Overpaid, Spoiled Athletes Prompt Fans To Fight Back.
Posted by Laura Hunter on: 2005-07-07 23:08:29
Site manager Kevin Smith spent years fuming over overpaid athletes who never gave their all and decided that if everyone else who felt the way he did spoke out as one, team owners and managers would be forced to listen. In the process he coined the term “sports activism” to describe his approach. “What we’re doing is no different than when people demonstrate in an attempt to generate political pressure,” says Smith. “Fans care about how their team is managed just as people care about how their country is managed. Instead of taking this to the streets, we’re taking this to the internet.”
Once users sign up for a free site membership, they can start petitions to have any player traded or released. If a player’s petition reaches 20,000 names, Smith pledges to send the petition to the owners and General Manager of the team, along with a formal letter explaining the position held by the signers and any other letters or faxes sent by fans. In addition to the petitions, http://www.thisplayersucks.com allows fans to post in forums, post pictures, and write their own articles.
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