Reader response III: Why can't athletes speak up loudly about this?

These continue to be responses emailed directly to me (while there are more than 50 responses now at the story link):

== "Please tell my why the Lakers, and, for that matter, all teams whose fans riot following wins (or losses), don't LOUDLY condemn this behavior. Perhaps the athletes/superstars should speak up before and during the finals. If they'd tell their fans that this behavior totally dishonors their accomplishment, they'd could be shamed into stopping what seems to have become habitual following titles."

== "The Lakers won and then the world gets to see this? These people are not fans at all, just trouble makers."

== "I have never written a email to anyone in the media before, but you wrote an exceptional piece. I couldn't agree with you more."

== "I too believe that there should be a greater respect for the property of others and that people should celebrate responsibly. A great follow up article would be to examine some of the "problems that plague most major cities divided by haves and have-nots, especially those hit hardest by the economy and are wrought with poverty." There is not enough being said about there plights. Those 'knuckleheads' that turn out to be repeat violent offenders should be put away for good. The others need to be rehabilitated so that we can end the warehousing of humans and assimilate them back into society."

== "After viewing the front page of the Daily News yesterday -- all Lakers ...my God, I am old enough to remember VJ Day and VE Day at end of WWII and that 'real' news wasn't even typeset as large as the Lakers' nonsense -- I would have cancelled my subscription. But your piece tempers my reaction."

== "As I was with friends in Orange County when the game ended. I jumped up and said: 'I gotta leave.' I live in the S.F. Valley, so I wanted to get by downtown before it all started. I recall seven years ago, what these so called "fans" did with the Lakers win. I too feel along with most of my coworkers, that thought it is not fear, the parade should not go on. Maybe and just maybe, it might sink in, that the next win we need to show the world that L.A. has class. Thank you for putting out yet another great piece."

== "Unfortunately the perpetrators of those acts of vandalism following the Lakers victory probably do not read the Daily News. They just ignite newspaper racks where the newspapers can be purchased.

== "It is really sad that there is a segment of our society that believes this is appropriate behavior. Your story was not only very insightful and well written but it also managed to deliver your very personal observations while making it read as an objective news story. "

== Monday's blog posting (linked here)

== Reader response I (linked here)

== Reader response II (linked here)