Terrence Ross says the NBA's 'groupie' culture is a thing of the past

[Giselle]

It is a generally agreed upon fact that many people want to take money from professional athletes. This group can include legitimate entrepreneurs, but when we speak of them, it's usually about people with no interest in the athletes' well-being. They just want to make a buck off those who have the salaries to support it.

Historically, one subset has included young women looking for relationships in which they can receive gifts (both large and small), child support, and virtually anything else that allows them to provide for themselves. In the classic example, this "groupie" culture involves dozens of women simply hanging around team hotels and arenas in the hopes of catching a player's eye. It's believed to be widespread enough that events such as the league's rookie transition program teach players how to stay mindful of when people are taking advantage of their wealth.

Or maybe it's not such an issue anymore. In an "Ask Me Anything" thread on Reddit (via Raptors Republic), second-year Toronto Raptors guard Terrence Ross says that he has never encountered such a thing up to this point in his NBA career:

Q: How do you best avoid the women who hang out in hotel lobbies waiting for NBA players (gold-diggers). Did any of the vets advise you in this matter?

A: That’s a myth…that’s never happened. There’s so much security now.
​

I suppose it's possible that Ross is the most oblivious man in the world (or trying to cover up an insane amount of tabloid behavior), but chances are he's giving an accurate picture of the situation. While his answer does not mean there are no women who gravitate toward NBA athletes in public (such as when players go to clubs), it does suggest that the image of women lurking in hotels waiting to pounce on men like predators is not true, if it ever existed to that extent at all.

Whether this reality is due to security or some other change is open to debate. Ross could be right — teams do far more to protect their players than they ever did in the past. On the other hand, the world of professional sports can be wildly misogynistic, so it could be that the extent of groupie activity was always exaggerated. Perhaps the players were always more complicit in seeking out these supposed temptresses than they ever cared to admit.

Whatever the case, Ross deserves credit for not perpetuating this myth any longer than necessary. Now, if only we can figure out a way to stop guys from getting athletes to invest in their restaurants.

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nba-b...culture-is-a-thing-of-the-past-083055966.html

 

[Giselle]

 

[Ohene]

maybe its cause he a Raptor

Spoiler

 

[Sonic Boom of the South]

them hoes don't know who Ross is

 

[LordTaskForce]

all the hoes are on instagram and twitter now. why leave their apartment when they can find these dudes online?

 

[Black]

He's kinda of right all you gotta do is have model/stripper in your instagram profile and John Wall will fly you out.

He even rides around Howard him and his cousin pickin up college chicks.

 

[CJ]

Them girls go hard from their Twitter/IG, they don't need to scope out no hotels anymore. Quick Tweet/PM and these ballers are flying them out, hitting/quitting and having Chipotle (for one) by morning

 

[ThaBoyBam]

Seems like the athletes are doing the chasing nowadays.

 

[Zapp Brannigan]

On the other hand, the world of professional sports can be wildly misogynistic, so it could be that the extent of groupie activity was always exaggerated. Perhaps the players were always more complicit in seeking out these supposed temptresses than they ever cared to admit.

This is hilarious. Anyone who's ever worked in show business or hung around professional athletes knows how ravenous these groupies can get. Of course this feel good piece would surmise this out of nowhere instead of giving credit to the security teams.

 

[Motife43]

I can't believe this. My cousin used to play in the NFL and I went to his hotel when they played the Falcons one year. Groupies, geeks, autographers seekers, and wannabes were errywhere. Security couldn't have changed that much in 8 years. I think T-Ross was just being PC

He's kinda of right all you gotta do is have model/stripper in your instagram profile and John Wall will fly you out.

He even rides around Howard him and his cousin pickin up college chicks.

He would be in NC goin ham too when he came back home. Seeing that Burgundy Bentley wasn't a rare occurrence

 

[Black]

I can't believe this. My cousin used to play in the NFL and I went to his hotel when they played the Falcons one year. Groupies, geeks, autographers seekers, and wannabes were errywhere. Security couldn't have changed that much in 8 years. I think T-Ross was just being PC



He would be in NC goin ham too when he came back home. Seeing that Burgundy Bentley wasn't a rare occurrence

Yup sounds just like him. He has a rep amongst groupie bytches as being "easy" saying it takes minimal effort to get him.

 

[Donald J Trump]

nikka there are groups of groupie

 

[Sam Peel]

Sounds like he on the jason collins wave ya dig

 

[BocaRear]

nikka there are groups of groupie hoes at LSU for backups, if u think Ross was being truthful you out your fukkin mind, i got stories for days bout these lsu hoes

im listening

 

[dennis roadman]

Yup sounds just like him. He has a rep amongst groupie bytches as being "easy" saying it takes minimal effort to get him.

who is really getting who here, ladies?