What a tool. He may have done it reflexively without thinking—hopefully next time his brain will be faster than his hands.

Posted by: Mike Quinoa | November 2, 2009 12:21 PM

I see nothing wrong with what he did. He didn't slam the bat down on purpose. It looks like in the video the bat just got caught on his hand and the motion of the swat propelled the bat into the ground.
Aftarwards, he picked it and handed it to a arena worked. If wanted to be cruel he could have stepped on the bat or picked it back up and slammed it into the ground again. Well, he didn't do that.
Cut the guys some slack.

Posted by: Kurt K | November 2, 2009 12:38 PM

He has set a really bad example for younger fans, if he is a real 'man' he will apoligise for this stupid act.

Posted by: Tula | November 2, 2009 12:44 PM

A 6'6", 210 pound man never looked so small until I read this!

Posted by: Michael Essi | November 2, 2009 12:55 PM

SICK.

Posted by: Aneliese | November 2, 2009 01:32 PM

What a loser he is.... and he think's he's a real man! Listen up jerk... you must have a small ..well you get it!!!!

Posted by: cal | November 2, 2009 01:34 PM

I love reading the comments on here.

Posted by: icuwoot | November 2, 2009 02:02 PM

for being people that are supposed to be loving towards all creatures you really are expressing a lot of hate towards one.

Posted by: vince | November 2, 2009 02:15 PM

Right on the money Kurt - Manu respects animals to begin with (comments here have never really seen what he does off the court).

And frankly, if the animal is rabid, he's going to have to get shots just because he handled the animal. Those are quite painful, so for those here at PETA who wish him pain and such, you'll get your wish when he goes through those.

Posted by: Mel | November 2, 2009 02:24 PM

Poor bat. Revenge will be mine!!!!

Posted by: Bruce Wayne | November 2, 2009 02:31 PM

I saw the play back on "sports highlights" and his face afterwards was AWFUL-he just shrugged his shoulders like it was no big deal. I mean the mascot had a net, why could no one use that instead? I mean come on if it was a cat, dog or a pig they would have tried everything to calm it down and then remove from the game!What a jerk!!

Posted by: Miranda | November 2, 2009 02:33 PM

A bat once got into my office. It was hilarious. We got it out safely though. :)

Posted by: MH | November 2, 2009 02:40 PM

pathetic.it's a TINY bat! and regardless of size to just slam it like that was sick.would it be okay if a baby ran onto the court and he slammed the baby?why is a human life regarded with SO much respect and a non human's so disposable?especially when humans do the most destruction to eachother, other species and the planet than any other creation..I would not be okay with this loser slamming a baby, an innocent grown adult or a bat it is all one in the same.
and people who do not realize this are missing a big part of their souls.

Posted by: simara | November 2, 2009 03:37 PM

Loser!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Posted by: Laura | November 2, 2009 03:38 PM

For the record, Manu did NOT kill the bat. It did manage to fly away when the stadium guy released it outside.

I think he actually prevented the situation from becoming much worse. If the bat had bitten someone on national tv, just think how much anti-bat sentiment that would have stirred up.

Posted by: Quantum Ace | November 2, 2009 03:42 PM

Miranda, nets do not easily catch bats - the sonar they use to detect dangers would've caught that given how close it'd been to the bat. So... it'd flown away.

And, the stadium is in the middle of San Antonio - making it even rarer you'd see bats there (they prefer the country because it's quieter). Larger animals? - no, they'd been caught long before they got anywhere near the stadium.

I'm thinking some fan brought it in for a stunt, which would at least be good for Manu so he wouldn't have to get shots.

Manu I'm sure was not happy about the bat - for his own health as well as others. I will say however, that unless you've come face to face with a bat flying around in your face, you don't know how scary - or potentially rabid - they are.

Posted by: Mel | November 2, 2009 04:09 PM

Now I am not a basketball fan so this may be the norm but wasn't it convenient that the mascot was wearing a batman getup or the fact he had a net? Publicity stunt gone bad maybe?!?

Posted by: Alicia | November 2, 2009 04:15 PM

hes from argentina thats the kind of stuff they do

Posted by: jason | November 2, 2009 04:30 PM

GIINOOOOOOOBLIIIIIIIIII

Posted by: Charles Barkley | November 2, 2009 04:31 PM

As a follower of San Antonio Spurs basketball - I know what Manu Ginobili is about - winning basketball games. Competing, beating the other team. It is probably very true that he didn't think about the bat when acting - he merely wanted the game to continue.

