Is Russell Wilson Fake?

[rideaducati]

Look at what some "youngsters" see as "being real" these days. "Keeping it real" means showing off your money by buying thousands of pairs of shoes and tattoos and gold chains. Going out and partying and picking up women and driving high end exotic cars is just "Being real".

Heaven forbid a person have and put forward their belief in God and then actually follow the teachings involved. That's not real...couldn't be.

The "fake" guys end up broke two years after their playing days are over. They move around from team to team, no matter how talented they are because people see that they are, in fact, "fake". Their "friends" disappear shortly AFTER the money does because even their friends are fake.

Russell Wilson isn't fake. He is different. It isn't often that we see a superstar that is driven by God. What we usually see is superstars driven by money. I think Russell and his persona is a breath of fresh air. It is good to finally see an actual good guy that thanks God first for everything.

 

[scutterhawk]

Where are these facts that his teammates find him annoying.

I didn't say they were facts. I said that stories about some teammates thinking he's a kiss @ss and a phony have seemingly followed him around across multiple teams.

When those rumors came out about him on the Hawks a couple years ago like everyone else I basically dismissed them, but this week someone from N.C. State said the same thing about his time on the football team there, and in the link above that some people had the same impression of him on the N.C. State baseball team was also floated.

That these types of stories and whispering have followed him across multiple teams means there's probably at least a little bit of fire to the smoke, but again though, I don't think it's a major problem or anything or something that fans should be concerned about (as is said before, it's the minutia of inter-office politics; some people don't like some other people in EVERY organization).

Many, many piss & moaners will often whisper negatives about someone who has beaten the odds, and became mega successful....They could have done just as well, If only they had that 'IT' factor.
You are giving credence to some of these "Whisperers", but the fact is PJ, he DID NOT kiss-ass his way to being the undisputed Starting Quarterback for the Seahawks, he quite simply outplayed the competition.
I don't see him as fake, but rather as a more measured character.
There are even folks that see him as somewhat of a nerd....to each his own, he's never going to please everyone all times, and he shouldn't have to walk on egg shells.
If ya don't like the Artwork, don't look at it.

 

[scutterhawk]

I think people confuse being controlled and well-scripted with being fake. Just because he has tight control over his actions and words does not mean he is some kind of a huckster on a con. Yeah, he uses a lot of cliches and football speak, but he backs everything up with how he works, on and off the field. I'm not a fan of his whole Christian side, but he keeps that pretty low key for the most part. Much like Hass did in his day.

As for the contrast between he and Marshawn, sure, they have vastly different styles. But, Marshawn was here first, at a time when we had a lesser QB and a suspect o-line, and he set the tone for the team at a time when they were just developing an identity. I don't worry too much about personality conflicts between the two. Besides, Marsh is gone, Wilson is still here. Leaders will naturally emerge if they are allowed to. Wilson has been a natural leader everywhere he has played since NC. I don't think he could do that if he was 'faking it.'

LOL, it would pretty hard to "Fake" that kind of success.

 

[Pandion Haliaetus]

I think Wilson is as fake as hes transformed.

I think he was a lot of things growing up that any young adult with immense talent would be.

But I think after Wilson's father died I feel Wilson honored him by living his life in the image of his father and had his transceding moment of putting his faith in god and living life in a positive, inspiring way. His father's death was probably the biggest moment in his life and probably matured through the loss. And I feel that what he is driven by the most, living his life and his dreams in such a way that would make his father proud of who is and what he became.

Dont get me wrong, im sure marketability is also a huge reason why for his choir boy image but I think thats just more coincidence than anything. Wilson truly believes that this way is truly the way to be and what he wants to be as man. Its not a gimmick or a show. Its just the result of his upbringing.

Its pretty much Fresh Prince... In that his life and advantages turned him more into Carlton rather than the cool cousin Will who grew up on the streets of Philly.

And in this day and age, where being cool is all the rage, Wilson comes off as lame, robotic, and uncool.

