Nerd-talk: Do your text-sim players have a race in your head?

[Karlifornia]

What I mean by this is, when you're playing a sports sim, do you picture particular players in your head, and do you have an idea on whether or not they would be white, black, latin, or asian?

I do this all the time, and I guess I have a sort of system set up; If a guy's name is Tyrone Robinson, LeRoy Johnson, Dontrell Anything, he's black, even if he is a kicker. And I hate when a kicker has a black sounding name for some reason. I wish that could be coded in such a way that it happened VERY rarely.

On the flipside of the coin, when someone's name is Blake Stein, or Bobby Joe O'Conroy, it's automatically a white guy, even if he's a cornerback/runningback. NFL games should also code for this. You have more white RB's and CB's in college, but they just don't exist in the NFL. I don't think this is racist, but just realist. I mean, realism is why we play these games, right?

The fun begins when you get the non-descript names like. "Al White" or "Tim Smith". Depending on position/hometown/school, I try to formulate a guess.

Am I the only who does this? Do I need to see a psychologist?

[DaddyTorgo]

FM is the best for this, because there are so many nationalities. i've done this and then googled players and been surprised at what i've found (for non-regens i mean). some of the dutch players of african descent and stuff.

[digamma]

Based on the thread title, I thought you meant a foot race, in which case my answer would be no.

[vex]

Originally Posted by digamma

Based on the thread title, I thought you meant a foot race, in which case my answer would be no.

ditto

[Maple Leafs]

Yes, although only with star players. I once had a QB named Randall Compton... I mean, no way he's white.

Of course, it can really screw with you when you don't know that a player is actually a real person, and then you find out you had their race wrong. After his all-star career in the RWBL, finding out that Gabe Gross was white was extremely unnerving for me.

[sovereignstar]

Jerry St. Clair in my head = white
Jerry St. Clair in Cringer's head

equals

[Poli]

Originally Posted by Maple Leafs

Yes, although only with star players. I once had a QB named Randall Compton... I mean, no way he's white.

Of course, it can really screw with you when you don't know that a player is actually a real person, and then you find out you had their race wrong. After his all-star career in the RWBL, finding out that Gabe Gross was white was extremely unnerving for me.

I played softball with a "white" Randal Manning.

[Ben E Lou]

Sometimes they are race-neutral, but sometimes I picture them as either black or white.

QB Ike Croft in FOF, from Bethune-Cookman, was unquestionably black.

RB "The Galloping Greek," Shawn Papadopulos, was definitely white.

The legendary RB Tyrus Dunn (removes hat) was black.

T Mervin Pollock is white.

DE Big Butt Bailey is a brutha, no doubt.

QB Shaun "The Solution" Duncan is race-neutral.

R.J. "The Latest Arrival" Ellard is a brutha takin' off the shackles.

SE Forrest Truett is race-neutral.

I think the names have a lot to do with it for me...

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by SkyDog

QB Shaun "The Solution" Duncan is race-neutral.

Umm ... SD ... how many white guys you ever known that anybody would call "The Solution"?

Shaun Duncan is obviously a young black dude who has some Iverson fans either as teammates, posse, or both.

[st.cronin]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

Umm ... SD ... how many white guys you ever known that anybody would call "The Solution"?

Shaun Duncan is obviously a young black dude who has some Iverson fans either as teammates, posse, or both.

And it's about time he was suspended, if you ask me.

[Ben E Lou]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

Umm ... SD ... how many white guys you ever known that anybody would call "The Solution"?

Shaun Duncan is obviously a young black dude who has some Iverson fans either as teammates, posse, or both.

I DID play basketball in high school with a white guy (Jewish private school kid, no less) who gave himself the moniker "The Pearl." Another white kid on the team (former Columbus mayor Frank Martin's son) managed to get everyone to call him "The Truth." Heck, to this day I still refer to him as "The Truth."

I kid you not.

[st.cronin]

When I was a high school goalie, my nickname was "Flipper."

[sovereignstar]

Originally Posted by st.cronin

When I was a high school goalie, my nickname was "Flipper."

Were you a superstar like Brian Elliot?

[st.cronin]

Originally Posted by sovereignstar

Were you a superstar like Brian Elliot?

Totally. My career varsity stats: 3-0, 1.50 gaa.

I was a superstar.

[Passacaglia]

When I played SimSports Basketball, there was a guy there that kept insisting, for some reason, that if we knew that a player was black, we'd be more likely to choose him, than if we didn't know what it was at all. Weirdo.

[Dutch]

Until I actually saw Donovan McNabb....

[Chubby]

I don't put a race on any of my players. I don't think Brent Peterman is left handed tho. I pretend all of his pics are in a mirror.

[Desnudo]

Troy O'Leary

[MIJB#19]

Originally Posted by DaddyTorgo

FM is the best for this, because there are so many nationalities. i've done this and then googled players and been surprised at what i've found (for non-regens i mean). some of the dutch players of african descent and stuff.

Actually, I think most of them are proud of their Surnamese decent and it's very unusual, if not inappropriate, to call them African.

Personally, I never put skin colors on fake players, and for my IHOF team, I leave that to those with pics making skills. And I still won't remember what they look like. They're all orange with white and blue football players to me.

