In today’s climate where everybody’s looking for the “gotcha moment,” Anthony Davis has to be especially careful, have thicker skin, and exhibit more maturity. Anthony Davis is a brand. The Pelicans are a brand with expectations of class and composure. What Davis did was the opposite of class, it was classless.
Why is the response by the general public a tongue lashing of AD, not the fan? To me, the answer is obvious. Fans are fanatics. The definition of a fanatic is: “a person filled with excessive and single-minded zeal, especially for an extreme religious or political cause.” Down here in New Orleans and the Gulf South sports and politics are religion to fans. Sports are a way of life for any fan who supports the Pelicans, Saints or LSU.
Anthony Davis is ready for the season to end -- pic.twitter.com/zng9L6cUoS
— NBA Central (@TheNBACentral) April 4, 2019As a fan, I wouldn’t shout a profanity at one of my team’s players, but that’s me. Who am I to tell a fan, who paid for a ticket and supported the team, what he or she can’t express. It’s your right as a fan to boo, cheer, curse, if you want.
Clearly Anthony Davis wants out of New Orleans, but this is not the way to be remembered. Like it or not, fans are going see him as I do; a thin skinned super star, who is accustomed to everyone bowing to the brow.
Not the case for Davis. A.D., you sleep with dogs, you get fleas. Get over yourself and move on to another city. Your soap opera in New Orleans can’t end fast enough. Three more games and you’ll be free of New Orleans Pelicans fans expressing their displeasure with you wanting out of the best city on the planet. Davis says he will never disrespect the city, but in fact, he already did by requesting a trade. That’s how out of touch A.D. is. New Orleanians are fiercely protective of this place we call home. We’re equally as protective of our sports teams. Asking to be released is the ultimate insult in any fan’s dictionary.
The lesson here is simple. New Orleans Pelicans and Saints fans have a close relationship with their teams. To them, the Saints and Pels are New Orleans! They are family. Or, at the very least, fans in NOLA think of themselves as defacto owners.
Grow up AD! You are an immense talent, and bigger insults will be hurled your way. This incident clearly shows why you were not going to be the guy to lead the Pelicans to an NBA title. You flip under pressure.