I think it would be unfair to him to ask himself to be something hes not, that would be even more fake. If people dont like it, they need to get over themselves.

Sure Russ is a goody two-shoes brown nosing choir boy prep but thats how he was raise to be, and honestly I feel if he was anyone else... He would not have as much of an opportunity as he did to prove himself in the NFL. How many short black QBs get the opportunity in this league, even if they have all the talent in the world. Not many. Or any colored QBs for that matter.

Being a successful QB in this league requires pretty much 3 things.

1. Talent
2. Accountability
3. Marketability

QBs are the face of the franchise, you can have all the talent but if youre a poor leader, with poor intangibles, and tarnish the team or league image with poor decisions you arent going to make it long, you arent going to get a franchise contract, you arent going to get endorsments and opportunities outside of the football realm.

Russ is smart and he probably knows this as well but I dont think its fake, he is who is because that is how life shaped him, thats how his father shaped him, thats how god shaped him... Its just a bonus that his his way of doing things and sayings things puts a lot more money into his bank roll.

 

[Hawks46]

I don't see how anyone could think Wilson is some sort of genuine personality. It's really very transparent and it has shown in the locker room on multiple, multiple occasions. Maybe the average fan, who worships the team and longs to worship the QB position, has a tough time with it, but in a room full of other alpha males.....let's just say that there is a reason why the team viewed Marshawn as their "unquestioned leader."

I don't see how this is even a question if you can separate fandom/worship and people.

So long as he doesn't somehow lose the locker room or it just becomes some big problem it's really kind of a moot annoyance and nothing more, however.

He's not going to lose the locker room if he plays like he did last year. Leadership in sports stats from on the field performance. The only exception is an aging veteran that has done it many times before, but isn't as physically dominant as he once was.

You can have all the intangibles you possibly need, but if you can't play, the alpha's in that locker room won't follow you or respect you.

Wilson is incredibly durable, takes a hell of a beating, and is a very good player. On top of that, he's accountable. He takes responsibility and puts the blame on his shoulders, constantly. How many times has he said it was his fault in a PC, when even the most idiotic person could look and see that his OL was ass and getting him killed out there.

Players respect that. Wilson never dodges responsibility.

As for being fake, he was how old exactly when his father had him up at 5 am throwing passes in the back yard....7, 8 ?

He was definitely coached on how to speak and act. It may be filtered, or what not, but something is drilled into you at that age, it's programmed. Even if it's not who he is in private, he's been doing it so long that that public persona is still a part of him.

 

[Nothinbutm]

Watching two talking heads stroke each other's negative opinion on the character of an NFL franchise QB who visits kids in hospitals with terminal illnesses? Sweet! I guess that means Chris Pratt and Chris Evans are total douchebags as well.

Yeah. Never heard of these guys before but listening to them was enough to expand my loathing for american media just a tad more.

Take a hike guys. Wanna manufacture topics and phantom testimonies on RW's character. How about instead of researching this and formulating crap arguments you get up off your @$$3$ and go visit a kid who's in need of some support at a hospital. Ya know, like the guy who's character your attacking is doing.

 

[vin.couve12]

I don't see how anyone could think Wilson is some sort of genuine personality. It's really very transparent and it has shown in the locker room on multiple, multiple occasions. Maybe the average fan, who worships the team and longs to worship the QB position, has a tough time with it, but in a room full of other alpha males.....let's just say that there is a reason why the team viewed Marshawn as their "unquestioned leader."

I don't see how this is even a question if you can separate fandom/worship and people.

So long as he doesn't somehow lose the locker room or it just becomes some big problem it's really kind of a moot annoyance and nothing more, however.

He's not going to lose the locker room if he plays like he did last year. Leadership in sports stats from on the field performance. The only exception is an aging veteran that has done it many times before, but isn't as physically dominant as he once was.

You can have all the intangibles you possibly need, but if you can't play, the alpha's in that locker room won't follow you or respect you.

