Respect is a funny thing. It is something that needs to be earned. It can be earned in several ways. Such as here at the Gab where we have all earned each other’s respect. That respect was earned mainly through our writings and opinions on a variety topics in sports and life in general. That respect has even carried further as we all got to know each other some through cyber space and some through actual communication. We have carried that respect further as we have learned to have differences of opinion and voice those opinions in a non offensive way. We all follow some unwritten rules and we all understand there is a proper way to voice a difference of opinion and there is not.

If a new person comes into the community they will be give respect to a point but if they go beyond any of the unwritten rules or cross any of the lines that our culture has established they will loose the respect of the community. As here and any place else the new person goes to the bottom of the chain and has to earn his or her way into the community. This is done by establishing him or herself by demonstrating certain conduct and eventually through a body of work.

Sometimes a person establishes him or herself because they were successful somewhere else and established a track record in a given field as did many of us who have landed here. Although a person has developed respect in a field they still have to fit into the new organizations culture to make it work and earn the respect of their peers as we have all done here.

To put into a more of a  sports related concept NFL camps opened this week and there are countless rookies out there. Rookies are the new kids on the block. They have landed in the NFL due to a body of work. Unfortunately , in professional Sports they have to establish a new body of work. They start with a clean slate and anything done previously doesn’t count.

 They need to earn the respect of the veterans. This is done by a body of work in some cases just making the team is enough. In other cases they maybe judged by their work  and work ethic during their first season. In all cases they have to conform to the teams culture and follow both the written rules set by the team and the league and the unwritten rules set by the players.

When a player who hasn’t established himself through a body of work, and refuses to conform to the unwritten rules .he ill pay dearly for both his arrogance and his ignorance. That will follow him throughout his career and in the NFL that career maybe very short.

So when a veteran asks a rookie who hasn’t done a thing in the league to carry his pads that rookie has two choices to conform to the unwritten rule and carry them to show he is or wants to be part of the team. If he refuses he may pay dearly in the future.  

He will loose respect among peers and sometimes the new guy has to just go along until he earns the respect of his peers. Now some of you may think these rituals are a form of hazing and that’s fine for a High School kid or a college kid. But this is the pro ranks and these rituals have been going on for as long as the league has been in existence. It’s more a unwritten team building thing the unwritten rules are established and enforced by the players and for the players.

A kid like Dez Bryant needs to learn quickly it’s more than his ego and just catching footballs. The kid has played enough football to understand it’s the ultimate team sport and every part works off every other part. The ignorance excuse that the Cowboys PR guy spun isn’t enough especially amongst the players. Dez will get his but we may never now how. If he doesn’t conform to the culture it will be a long and lonely career.