Never been a big Leaf fan, but don't see the value in piling on.okaydo said:
I've always been intending to make this post, for years.
So I thought I'd post it now
Every time I see Ryan Leaf's "comeback" on the Pac-12 Network or ESPN, I get the queasy feeling that he's being rewarded for all of his wrongdoing.
One thing that I hate about American society, is that there is an emphasis on redemption, on making a "comeback."
So somebody who screwed up, did terrible things, but found a way to re-emerge is more compelling than the person who followed the boring straight and narrow path.
Every time I'd see Leaf, I'd think of that.
And I thought that when he tweeted this 2 months ago, and was met with kudos from so many media people I follow on Twitter.
I'm sure I'll get a lot of push back for this post, especially since he could be innocent.
okaydo said:
I've always been intending to make this post, for years.
So I thought I'd post it now
Every time I see Ryan Leaf's "comeback" on the Pac-12 Network or ESPN, I get the queasy feeling that he's being rewarded for all of his wrongdoing.
One thing that I hate about American society, is that there is an emphasis on redemption, on making a "comeback."
So somebody who screwed up, did terrible things, but found a way to re-emerge is more compelling than the person who followed the boring straight and narrow path.
Every time I'd see Leaf, I'd think of that.
And I thought that when he tweeted this 2 months ago, and was met with kudos from so many media people I follow on Twitter.
I'm sure I'll get a lot of push back for this post, especially since he could be innocent.
If you(you as in everyone) eat bread or sugar, you're likely addicted to carbohydrates. I know I am. Try to quit it, bet you can't.BearSD said:
You don't have to root for Leaf if you don't want to.
But, addiction sucks, and good for anyone trying to beat it, even though some do relapse.
I'm close to a just few drug addicts and close to even fewer that have rebounded fully, so I have respect for those that have succeeded and have empathy for those that are trying. I think the thing that erks the OP a bit (and me as well) is the "look at me" nature of Leaf's post and the subsequent accolades while passing over the real problem of his addiction in how he hurt others. I'm not sure how pointing that out constitutes piling on.GMP said:okaydo said:
I've always been intending to make this post, for years.
So I thought I'd post it now
Every time I see Ryan Leaf's "comeback" on the Pac-12 Network or ESPN, I get the queasy feeling that he's being rewarded for all of his wrongdoing.
One thing that I hate about American society, is that there is an emphasis on redemption, on making a "comeback."
So somebody who screwed up, did terrible things, but found a way to re-emerge is more compelling than the person who followed the boring straight and narrow path.
Every time I'd see Leaf, I'd think of that.
And I thought that when he tweeted this 2 months ago, and was met with kudos from so many media people I follow on Twitter.
I'm sure I'll get a lot of push back for this post, especially since he could be innocent.
I will preface by saying that I basically lost track of Ryan Leaf from about 2001 until a couple years ago when he resurfaced on P12N. I vaguely recall some addiction issues. And before 2001, I recall the clip of him yelling at some reporters in his first or second year in San Diego.
With that said I must ask: is there something I missed? Other than addiction, what is it you think he's "coming back" from? Because from my perspective, again unless I missed some things, prior to reading this post tonight, I did not think Ryan Leaf was a bad person, and I did not think of his broadcasting career as a "redemption." He didn't make it as a pro - it happens to many. He didn't handle that failure the best as a young man - it happens to many of us. As a studio analyst, I thought he was fantastic. And that's not grading on some "redemption" curve. That's not rewarding him for wrongdoing. He was just flat out good at the job.
So your second post in this thread, though acknowledging you'd get some push back, seems in very poor taste. As someone else said, it's piling on. Report that he's been arrested for domestic violence. Hammer him for that. But the "neener neener, I knew it and always meant to say it" thing is pretty crappy. In fact, those first two sentences are gross.
When you're a celebrity, you can do whatever you want.dajo9 said:
Celebrity is rewarded in American and it will make you rich. Celebrity can be achieved by doing bad things. That's the entertainment market and markets are immune to moralizing.