Wilson is incredibly durable, takes a hell of a beating, and is a very good player. On top of that, he's accountable. He takes responsibility and puts the blame on his shoulders, constantly. How many times has he said it was his fault in a PC, when even the most idiotic person could look and see that his OL was ass and getting him killed out there.

Players respect that. Wilson never dodges responsibility.

As for being fake, he was how old exactly when his father had him up at 5 am throwing passes in the back yard....7, 8 ?

He was definitely coached on how to speak and act. It may be filtered, or what not, but something is drilled into you at that age, it's programmed. Even if it's not who he is in private, he's been doing it so long that that public persona is still a part of him.

Why the need to reply with all of....that?

The kid is a fake, annoying twat who probably has politics in his future. What kind of football player he is was not what was asked and has no bearing on the question.

Again, unless something somehow blows up like this...

...then it's really a moot annoyance that means nothing.

He's just a football player.

 

[Ozzy]

He's not a fake. If he was people would be coming out against him. He's had one guy and another teammate shot it down immediately. I'll take the word of people who've been around him over a few Internet experts.

Someone said it above. He's not fake he's different.

 

[vin.couve12]

He's not a fake. If he was people would be coming out against him.

It's not that important.

He's had one guy and another teammate shot it down immediately. I'll take the word of people who've been around him over a few Internet experts.

The Doug Baldwin thing was about him. Another teammate with better sense of the team may have said otherwise. Maybe even prompted to. Doesn't matter why. The other one that wanted to punch him was kind of crazy in the first place.

Someone said it above. He's not fake he's different.

Sure.

I see a lot of reasoning based on who he plays for, but he's still a politician. I have no problem separating Seahawks from the other stuff, but I'll try to leave it alone...

On the plus side I'd say he's a very smart businessman and extremely good quarterback.

 

[MizzouHawkGal]

The SB Trophy and both NFC championship trophies are very real. That is good enough for me to cheer enthusiastically for Russell and continue to wish him the best.

I see it this way: Behind closed doors my boss and I talk frankly. When the door is open, I have my boss' back. It's good for business. And it is a positive trait to be loyal, and normal to expect loyalty in return.

Exactly. And if you don't think everyone is fake to various levels in public or at the job you are a fool.

 

[12thbrah]

Russell Wilson is corny and dorky as hell but he ain't fake.

 

[mrt144]

Wilson has had to overcome serious adversity in his life. No one doubts this. In order to overcome these barriers (physical limitations, racial barriers, tough hometown, death of father, demotion from starting role, change of colleges/new playbook, low draft spot, divorce, constraints of religion vs. matters of the flesh), he's taken on a manicured Super Russ persona to cope and succeed. He's subverted his circumstantial manacles and achieved a high-level lifestyle - to the point where I'm not sure he feels comfortable removing the Super Suit very often.

It's interesting theory, but as I recall in a profile of Wilson his brother talks about how he's ALWAYS been like this since he was a little kid.

IIRC he partially got it from his dad, who (from the same profile, as I recall) like Russell, also always spoke (and seemingly kindly of thought) in weird cliches and aphorisms too.

---

Also, not to put too fine a point on it, and losing a parent in your early 20s definitely sucks (I lost my dad when I was 17) , but compared to a bunch of guys in the NFL the "adversity" Wilson had to overcome growing up and in his career is a friggin' cakewalk.

The guy grew up in the church and by all accounts had a solidly upper-middle class and loving family that supported him and invested in him. (his dad was a lawyer and his mom is a nurse; his grandpa was a university president and his grandma was a professor; his other grandpa was a famous painter who went to Yale).

Probably the biggest professional hurdle he has had to overcome is that he got drafted to play baseball and because he pursued it he had to play football for a different program.

I mean, yeah, the guy got drafted in the 3rd round because he isn't tall, but put him up against a bunch of UDFAs from broken neighborhoods and families who really don't have any other options and it's really not comparable. Some people don't (very wrongly) snicker about him "not being black enough" because of all the adversity he's faced. :lol:

Harder life than I've had though, although no, I'm not an NFL athlete haha.

