NBA All Star Weekend

I first heard the NBA All Star weekend was a success with little bad behavior.

Then I read the opposite on the Drudge Report.

On radio, some people who attended said the atmosphere was great and there was no trouble.

Now, Jason Whitlock is adding his commentary and saying it was out of control.

I don't know who to believe or rather, how much of what happened is more than can be expected from any large event that people show up, Black or white.

I say that because I've been to the Essence Festival in pre-Katrina New Orleans and nothing jumped off. I've been to the Capitol Jazz Fest and, again, nothing jumped off. I've been to summer Black festivals and there were scattered incidents but nothing major. I've been to the Black Greek Picnic in Philadelphia, although I'm not a Black Greek, and nothing happened. I've never been to Freaknik but people who have been have told me that the negative information coming out of it was overstated.

I mentioned Freaknik because this statement I regard as hyperbole:

If something isn't done, next year's All-Star Weekend will surpass the deceased Freaknik, a weekend-long party in Atlanta, in terms of lawlessness. Wide-spread looting and a rape killed the Freaknik in 1999.

"Wide-spread looting and a rape"?

Hell, ever hear of Mardi Gras and Summer Break in Florida? The wet tee-shirt parties? "College kids" doing headers off of hotel room balconies? Rapes of women passed out drunk?

Whoops... I shouldn't have mentioned that, should I?

Comments

[brotherbrown]

Derek Fisher, President of the NBAPA, pointed out that there were no problems at any NBA venue or involving any NBA players during the entire weekend.

326 arrests in a four day period is probably high for Vegas, though.