Surgery for Roy: It's not about the team you pull for
North Carolina head coach Roy Williams during the ACC Tournament championship game in Atlanta on March 11, 2012.
Sep 20, 2012
It shouldn't matter what team he coaches or how much you may dislike that team. It's about someone's health. The sudden announcement that Roy Williams had surgery to remove a tumor from his kidney should temporarily erase the lines between North Carolina, Duke and NC State fans.
Reading some of the reaction on Twitter humanized the rivalries. Just to sample a few, Duke assistant coach Steve Wojciechowski wrote, "Duke basketball family wishing UNC Coach Roy Williams a speedy and complete recovery from his surgery." New South Carolina coach Frank Martin said, "Hey folks Roy Williams has spent his life helping people. It's time to help him, put him in your prayers!!!! We r here 4 u coach."
But the tweet of the day may go to a web site that is a gathering place for NC State fans. One of the primary reporters for PackPride penned, "Thoughts and prayers are with Roy Williams and his family today. Health is always greater than any rivalry. Keep RW in your thoughts today."
That's right, HEALTH IS ALWAYS GREATER THAN ANY RIVALRY.
I used that in my 6pm sportscast from Chapel Hill which prompted someone to send me a tweet. "You would credit Packpride during your report...You are a classless homer!" Another e-mailer wrote, "Nice try on your attempt to make Pack Pride seem like they care about Roy Williams." Well someone at that site cared enough to write it.
Folks, today wasn't about attempts, perceptions, where you graduated or who you root for. It's about a coach who had the scare of his life. Some got it, some didn't. That's another example of a sad, sad state of fandom.
Most Recent Comments
Posted Sep 20, 8:10 p.m.
Rank: Sports Legend Posts: 22561
Joined: Dec, 2007
Location: Southern Pines, NC
RE: Surgery for Roy: It's not about the team you pull for
Nice job Jeff. Anyone with a heart should be offering up a prayer for Roy and his family members. We're lucky and fortunate if this hasn't happened to someone in our own family, or to someone that we love. I believe in prayer, and I'm just one of many that have thought about Roy numerous times. I hope that he is on his way to complete health.RE: Surgery for Roy: It's not about the team you pull for
Best wishes and a speedy recovery to Roy Williams.Posted Sep 20, 2:22 p.m.
Rank: Sports Legend Posts: 7322
Joined: Feb, 2007
Location: Winterville, NC
RE: Surgery for Roy: It's not about the team you pull for
Good to hear that he's out ahead of schedule. You can't keep a good man down.RE: Surgery for Roy: It's not about the team you pull for
Best wishes to Coach W for a speedy recovery.RE: Surgery for Roy: It's not about the team you pull for
Really, Jeff? So the two emails you received yesterday are illustrative of the sad, sad state of fandom and one tweet from PackPride is sign of a group that "got it"?- Posted by forautumn
Conveniently ignored are the days, months, even years of insults on Pack Pride directed at Roy Williams. Doctored pictures, name calling, questions about his character, his integrity, his coaching ability....how often have YOU mentioned that as an illustration of the sad, sad state of fandom? Yet when they do one decent thing, all else is forgotten? Suddenly, they are the poster child for good sports?
Yes, some things are more important than rivalries. Treating people with respect. Enjoying the rivalry, but not making it personal. Supporting your teams, at the same time respecting your opponents.
But those things should happen all the time, not just on a day like yesterday. Your use of the PackPride tweet from yesterday totally ignored, and in some ways condoned, all the other things they have done or said.
If you are going to hold them up as a shining example of Fandom when they do something right, then held them accountable for the things they do that reflect on the sad, sad state of Fandom as well.
+2005 and +2009 and best wishes to Roy.
