/isnt a voidable felony??
EB, most people might not have been fired for simply bringing the guns to work. There would be a warning and maybe a reprimand. Like you said one of your co-workers "may" have brought a gun to the station. But here is where it changes, you bring guns to work, you know it's wrong, you even apologize in a written statement to the media. Then you joke around with everyone in the office about how mean the boss (Stern) is and how you better be careful, hahahaha, real funny. Now to top it all off, you and some officemates get together and pull out your fingers and act like you are shooting each other in front of the boss. At this point there is no one in the country no matter how talented that keeps their job. Gil made a mistake, then he compounded it and then made it worse. At some point enough is enough.
This is EB trying to justify his big paycheck by sticking up for other people who make too much money and don't produce.
ZING
I thought this was a smart entry and a great read.