That being said, questioning Ginobili's manhood, his dedication to being a role model to the community, and other written insults against Ginobili will not accomplish the goal of the author. (I'm assuming the author wants to preserve animal life, not merely anger someone who has different opinions). So, instead of hashing out disrespect, how about we ask intelligent questions. Such as "Is it justifiable to value a game over the life of a bat?" "How would this action affect the younger fans of Ginobili?" Stuff like that... That way it's an environment of growth and learning. Not annoying insults. That will accomplish exactly nothing.

Posted by: Drew Moore | November 2, 2009 04:48 PM

Not to mention they sprayed his hands with hand sanitizer immediately following. Think of the germs that are being killed!!!! We shouldn't let that happen.

Posted by: Dooj | November 2, 2009 05:25 PM

PETA is again over exaggerating this whole thing.

Posted by: John Edwards | November 2, 2009 05:36 PM

We have a lot of bats in SA and Texas is VERY bat friendly. There have been lots of bats and birds that enter the various arenas and large structures around town. Don't slam Manu, it was an amazing thing that unfortunately ended the way it did. You can't really assume that the management would suspend play indefinately due to this unfortunate event. Worry about the whales or something!

Posted by: Niles Chumney | November 2, 2009 05:41 PM

I agree that Manu was probably not intentionally trying to harm the bat, but trying to swat it away to continue the game. Along with that, having seen birds in the AT&T Center before it is likely that a bat may have flown in, especially since San Antonio has been seeing more of them in the city. SA has even started to build them into their culture, much like Austin does where literally thousands live under a downtown bridge. It sucks the swat looked so violent, but before attacking someone for reflexes let's think a little bit.

Posted by: Marie | November 2, 2009 05:41 PM

I take back my earlier comments. After thinking about it, Manu Ginobili should not have hurt a scared and defenseless creature. Yet seemingly this animal cruelty has been celebrated on forums by fans of his team. This is not far removed from Michael Vick's killing of dogs. Just because the bat is not furry and someone's pet doesn't make it any less cruel.

Posted by: CHARLES BARKLEY | November 2, 2009 05:51 PM

Some of you really need to find some sort of perspective on life.

1. The bat didn't die.

2. The bat could have been dangerous (diseases etc.)

3. The bat could have caused an accident simply due to fear (panic)

4. Comparing a bat and a human baby is just silly. I shouldn't really have to explain that. If you're going to compare it to a human, you would have to compare it to an adult.

5. The writer's logic explaining that there are ways to keep the bat out of the arena is faulty. The issue wasn't keeping it OUT of the arena, it was finding a way to REMOVE it from the arena.

6. Welcome to nature... where if a smaller animal annoys a larger predator, it gets swatted. This is how nature is SUPPOSED to work. The world is not set up for humans to be the caretakers of the world... they're simply higher up the food chain.

7. Bats outnumber people 10-1 ish in San Antonio... if you want people to take you seriously, choose the worthwhile battles.

Posted by: Ethan | November 2, 2009 06:21 PM

BATMANU GIINOOOOOOOBLIIIIIIIIII!!!!!!!!

Posted by: Bong | November 2, 2009 07:04 PM

Take care , specially when you talk about somebody as Manu Ginobili. Somebody who performs love acts each day..month...year..

Posted by: Franz Blonde | November 2, 2009 07:08 PM

es from argentina thats the kind of stuff they do
Posted by: jason | November 2, 2009 04:30 PM

You are a fu.cking racist

Posted by: ARG | November 2, 2009 07:18 PM

What a horrible thing to do! He clearly has no respect for animals.

Posted by: Courtney | November 2, 2009 07:22 PM

Thank's for the update. The NBA is not exactly a haven for animal lovers. Former player Jayson Williams made a bet that if were to lose he would kill his pet dog. The moral moron then shot his dog to death.

Posted by: Brien Comerford | November 2, 2009 08:16 PM

The Manu I know, wouldn't hurt a fly.

Posted by: senorglory | November 2, 2009 08:31 PM

think about it, manu was at work...wouldnt you be a bit frustrated if you were sitting in your cubicle or wherever you work and a bat comes outta nowhere and makes it so you cant finish your job and go home to your family??

Posted by: Jamie | November 2, 2009 08:35 PM

Excuse me, Alicia, but I am from Argentina. I read your comment and, leaving aside all I can assume with it, let me please ask you not to mention Argentina as a brutal country. Please don't do it from the same country that unleashed the H bomb, Napalm, Babykillers, etc. It's not fair to judge a whole country based on what you think is wrong. The bat, btw, lived according to press releases. And finally, let me educate you about some activities we have down here: you will find Tango, Soccer, the best meat in the world (I assume you are a vegetarian and may think eating other animals is wrong, but that doesn't make us brutal animal hating people) anyway, just wanted you to know that Bat Slapping is not one of the things we do around here. Best wishes, and please, remember ego cógito, ergo sum.

