Making it a felony is a joke and minimizes the actual crimes committed.
Stop allowing people in the stadium to have some fictional protection from the legal ramifications of their actions…
Ban flag planting at the league level if you believe it instigates violence.
With all the above said, lets stop defending anyone in these situations… people need to be held accountable for their actions/responses regardless… and this goes to both sides even as a michigan fan.
This. Defending any sort of violent reaction to a flag plant is absolutely asinine. You are ultimately responsible for your actions and how you respond to anything. If you can’t control your emotions, to the point where you feel you need to physically assault another person, maybe it’s best you stay out of situations where things are competitive and heated, like sports.
Yeah, that’s always true. You are always responsible for your own actions. But the other side that we generally forbid conduct that is likely to lead to violence. I mean if somebody calls another the “N” word, they are both wrong if that person responds violently. Flag planting is taunting. Its rubbing your opponents face in the loss. Its not okay. There are no rules about it because until recently it was unfathomable that a team would do that. Baker needs the absolute shit kicked out of him. Then maybe it could have been nipped in the bud.
When is it okay to respond with violence? I thought the topic was flag planting? I’m not going to agree that flag planting is okay because it leads to violence. And it will keep leading to violence as more teams do it.
Well said - This is the point I’m trying to make. I do believe that if you instigate violence instead of participating in good sportsmanship, it makes YOU the jackass (and not necessarily the person who had enough of your jackassery).
I liken it to a bully at school.
Bully is constantly harassing and attacking a kid on the playground. One day, the kid finally has enough and punches the bully right in the teeth.
Can’t say I blame the kid for “throwing the 1st punch and not keeping his cool”.
There’s always context. In this scenario, I tend to think the flag planting isn’t good sportsmanship.
Perhaps I’m just a big softy, but after I beat someone on the field I prefer to shake their hand and tell them good game more than I want to rub their face in it.
Sure you can… if the bully isnt physically harming the kid. My response would be, they are both dumb.
As a parent myself i try and teach my kids to stand up for themselves appropriately but never throw the 1st punch.
If a kid is being mean/rude either get an adult and if that doesnt work give it back to them. But hitting the kid before they attempt physical violence will not be rewarded in my house.
Its really this… how interesting that this story pops up right after the LaFleur conversation. To me it is very similar… the instigator being a dick doesnt make it better that they respond/escalate the situation.
Wife likes to tell our kids “dont be a dick”… a lot of people today need to lower their temperature a bit, live with grace, and acknowledge their response to situations are up to them nobody else.
And this goes for EVERYTHING in life… stop being the aggressor or the victim. Handle your own business and control how you respond. Win, lose, tie… we are all people with differing opinions/beliefs and just because we didnt have something go our way it doesnt give us the right to react with violence.
