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| Charles Barkley wants to pare down on NBA fans. Just by 20 percent. (Getty Images) |
So, you already know this, but Charles Barkley likes to say stuff. Stuff he believes, but stuff that certainly grabs attention. He says what he really thinks and sometimes, that's part of the problem.
On Jim Rome's radio show Wednesday, Barkley was talking about NBA fans and how some go a bit too far in their support. And he might've gone a bit too far himself. He was on for 35 straight minutes, so as you might imagine, give Barkley that long to talk and he's bound to say something.
"Fans man. They love their team and their player. They don't want to hear any criticisms. They just want you to be 100 percent for their team period," Barkley said. "I think it's only a small faction. I think 80 percent are great. Twenty percent, I wish you could take them out back and just shoot them."
Rome jumped in there and says, "Well, maybe not shoot them, Chuck." But Barkley doubled down.
"No, I meant that Jim," he said. Eighty percent of the fans are fantastic. But 20 percent of them are so mean-spirited and say the most nasty things to you, because they know you can't grab them."
Yikes. Barkley's not wrong. Some fans are crazy. Check any comments section, any radio call-in show, any team forum and you'll see the fringe fans that take their anonimity to the farthest reaches they can. Barkley speaks his mind about your team, tells it like it is and doesn't hold back. He's been especially critical of the Oklahoma City Thunder of late, saying he doesn't think they're a top four team and not a true contender. That's the type of stuff that fires up fanbases to the point of saying regrettable things.
And fires up Sir Charles to the same point as well too.
("ROME with Jim Rome" debuts on CBS Sports Network April 3rd. You can follow him on Twitter @JimRome.)
