I attended an NBA game on 04/08/2011 featuring the Chicago Bulls vs. the Cleveland Cavaliers, played in Cleveland.
I purchased two quite expensive tickets as a birthday present for my 14 year old son, who is (or was) a huge Derrick Rose fan. We sat courtside at the game, and for the entire game my son had to endure the razzing and taunting (some polite and some not-so-polite) of the Cleveland fans, because he was dressed head-to-toe in Chicago colors, including a Derrick Rose jersey that he wore.
Our tickets provided us access to the Key Bank Private Court Club near the team locker rooms. At the end of the game, kids are allowed to stand behind a table near the team bus exits to get autographs from the players.
There were approximtely 20 kids in line, and every single player stopped to sign autographs EXCEPT DERRICK ROSE. Derrick Rose walked by all of these kids with his headphones on and didn't even acknowledge his fans. His "handler" said that "he had to go because the bus was leaving". That's funny, because Joakim Noah and Carlos Boozer both came out around the same time, and they had plenty of time to sign autographs for each of the 20 kids. It is not like there was a mob of 500 people standing there shouting his name and crowding him. There were 20 kids between the ages of 5 and 15. Derrick Rose walked by all of these kids as if they didn't exist.
One of the security guards saw my son's dejected look as he stood there holding his Derrick Rose jersey, and said "I think it's time to get a new role model kid". I couldn't agree more.
The security guard went on to say that EVERYONE stops by to sign for the kids (except Derrick Rose). The guard said that Kobe always stops, and even LeBron stopped as a member of the Miami Heat. Say what you will about LeBron, but it must have been a pretty hostile environment when he returned to Cleveland, but he put that aside for the kids.
It saddens me to think that Derrick Rose might actually win the NBA MVP award this year. Derrick Rose doesn't deserve the MVP, because Derrick Rose is a jerk.
If you agree that Derrick Rose is a Jerk, please join me in signing this petition.
Here is the link to the petition:
http://www.repetitionr.com/repetitions/derrick-rose-is-a-jerk/52a6fd1a-704c-11e0-935e-0030483394fa
