We're having some fun here, so let's continue.
You call in "print" kids scrubs who chose to go to UConn over many other schools where they would play/start. I know for a fact (because the coach told me) that Molly would have been a star at an so-called elite school.
Relevance? Scrub is a relative term. A scrub at UCONN, perhaps Natalie Butler, can be a serious STAR at George Mason. How a person reacts to the term scrub is part of their psychological makeup. If it bothers you and you don't fight through it, you won't be a player. This is not unlike fighting through Geno's harsh criticism in practice. He knows players with fire in their belly will fight him and show him just what they can do. Others won't and will not see many minutes and only in mop up time. A player in my book is a star player and a reserve player who contributes solid minutes and supports the team. BTW, lately Molly has been fighting out from under the scrub stigma. She has!
Many of them might laugh off the comment, but many others--or their parents who might read BY--might feel hurt by it.
You know no matter what you or I say; our words will offend someone. I don't believe it is possible to use phrasing that will satisfy everyone. (Yeah, I probably knew I was baiting someone (Gee who?) when I used the scrub word.) Sometimes the truth hurts but it is best to hear it and deal with it. Maybe not all of it at once. I learned in Toastmasters International when evaluating a speech just give one "biggie" criticism and a few smaller criticisms otherwise you may discourage the speaker. In a new neighborhood eight of us went golfing for fun and to get to know each other. After golf and over brewskis and burgers one father was enthusing about how his son was going to be an NFL pro running back. Eyeballing the father, not quite a medium sized man; I ask how big the son was - 5’7” 165. Someone asked does he start for his high school team – no. A few questions later it was quiet as the father digested the Q&A. Reality was hard but he dealt with it.
Here's a thought experiment.
Where is it?
Several games ago, someone on the game thread referred to a UConn player who missed 2 foul shots at a critical moment as "choking." A lot of folks go angry at that remark and it probably contributed to the decision to move game decisions to the chat room.
Sounds like a lot of folks believe the UCONN players are their grandchildren. Hearing the word "choke" is a big nothing. The word choke would bounce right off the UCONN girls. They would either smile and probably laugh or do as Larry Bird did to rookie Reggie Miller who was giving him gas while Bird had two foul shots to shoot. Bird stopped and stared at Miller and said look rookie I am best freaking shooter in the NBA and you are giving me gas. There was a few more freaks but you get the idea. Bird sank the two foul shots and proceeded to pour in many more points. Miller said he never trash talked Bird again. It just brought the best out of him. Which is exactly what the UCONN starters plus Z would do.
Now, if you and are were playing a friendly game of something and I missed a critical shot and you smiled at me and said that I chocked, I'd laugh about it.
What if I didn’t smile? Would I have fewer teeth?
Context is everything. It's not that I think the word "scrubs" is a bad word. Very few, if any, words are bad.
According to Gorge Carlin no words are bad. When today’s thought police are done; the dictionary will be about 138 pages and there will be no first amendment in the Constitution. But context is everything. I think it might be hurtful for some of those kids who play incredibly hard and sacrifice a lot to sit on the bench at UConn when they could be playing elsewhere to be called scrubs. Why not just call them 2nd team or freshmen or some other neutral word?
I like Howard Cosell’s mantra, “Tell it like it is.” Am I always insensitive? No. I actually am considerate of people’s feelings relative to serious situations. Sports isn’t one of them. Eventually kids will have to leave the bubble and enter the unvarnished world. They will be better off, if they had some practice while growing up. Actually in school is where the really mean people reside, the other students. Talk about name calling. Yikes! I’m sure Geno’s youth in Norristown was not touchy feely. In practice he is not touchy feely. You know he calls his players much worse and his language is quite blue. Some people who object to me using the scrub word; relative to Geno’s adjectives and blue language just look the other way and say it is just Geno being Geno. Surely you are not one of them? So just look away and say it is just SVC being SVC.