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Message: [QUOTE="slidingdown, post: 253153, member: 1054"] Did anyone physically attack Fab Melo? Did anyone spit on him, or refuse to hire him, or send threatening letters to him? We know who this kid is because he plays basketball. We cheered for him because he plays basketball. We check this message board, and watch games, and buy tickets and shirts and big foam hands because of basketball. This is the context in which we 'know' this 'kid'. If he was just a math or a drama major, we'd have no idea who he was. We tied our hopes and our ego to him. And despite what JB may have said, he let us down. His failure to do what he agreed to do (keep his grades up so he could play basketball) screwed over his teammates and the fanbase of the school. I'd give a high school kid a pass on that; but not a legal adult. Are there more important things in the world? Yeah, no . [I]Literally no one[/I] on this board is making the argument that college basketball is more important than their job or family. No one is on the other side of that issue. Where are the "there are more important things" posts when we're winning and giving these kids accolades? Why is it okay in your book to say "KJ is the greatest" when we're 29-1, but it's not okay to say "Fab Melo screwed us over" when we lose? Aren't the more important things always there? And, more importantly, if that is your attitude, why are you even on this message board? [I]This is a place for passionate fans.[/I] For those of us who feel elated when the team wins and crushed when it loses. Who lose themselves in the statistics and the tiny details and the recruiting and the opponents and the history. This is what kids who play college basketball sign up for. To have thousands or tens of thousands of fans cheering for them. The flip side is that you're opening yourself up for criticism, but that's what you sign on for, whether you like it or not. And guess what? Every single one of those kids, including Melo, wants to play in the NBA, and the criticisms only get worse. Got thin skin? Probably not the best line of work to go into. Or at least it may be best to avoid message boards. Melo had a great regular season. But he didn't hold up his end of the bargain, and his team, his fans, and the NCAA tournament suffered because of it. [/QUOTE]

Verification: What is a Syracuse fan's favorite color?