From: wgr@rti.rti.org
Newsgroups: rec.sport.basketball.pro
Subject: Re: RE:Magic Retires?
Summary: grow up and smell the coffee
Date: 5 Nov 92 16:41:56 GMT
Article-I.D.: rti.1992Nov5.164156.12703
Organization: Research Triangle Institute, RTP, NC

In article <92309.145048JJB146@psuvm.psu.edu> <JJB146@psuvm.psu.edu> writes:
> #2) I loved Magic. Consider that I'm 19 years old and ever since I was old
>     enough to remember bball, I remember Magic and Larry, Dr. J and Kareem,
>     and the list of greats goes on. Now, at a time, when the names that helped
>     me fall in love with the sport are gone or leaving, one of my most
>     favorite players had contracted the HIV virus, a virus that lets people
>     know that you weren't a goody-two-shoes. Great athletes prove themselves
>     in battle, but great role models are built on all-around performance.

It sounds to me like Magic was something of a hero to you and you feel he
let you down.  Now you're mad at him.  Why can't you just admire an athlete
for what he does in his sport?  Everyone has admirable and not-so-good
qualities.  Why can't you just admire the good ones?  Maybe Mother Theresa
is a lousy athlete, but I don't hold it against her.

> #4) Magic was a quitter. He quit the AIDS council after a few disagreements.
>     Did he think that they would do everyhting his way? Are we supposed to
>     feel sorry for him? He got the AIDS virus from screwing around, not an
>     admirable quality. Now Arthur Ashe, who got AIDS through a life saving
>     operation/transfusion, deserves pity.

I don't see the connection between how Magic got the disease and how much
sympathy we should have for him.  If a pedestrian gets hit by a car while
crossing the street, would you feel no pity for him if he wasn't using the
crosswalk?  Technically he would be in the wrong.  Why is it necessary to
be so judgmental?  It's not like Magic intended to hurt anyone, he just
didn't make wise decisions.  He was ignorant about the risk, or he believed
it couldn't happen to him.  Hopefully he didn't pass the virus along to
anyone unwittingly.

As for the AIDS commission, I think Magic felt that Bush put him there in an
effort to win votes.  He didn't feel Bush had a real committment to doing
something about AIDS, so he withdrew from the commission.  Why should he let
George Bush use him to get re-elected?

>  So, in conclusion, I loved Magic, the basketball player. I found it hard to
>  accept that such a person is susceptible to moral wrong-doing. I don't feel
>  though, that he deserves pity. I don't feel right about kids looking up to
>  him and not realizing he got HIV from unacceptable social practices. Do you
>  want your kids thinking sleeping around is okay? I hope not!

If you expect anyone to be perfect you are being very unrealistic.  Anyhow,
without getting into an argument about what constitutes an unacceptable
social practice (I'd vote for intolerance), hasn't Magic been telling kids
that his lifestyle was wrong and dangerous?

You're a 19-year-old young man, right?  Put yourself in Magic's position as
an NBA superstar.  Now imagine hundreds (thousands?) of very attractive,
apparently healthy young women throwing themselves at you.  They're telling
you how much they admire you, and they'd love to spend some time with you.
You aren't married.  They aren't asking you to make a commitment.  Imagine
that you don't truly believe in your heart that premarital sex is evil.

Here's where we see if you have a really good imagination.  Imagine yourself
turning all these women down.  They're very disappointed.

Try to be a little more understanding.
Newsgroups: rec.sport.basketball.pro