While the rest of his teammates enjoyed a ceremony at the White House dedicated to the team, Boston Bruins goalie Tim Thomas chose to sit out. Because of his strong feelings towards politics he felt he did not have to attend the ceremony. It was a personal decision he made but the majority of the Bruins fan base disagreed with him. In the statement Thomas released on his Facebook page he said, "I believe the Federal government has grown out of control, threatening the Rights, Liberties, and Property of the People...This is in direct opposition to the Constitution and the Founding Fathers vision for the Federal government. Because I believe this, today I exercised my right as a Free Citizen, and did not visit the White House. This was not about politics or party, as in my opinion both parties are responsible for the situation we are in as a country..." He stressed that it was an independent decision he made and did not have any outside influence. Thomas ended his statement by saying that the above statement was the only comment he would make on his decision. The Bruins General Manager Peter Chiarelli said that he can require a player to attend an event such as the White House ceremony and that he has the authority to suspend the player if they fail to show up but in this situation he chose not to suspend Tim Thomas because it was an independent decisions made by an individual player.
Author Tom Weir used logos and pathos in his article. He included both statements from Thomas and Chiarelli about the White House Ceremony. However, the article was very short and dry. I wish he included some type of fan reaction or the opinion of one of Thomas's fellow Bruins. Personally, I think it was disrespectful of Thomas to not attend the ceremony because he chose what he wanted over his team. To me, that shows a lack of team work and dedication. I do not doubt that Thomas is a true Bruin but this recent decision by Thomas is not helping him on the fan favorite scale. Hopefully he will prove us all wrong by finishing off the season strong and taking the Bruins to another Stanley Cup.
Bruins' Tim Thomas Boycotts White House Celebration by Tom Weir
http://content.usatoday.com/communities/gameon/post/2012/01/bruins-tim-thomas-boycotts-white-house-celebration/1
That's a really interesting situation. I think it would have been nice of him to support his team, but at the same time I think it's important to stand up for what you believe in.
ReplyDelete