Originally posted by raehl
My problem with the original post is I'm sick of players blaming everyone else but totally ignoring how their own behavior contributes to the situation.
I'm not saying you should have been one for oned for a hit on the pack. I'm saying that by shooting a player who was already obviously eliminated your behavior made getting the penalty possible - and even if you shouldn't have been one-for-oned for the pack hit, you should have been for shooting the eliminated player. Those extra shots did nothing to help your team win the game, but did end up costing you - your fault, not the refs, even if the ref assessed the right penalty for the wrong reason. You made a bad decision, plain and simple.
Now, the player you shot definitely should have been one-for-oned as well, but its the refs job to asses that penalty, not your job to do it by lighting him up in the back.
As for the talking, the way you wrote it made it seem like you were talking during the game because you didn't move the timeframe until after the game until when you were throwing your pack. My bad for reading that the wrong way - but still - don't throw stuff anywhere near refs, or direct the F word at them. Again, your behavior contributing to the problem.
I realize that what you did and what the other guy did appear totally normal to a lot of people who read these boards, but that perspective needs to be changed. There's unfortunately years of "paintball culture" that's been built up that's just bad news. It's not surprising that it's been allowed to get this far since the vast majority of people were concerned merely about winning whatever event they were playing, but its totally counterproductive if you're thinking about pulling hundreds of thousands or millions of dollars in avertising and ticket sales.
Refs need to be better and more consistent, but players have to start playing a little more paintball and doing a little less of the vendetta and "I'm a bigger man than you are" BS too.
- Chris
