Monday, March 8, 2010

Lakers' Andrew Bynum is fined $25,000

Recently Andrew Bynum of the LA Lakers was fined $25,000 in a game against Dallas. He was fined for saying, "It's hard to win when it's five against eight," referring to the officiating. Although he had a frustrating performance in the second half, his comment was not without reason. The Lakers and the Mavericks had the same amount of fouls, but the Mavericks shot 26 freethrows while the Lakers only shot 16. Bynum was upset with the missed calls and miscalls. The central issue is not Bynum's comment itself, but whether or not such actions should be taken after the comment. The NBA has become less and less lenient in regard to sportsmanship. Players are being fined and suspended for a variety of infractions and referees are much stricter in calling flagrant fouls. But Bynum's comment is not necessarily deserving of a fine. It seems that players can no longer speak their minds and must act in accordance to NBA standards. Players should be allowed to play and say what they want as long as it is within reason.

Kin 332I Section 2
Michael M

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