Athletes Are A Representation Of The League

I recently read an article about Memphis Grizzlies forward Matt Barnes being fined $35,000 by the NBA for a comment he made during a pre- game interview. The league felt Matt Barnes comment was condoning violence. When asked about an altercation Barnes had with New York Knicks coach Derek Fischer he responded:

“Violence is never the answer, but sometimes it is. And unfortunately, it happened.

"I don't regret it. Like, man to man knows who's wrong and who's right. The NBA decided to step in and did what they did. But it is what it is."

As an athlete players are role models and they also are a representation of the league. They must be mindful of everything they do and everything they say. Everything they do is being watched and they must always carry themselves in a professional manner. I agree that athletes should be fined and penalized when they are acting or speaking out of order. The league must have strict rules and harsh penalties to ensure professionalism. The NBA is a huge business that generates a lot of money therefore everyone associated must always conduct themselves as a professional.

When I was reading this article the first question that came to my mind was what was the question asked to Barnes that made him respond with this answer?

Athletes are penalized for saying certain things but the reporters are asking the questions and they have to do the interviews so why penalize them for being honest. No one is perfect and everyone is going to have different opinions about different topics so how can you penalize someone for not saying what you want them to say. I agree that athletes should be penalized when acting out of order but the NBA should speak with the reporters and have them asking questions that only pertain to the sport and the game as opposed to outside drama. If you are asking a questions you should expect someone to answer with an honest response. Don’t ask the questions if you are not going to be okay with the response.

http://www.si.com/nba/2016/01/17/matt-barnes-derek-fisher-incident-nba-fine-condoning-violence