Shut Up with all the "Team Values" Crap Already

Verzbicas' values:

ST: Which area do you think you will need sponsor help and where do you think you'll be fine?

Lukas: This is a hard question to answer, all I can say right now is the more the better I guess.

troll... get pwned... get pwned

Civilians have the Freedom to Assemble (and to refuse) under the United States Constitution. Lukas owes no person nor himself any explanation. The XC class he enrolled in at UO was an "at will" relationship under the law. UO and Lukas had the option at any time of terminating that relationship and Lukas was the one to select that option. God Speed to Lukas Verzbickas.

The point is totally being missed here. No one is saying Lukas didn't have the right to do what he did or owes anyone an explanation. The point people are making here is what Lukas did was very shitty. He didn't have to keep running or stay at UO but my goodness he had three weeks left untill xc nationals. Finish nationals and leave, don't leave right before regionals.

Our number 3 guy on our high school xc team ditched us the night we were traveling to state. Instead he went to a dance and got drunk with his new girlfriend. And no, our team pretty much sucked and we knew we'd have no chance to win even with him, but we were a team and had trained since early summer for this. We all hated this guy. In fact I think I still do, 30 years later.

By the way, he didn't turn out too well in other areas of life. I'll leave it at that.

And yeah, I understand all the legal mumbo jumbo about Constitutional rights, etc. Whatever, dude.

Got em wrote:

The point is totally being missed here. No one is saying Lukas didn't have the right to do what he did or owes anyone an explanation. The point people are making here is what Lukas did was very shitty. He didn't have to keep running or stay at UO but my goodness he had three weeks left untill xc nationals. Finish nationals and leave, don't leave right before regionals.

No. Actually, in all seriousness, what he did wasn't shitty in the slightest.

I see the OP's point in that everyone accusing Verzbicas of anything is doing it simply because he isn't living up to the moral values that they've imposed upon him.

Morals are relative. Especially with something as inconsequential as sports.

Sure it's a problem if an athlete goes around doping and such because it gives an illegal advantage that defies the purpose of athletics itself, but leaving a COLLEGE Team? Even if it's the week before regionals when his team supposedly "needs him", it doesn't count for shit. He's not subject to their opinions or wills, nor is he subject to the desires expressed by a bunch of people on a forum who probably couldn't beat him in a race if they all ran in a RELAY against him, and he strapped a set of cinder blocks to his legs.

That's his right and he did what he had to do to take care of business. Plus who gives a shit about Xc when he's now going to be a millionaire. There was no reason to stick around so he left. Great. Will the sun rise in the morning ? Not for you whiney little bitches.

I take it you never ran for a team?

You don't walk off on your boys in the middle of the season. Simple as that.

You don't decide for others. Only for yourself. Lukas is in the same boat. Any person can do what they want. That's America.

abacus wrote:

I take it you never ran for a team?

You don't walk off on your boys in the middle of the season. Simple as that.

that you think you have absolutely any say whatsoever in someone else's decision making only serves to illustrate the level of delusion from which you're operating.

abacus wrote:

I take it you never ran for a team?

You don't walk off on your boys in the middle of the season. Simple as that.

You're not obligated to do ANYTHING for your team.

I ran in a team of 250 in High School.

Our Coach's Motto was that you stayed if you wanted to stay. We were there to run, and because we liked running. Not because we had some absurd obligation to the other 249 people around us.

If you take a damn good look at EVERY accomplished runner around today, the BEST did not have your shit-headed "team-mentality" ingrained in their brains.

Rupp was coached privately at Oregon when he competed for them.

Lagat abandoned his COUNTRY for profit

The people stuck on the whole "you owe your team everything" mentality, are the people who never accomplished anything on their own, and as a result, viewed their team as EVERYTHING to them.

Lukas won 9 National Running Titles, an International Duathlon Title, and an International Triathlon Title.

He NEVER had a damn team behind his back. So why the Hell would he subject himself to YOUR mentality?

No one's disagreeing that an individual is free to do what he wants. It's just that some decisions make you a lousy person.

To spell it out fully: sticking out the last two weeks of the season with his team -- huge upside for Oregon (possibly salvaging a nationals bid), little downside for Lukas. Quitting two days before regionals -- huge downside for the team (points, morale), little personal benefit. Why not just honor your commitment to your teammates and wait until the end of the season to pack up and go pro in triathlon? Some things in life are more important that contractual obligations.

abacus wrote:

No one's disagreeing that an individual is free to do what he wants. It's just that some decisions make you a lousy person.

To spell it out fully: sticking out the last two weeks of the season with his team -- huge upside for Oregon (possibly salvaging a nationals bid), little downside for Lukas. Quitting two days before regionals -- huge downside for the team (points, morale), little personal benefit. Why not just honor your commitment to your teammates and wait until the end of the season to pack up and go pro in triathlon? Some things in life are more important that contractual obligations.

Because he didn't HAVE a commitment to his teammates.

The members of a team aid the team by their own choice. Not because they had an obligation to.

You just can't wrap your head around the fact that morals are relative.

If you don't like it then you can go to hell. You don't make rules for others. Only yourself. Each person decides what they want to do for themselves. The same goes for you and me. That's America.

D&B and Millionaire Baby -- let me know when you're finished with the book reports on Il Principe.

Your'e on your own in life, kid. You can into this world alone, and you'll leave forever alone. Lukas on the other hand is a Millionaire Baby. Wow. Pro at 18. The Bomb !

Actually he kind of did have a commitment to his team. That National Letter of Intent is a contract for a year basically signing your loyalty to that respecting school/program.

Then he recentky terminated the agreement. And that's that. It's over and done with. He made the choice as is his Constiutional Right.

You're correct, and some see that as shitty character given the time at which is was done.