There is a major double standard rising in sports, and that is player’s reputations when it comes to dirty play. Some stars are so beloved that they can seemingly get away from fan’s hatred no matter what they do on the field or court. Some have such bad reputations that no matter what they do they are considered a dirty player, but their play is no dirtier than the beloved player. This debate was raised again last night, with Dwyane Wade and Ndamukong Suh as examples.
When Ndamukong Suh plays, you have to have a bit of fear inside of you as an opponent. Some of that is because of Suh’s defensive ability, some of it is because of his dirty play. When you look at video of some of his incidents it is obvious that he can be a dirty player sometimes. For this, he gets a lot of hate and almost no respect in the league. Take the incidents from the past two Thanksgivings as well as some others in his young career:
Ndamukong Suh gets his reputation shattered by these dirty plays, and then there’s Miami Heat star guard Dwyane Wade in the NBA. Wade has come into the spotlight again after being suspended for a game for kicking Bobcats guard Ramon Sessions in the groin. This is hardly the first questionable incident in Wade’s career, and is more ammunition for those who call him a dirty player. However, the majority of America doesn’t think of Wade for his dirty play, but rather loves him for his clutch play, dunks, and two NBA rings. He is much more loved than hated in the circles of the Association, and insists he’s not a dirty player, but is he any better than Ndamukong Suh? Let’s examine the groin kick and other controversial plays of Wade’s career:
You’ve seen the plays. Is there a double standard with Ndamukong Suh and Dwyane Wade? Should Wade be judged more harshly or Suh more leniently? Drop a comment and let me know what you think!
Chuckie Maggio
December 28, 2012 at 5:25 pm
Reblogged this on Sports Blog Movement.
Patrick Young
December 28, 2012 at 9:59 pm
The difference comes from how it’s presented my young friend. It’s all about delivery and message. And the most two-faced hypocrite in this history of pro-sports is the same network you aspire to work for. That’s just the truth.
patton26
December 29, 2012 at 8:22 am
The thing I look at here is that for as many bad things that Wade does, he also does things that are good in the communities and on the court too. That’s what saves him more than Suh. Not saying it’s right but that’s how it is.
J-Dub
December 29, 2012 at 9:27 am
It’s really about reputation. Patton gets that right with Wade vs. Suh. Imagine what somebody like Tebow could get away with.
Another factor to consider is that you can be dirty on a team that wins…winning cures everything. If Tebow ever plays for a team that wins a Super Bowl, he could full-on shoot a guy right on the field and somebody would throw him a parade.
ChrisHumpherys (@SportsChump)
December 29, 2012 at 6:27 pm
I also think the media and the way they portray Wade and Suh differently has quite a bit to do with our perception of these two athletes.