GSV_No_Fixed_Abode t1_ixddtjm wrote on November 22, 2022 at 4:32 PM

Reply to comment by LocalInactivist in Actor/footballer Vinnie Jones with opposing player Paul Gascoigne during a match. 1988 by 305FUN

Yes, that is the point I'm making.

If he never made movies and was just another athlete sexually assaulting another athlete, people would be rightly criticizing him.

It's precisely because he went on to being a famous actor that people are quoting his cool quotes and handwaving away his sexual assault.

You do see the point I'm making, don't you?

I'm not shitting on sports. Sports are great. I'm shitting on celebrity derangement syndrome.

LocalInactivist t1_ixdgoki wrote on November 22, 2022 at 4:51 PM

Sexual assault? It qualifies by any reasonable definition of the term but hitting someone in the nuts seems more like regular assault. And for good or ill, a lot of stuff happens in sports that would be considered assault in any other context. If you chase someone down while hitting them with a stick it’s definitely assault, unless you’re playing lacrosse. Then it’s a legal move. Rugby is a riot over someone trying to steal a ball. And then there’s boxing.

No one is claiming that Vinnie Jones wasn’t a serious asshole on the field. He was a goon. That’s part of sports. It’s not a good part, but here we are.