Chiney: Basketball Players Hate UConn

[CL82]

So several BY'ers usually respect Tennessee?

I respect the Lady Vols accomplishments. I dislike some administrative and personal decisions made over the years.

Do I hate them? Nah, they are too far removed from relevancy to warrant that.

 

[Nuyoika]

Chiney is not Churlish. She says "Everyone–What's a softer word for hate? Everyone dislikes Uconn. It's bad because they tend to say that Uconn's bad for the game because everyone dislikes Uconn. NO! Everyone dislikes Uconn because they just can't beat them. It's motivation for us, so yeah, it's Uconn vs the the world of women's basketball." (then she is asked if they are cocky) she responds by saying "No! that's the thing. They aren't cocky, they are just that much more talented..."

The truly best of the best always get coined as being "bad for the sport". It is in no way a new narrative. I was @ Jimmy Z's the other night having a garbage plate and they have sports memorabilia all over the walls and I loo up and notice a framed Sports Illustrated with the title: "Are the Bulls So good They're Bad for the NBA" So I decided to see if the web had this old piece online.

I ended up finding a web version here: https://www.si.com/vault/1997/03/10...-can-catch-the-bulls-is-that-good-for-the-nba that's from 1997... 20 years apart. Honestly, when it comes to WCBB most of the media doesn't even think up new story lines or put any effort into it. Even Geno has mentioned that quite a few times, saying write about someone else... we are easy to write about.

 

[JoePgh]

I recently came across a re-run of ESPN's "30 for 30" episode entitled "I Hate Christian Laettner". For those few of you who don't recall, Christian Laettner was the 6-11 Duke men's basketball player from the early 90's who was thought to be one of the best college players of all time when he played at Duke. He also was white and had a Diana-type personality that made him easy to hate, particularly when his Duke team beat other teams like the Fab Five and UNLV. Although he was from a very middle-class family (not really "privileged" as most people think of Duke students), and was never involved in any off-court misbehavior, he was seen as emblematic of the privileged preppy who could never win any sympathy, even when his Duke team was the underdog in terms of talent to many of the teams that they played.

Right after he graduated in 1992, he became the sole member of the US Olympic team who did not yet have NBA experience. He was chosen for that role over Shaquille O'Neal. Does that remind you of Stewie?

I think that is what Chiney means by "hate" -- the hate reserved for people or teams who succeed after being privileged, as opposed to those who succeed by emulating David against Goliath. UConn WCBB will always be Goliath, and who ever roots for Goliath to win? This is true even in cases such as last year, when UConn was not Goliath in its talent level as compared to other elite teams. The fact that UConn beat so many other elite teams despite its seemingly inferior talent certainly contributes to its Goliath image, with all of its negative and "hate-able" aspects.

But really, that kind of "hate" is a compliment, and should be viewed as such by the players and coaches who have earned it.

 

[Bigpetunia]

The entire "tone" of the podcast that was dedicated to "hatred" of one's most-feared opponents was exactly appropriate. Chiney is a delight, hugely talented, highly articulate, and an intensely fun sparring partner in a debate of this kind. These are the very things that make sports rivalries so damn much fun. Me? I hate Notre Dame...period! Naturally, my hatred is an outgrowth of my respect...they're consistently good. But I mainly hate them because writers and commentators, eternally under the spell of some romanticized legend of yore, fall all over themselves trying to "anoint" them champions of something or other, especially football, before they've earned a thing. I used to hate Tennessee, but, as others have correctly pointed out, that's no real fun anymore. I'd be pleased to see them become once again worthy of my hatred, but I ain't holdin' my breath on that one. Anyway, any denigrating comments about Chiney as a result of this interview are, in my opinion, totally out of place here.

 

[CL82]

I recently came across a re-run of ESPN's "30 for 30" episode entitled "I Hate Christian Laettner". For those few of you who don't recall, Christian Laettner was the 6-11 Duke men's basketball player from the early 90's who was thought to be one of the best college players of all time when he played at Duke. He also was white and had a Diana-type personality that made him easy to hate, particularly when his Duke team beat other teams like the Fab Five and UNLV. Although he was from a very middle-class family (not really "privileged" as most people think of Duke students), and was never involved in any off-court misbehavior, he was seen as emblematic of the privileged preppy who could never win any sympathy, even when his Duke team was the underdog in terms of talent to many of the teams that they played.

Right after he graduated in 1992, he became the sole member of the US Olympic team who did not yet have NBA experience. He was chosen for that role over Shaquille O'Neal. Does that remind you of Stewie?

I think that is what Chiney means by "hate" -- the hate reserved for people or teams who succeed after being privileged, as opposed to those who succeed by emulating David against Goliath. UConn WCBB will always be Goliath, and who ever roots for Goliath to win? This is true even in cases such as last year, when UConn was not Goliath in its talent level as compared to other elite teams. The fact that UConn beat so many other elite teams despite its seemingly inferior talent certainly contributes to its Goliath image, with all of its negative and "hate-able" aspects.

But really, that kind of "hate" is a compliment, and should be viewed as such by the players and coaches who have earned it.

Please don't compare Stewie to Laettner. He was a phenomenally dirty player. He wasn't even liked by his teammates.

He's remembered for stomping of the chest of UK player Aminu Timberlake. He had done the same previously to UConn's own Rod Sellers. Seller's took some offense to it as seen below:

So no, Laettner is no Brianna Stewart. Not by a long shot.