Eric Winston Lays Into The Fans For Cheering Hurt QB

[Dictator]

After reading over there, I will admit many of them seem to echo my first thought when I saw him leave the game. That's he was faking it.

[AsburySkinsFan]

Saw Winston's comments this morning on SC, couldn't agree more. No one but Cassel knows what's going on under his helmet. Booing any injured player is disgusting and is all of the things we despise Philthy for doing. I don't care if you think he's faking it, bottom line is you don't know so shut your yap.

Winston was exactly right as was Dilfer who said that this stupid crap is the main reason players keep their distance from the fans.

[HailToTheRedskins14]

They should show that clip before every game. Yall can all jump on the Chiefs but let's not pretend borderline junk like this doesn't happen all the time. Hop over to the LaRon Landry thread and you'll see people joking about when he'll be injured again and how it will be him getting his due. Winston is right, it is a messed up society. Don't act like this is just a Chiefs or Eagles thing either, this crap happens all the time in sports. People need to take a big step back and realize these are people like you and me. And I'm not on a soapbox, I'm sure I've been guilty of it, too. We need to have a little perspective.

[Redskin4ever]

Saw Winston's comments this morning on SC, couldn't agree more. No one but Cassel knows what's going on under his helmet. Booing any injured player is disgusting and is all of the things we despise Philthy for doing. I don't care if you think he's faking it, bottom line is you don't know so shut your yap.

Winston was exactly right as was Dilfer who said that this stupid crap is the main reason players keep their distance from the fans.

I took notice of what Dilfer said about the players keeping distance from the fans. When I was a kid and even a young adult, I always wondered why players did that. I wanted nothing more than to meet these players, have them sign autographs, high-five them, shake their hands, even get them to wave or say hi. But as I got older, I noticed how obnoxious some fans are towards these players. Even on boards like this, if a player doesn't kiss their butt and do everything they want, they are terrible human beings who don't care about the fans. But then you think about a situation like this, and how fans will turn on a player when a player gets hurt and for all they know his career and life could be in danger. It is sick and disgusting and good for Eric Winston for calling them out.

As fans we need to understand these are humans and these injuries are real. There are real lives at stake here, but it's not our lives. When someone gets hurt, it's never a good thing. EVER. Not all fans are like this, and not all fans are so obnoxious as to turn off all players towards all fans. But there are too many people who think that their fandom is more important than a player's job and a player's life.

[Larry]

I took notice of what Dilfer said about the players keeping distance from the fans. When I was a kid and even a young adult, I always wondered why players did that. I wanted nothing more than to meet these players, have them sign autographs, high-five them, shake their hands, even get them to wave or say hi. But as I got older, I noticed how obnoxious some fans are towards these players. Even on boards like this, if a player doesn't kiss their butt and do everything they want, they are terrible human beings who don't care about the fans. But then you think about a situation like this, and how fans will turn on a player when a player gets hurt and for all they know his career and life could be in danger. It is sick and disgusting and good for Eric Winston for calling them out.

Rather OT, but it does relate to the dynamic between fans and their idols.

Years ago, I was working a Star Trek convention. The guest was Colm Meany, who played Chief O'Brien on TNG and DS9. There was a moment that still sticks in my memory. I went into a room to get him . . .

. . . and he was smoking.

I was stunned. Nobody on TV smokes.

And then it occurs to me what an idiot I'm being. He's an actor. The things I see him do on TV aren't real.

James Doohan does not sound like Scotty. It's a fake accent he did for the show.

And then I thought about these former Trek actors. A chunk of their lives are traveling around the country, every \few weekends, so that they can get paid to hang around with a bunch of complete strangers who think they know them. People who think they've known them, for tears.

I wonder, for example. When James Doohan used to meet people, (At conventions, in restaurants, at the mall.), if does he say "Hi" to them, with Scotty's accent? And, if he doesn't, then what percentage of people are shocked, maybe a little hurt, that he didn't act the way they expected. Did he live in a world, where the world was constantly pressuring him to act like he used to act, 30 years ago, for a job?

I was shocked, maybe offended, to see Colm Meany smoking.

But that's my problem, not his. And frankly, it's unfair to him, to put that pressure on him.

I can see how that might be a burden, for other celebrities. The concept of always having to act like they're on camera.