[Marc Vaughan]

Originally Posted by SkyDog

I DID play basketball in high school with a white guy (Jewish private school kid, no less) who gave himself the moniker "The Pearl." Another white kid on the team (former Columbus mayor Frank Martin's son) managed to get everyone to call him "The Truth." Heck, to this day I still refer to him as "The Truth."

I kid you not.

(in the interests of bad taste)

Was the 'Pearl's girlfriend affectionately nicknamed 'Necklace' ?

(ducks and runs )

[Ksyrup]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

Shaun Duncan is obviously a young black dude who has some Iverson fans either as teammates, posse, or both.

See, I made the connection to Shaun King simply because of the spelling of his first name and his being a QB, so I probably would have thought him to be black.

[Butter]

Originally Posted by DaddyTorgo

FM is the best for this, because there are so many nationalities.

Absolutely. I can't tell you how many players in FM I have seen in real life, and thought to myself "I pictured him as a black/white guy", when he turns out to be just the opposite. Tony Warner is one that leaps to mind, along with Jeremie Aliardiere.

[Raiders Army]

No races for me.

[Ksyrup]

So you're saying that Bill Simmons is missing a goldmine with soccer, in terms of filling in his Reggie Cleveland All-Star team?

And on that point, did anyone really believe Simmons in his running diary of the national championship game when he suggested that he didn't know Mack Brown was white? He played it off like he doesn't watch college football at all. I suppose that might be true, but I tend to think that was a lie for the benefit of his column.

[moriarty]

Originally Posted by Butter_of_69

Absolutely. I can't tell you how many players in FM I have seen in real life, and thought to myself "I pictured him as a black/white guy", when he turns out to be just the opposite. Tony Warner is one that leaps to mind, along with Jeremie Aliardiere.

I used to do the same thing all the time in FM before the version where you could add the face packs. I still recall, I had this vision of a young Joe Cole as a lanky, lightening fast black guy streaming down the wings.

[Coder]

Originally Posted by moriarty

I used to do the same thing all the time in FM before the version where you could add the face packs. I still recall, I had this vision of a young Joe Cole as a lanky, lightening fast black guy streaming down the wings.

Nowadays he's blue and purple in the face instead of black or white though

[cthomer5000]

Originally Posted by Chubby

I don't put a race on any of my players. I don't think Brent Peterman is left handed tho. I pretend all of his pics are in a mirror.

So he wears his jersey backwards?

[Kodos]

Originally Posted by st.cronin

When I was a high school goalie, my nickname was "Flipper."

In high school, I was known as Whitey to some folks.

I usually have a picture in my head of guys. Chuck Farley is a big hairy white guy with a scruffy beard. Jackie Williamson is black and is a lefty (because my right tackle always gives up more sacks than my left tackle - obviously the right tackle must be protecting his blind side). With Devin Bergeron, I think he's white because of the French last name, but Devin suggests to me that he might not be white after all. I dunno. Generally I picture him as white.

[KWhit]

Yes, my guys often have a race in my head. It depends on their name and their position usually and it's not something I consciously thought about until I started creating pics for all my players in IHOF. And for most of them I already had an idea in my mind about their race.

[Groundhog]

Absolutely. I do it all the time, and don't even realise.

[M GO BLUE!!!]

Most of the time I don't even think about it, but I sometimes do.

Where they are from can have an influence on how I picture them. My previous backup QB was 6'4, 251. His name: Frankie Craig. The name is neutral enough, but the size screams Culpepper. He's from North Plainfield, NJ though... If he was from Newark it would be a slam dunk.

I just changed to a 34 defense. My two middle LB's: Byron Kwan & Lewis Chu. For some reason I see Kwan & Chu and picture them as asian...

Denver's 1st rd pick was Bob Bob Cardoza from Idabel, OK. For some reason I picture Bob Bob being white white. I also picture Dallas backup QB Ed Sullivan (from Redding, CA) as a stiff white guy who might have a future in TV.

My rookie FB is Jamal Cooley, from Wilkes-Barre, PA. I would like one time to meet a white guy named Jamal Cooley...

[Honolulu_Blue]

I drafted a LB once in FOF2 (I think) whose name was Vernon Slaymaker. I didn't really need a LB at the time, but there was no way I was passing up a guy named Slaymaker. I always pictured him looking like Tom "Tiny" Lister (the big dude from "Friday", "Fifth Element", etc.).

[cthomer5000]

Originally Posted by M GO BLUE!!!

Most of the time I don't even think about it, but I sometimes do.

Where they are from can have an influence on how I picture them. My previous backup QB was 6'4, 251. His name: Frankie Craig. The name is neutral enough, but the size screams Culpepper. He's from North Plainfield, NJ though... If he was from Newark it would be a slam dunk.

Sign that guy to a huge extension!

FWIW, North Plainfield is pretty diverse, trending towards a larger and larger hispanic population each year.

[ice4277]

I sometimes come up with mental images for my players.

I enjoy it the most when I'm playing a college football game, recruiting players with obviously black names from podunk cities in Michigan that have probably never even seen a black person within the city limits