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Originally Posted by Flaxwless
AI gets a bad rap for his tattoos and prior run ins with the law and his coaches but have you seen him play? He plays the game with such heart that all basketball fans appreciate that.
Has AI been bad in the past? Yes. When he was younger, but now he's matured and been out of trouble.
AI is very similiar to certain NFL linebacker who has connections with a murder. Yet he's everywhere and pariased because he plays the game with heart and intensity.
It goes both ways. So to say the NFL is better than the NBA is ignorant.
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Ray Lewis was demonised for the trial and his actions. His reputation was smeared with discovery of the video he was in and all that. His promotion by the league took a dip for a year or two. Since then, he's kept his nose clean and by all accounts has been a model citizen. AI may have stayed out of jail, but he rails against his coaches, complains about practice and is just a plain old thug.
There are plenty of NBA superstars who do not come from the hood; Kevin Garnett, Tim Duncan, Kobe Bryant, Shaq, the list goes on an on. NBA marketing is not dictated by the source of their players, it is a conscious decision to use the image of the players it does.
And seriously, if I have to answer the question of what is wrong is the gangsta image, I'm going to bail on this conversation. I'm already in more than enough irrational debates.