 

[kearly]

Agreed on all points. I also think there's something to social media making these athletes turn into a villain with how much constant fawning the ESPN's, Bleacher Report's, etc do with these players. Just look at the Golden State Warriors. Stephen Curry is one of the most entertaining athletes to watch in the history of the NBA, yet the 24/7/365 pub they get leaves a lot of people hoping they fail so the media gets off their junk for a minute.

I think that's the precise thing that happened to Cam Newton last year. I think that's the precise thing that happened to Johnny Manziel BEFORE his life began to really spiral out of control. And I think to a point that's also affected Russell Wilson, because the media is going to gravitate to a winner.. especially one that's very well spoken, very easy to sell, and one that has had stories put out about him that make him an easy target for criticism (the concussion/water comment, the abstinence thing, the alleged incident with Golden Tate, etc etc)

And then yeah, there's also that underlying theme of a little subdue racism involved.. especially when the athlete is black.

The Cam / Manziel / Wilson hate informs me more about the haters than it does about the QBs. As you point out, it's just human nature to think in certain ways, and only a relative few among us are capable or willing to avoid those pitfalls.

 

[idahohawk]

Do better people. Seriously.

 

[kearly]

Cam Newton would be fine with the Superman pose and the smiling and goofing around. The hate comes from when things aren't going well for Cam and he pouts like a baby or sulks with the towel over his head. If you're gonna dish it out like he does, you'd better damn well TAKE it a bit better when things don't go your way. That's the way I see it. He can dish it out, but he can't take it coming back. I have little respect for those kind of people.

The towel head stuff is awesome if it's your team that's beating him. I bet it's annoying for Panthers fans though.

 

[kearly]

Personally, I love that Russell lives his life like he's always on the set of Rudy. Whether or not you actually think God is involved in football games, Russell believes it, and because of that he never loses his composure in games no matter how brutal it gets. This has led to some amazing comeback wins, and a few should have been blowout losses that turned into nailbiters by the end. Belief is a powerful thing on a football field.

 

[joeshaney]

Is Russell Wilson fake?
No.
Russell Wilson wants a good life by his standard and approaches life this best way he can to achieve this.

The fact that any controversy exists in this respect is hilarious. Though, not a surprise.

I am quite proud of Russell that rather than let media play him, he would prefer to ACT.

I hope I would ACT with his thoughtfulness if in the same situation, but my emotions would likely cause me to crack under the immense pressure.

He is a true professional. He puts himself first exactly like he should.

It's a business. Approaching it any other way would be irresponsible and short-sighted. Bravo.

(It is annoying at times, though. Not an issue.)

 

[Hawkpower]

Watching two talking heads stroke each other's negative opinion on the character of an NFL franchise QB who visits kids in hospitals with terminal illnesses? Sweet! I guess that means Chris Pratt and Chris Evans are total douchebags as well.

Yeah. Never heard of these guys before but listening to them was enough to expand my loathing for american media just a tad more.

Take a hike guys. Wanna manufacture topics and phantom testimonies on RW's character. How about instead of researching this and formulating crap arguments you get up off your @$$3$ and go visit a kid who's in need of some support at a hospital. Ya know, like the guy who's character your attacking is doing.

Can I record it and blast it all over the internet every time I visit this hospital?

 

[hgwellz12]

Watching two talking heads stroke each other's negative opinion on the character of an NFL franchise QB who visits kids in hospitals with terminal illnesses? Sweet! I guess that means Chris Pratt and Chris Evans are total douchebags as well.

Yeah. Never heard of these guys before but listening to them was enough to expand my loathing for american media just a tad more.

Take a hike guys. Wanna manufacture topics and phantom testimonies on RW's character. How about instead of researching this and formulating crap arguments you get up off your @$$3$ and go visit a kid who's in need of some support at a hospital. Ya know, like the guy who's character your attacking is doing.

Can I record it and blast it all over the internet every time I visit this hospital?

Why not?
(of course we know what ur getting at)

 

[hgwellz12]

This shit is beyond silly, man. :|