Posted by: Max | November 2, 2009 08:46 PM

The BAT WAS OK!! but it was just stunned it flew away when they took it out side it's sooooo hard to catch a bat echo location is why how would he kno for sure that he was going to hit the bat he's a human we all make mistakes so chill out don't stress over something soooo minor

People kill poor cats on purpose and light them on fire and stuff them in microwaves and bury them alive

Which is efin horrible ,horrible I tell you compared to swatting a bat just becase Manu ginobli is famous they target him

y'all petas
should invest your money on catching cat killers in ur community

Posted by: pete from sa tx | November 2, 2009 09:01 PM

Hey, it's not as if the bat was killed or anything. I'm sure everyone is against hurting animals, but what happened had to be done, especially with an animal that fast. Plus, all the germs + distraction from the game + anything else we can't predict.

Some people just overreact. I'm sure Amanda would do just the same if her child was in such a situation where the bat could potentially harm the child.

Posted by: Danny Whitehead | November 2, 2009 09:03 PM

It was just reported that Manu has to get a series of rabies shots now. So just think how that would have looked if the bat had found a baby in that stadium. Don't judge until you know the whole story.

Posted by: tee | November 2, 2009 09:17 PM

this whole action makes me think about the movie forest gump and the scene where the girl talks about wanting to be made a bird and fly far, far away. i wish i was a bird and could fly far, far away. hell, do birds even get rabies? that would be even better if i was a bird since i could have pooped on a sacramento player's head since i am a mexican free tail bat and we love san antonio.

Posted by: the bat | November 2, 2009 09:45 PM

Are we being serious here, people? There was a wild animal flying around in an area with thousands of people, with a potential to infect them with rabies (however remote the possibility was, it was a possibility). The bat flew towards him, and he instinctively acted. This is not murder. To bring this to a level of condemnation seems contrary to the purpose of spreading a message of understanding. This was a freakish occurrence that should not reflect completely on the views of Manu. I don't know his personal views, but they're irrelevant. If you want to condemn the media coverage for lauding his skills, so be it, but to condemn him for a simple, unintended act, you're doing far more damage than good.

Posted by: James | November 2, 2009 09:49 PM

By the way to cheer everyone up the Bat was not injured and flew away. Instead the guy that you are accusing of killing him is instead being treated for rabies as we speak because the bat escaped and is doing fine as we talk. Yes he could've left the bat alone and maybe if you did leave them alone they would be ok but would you be ok if the bat did have rabies and bit some people in the crowded stadium?

Posted by: Cameron | November 2, 2009 10:02 PM

Ginobiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii. I bet he play HB.

Posted by: Ginobili | November 2, 2009 10:14 PM

Poor little bat. I see no cause to celebrate or admire Ginobili's action. Funny thing that, one's reflexes reflect his/her inner attitude.

One hot summer night I left my back door partly open and 2 bats came in. As they whizzed past my head several times looking for escape, my instinct was to duck, not bat them out of the air. I managed to get the door wide open and the little guys made their way out in about 20 minutes.

Contrary to some opinions here, I've no doubt that this unfortunate little bat could've been caught in a net and set free.

Posted by: lynda downie | November 2, 2009 10:36 PM

Mel and Alicia, I doubt that anyone brought the bat into the arena as a Halloween prank, and I know it was not a publicity stunt. Bats have been seen often inside the AT&T Center. We have many bat colonies in central Texas, and doors to the arena are often open for loading and unloading during re-purposing for various events (concerts, hockey, rodeos, etc). I recall one bat flying about during a game last season - I believe it was caught in the net. As for the mascot's Batman costume, it was left over from a promotion last season tied to the Batman movie. After play was stopped the first time the bat flew low over the court, the Coyote put his Batman costume on and returned to the arena with the net, but the bat did not reappear at that time. A few minutes later, when the mascot had left the floor, the bat reappeared. How do I know this? I was in the arena.

Posted by: Jane Ann Craig | November 2, 2009 11:09 PM

Get over it!

Posted by: Laurie | November 2, 2009 11:11 PM

the bat WAS still alive..i work there in the at&t center... it was released but should've been kept for testing.. since it had contact with a human....... c'mon people do some research...

Posted by: manuel paredez | November 2, 2009 11:35 PM

I really appreciate PETA. We need organizations like this to make us think with kindness to other creatures that we share the planet with.

Having said that, I think it's only natural for most humans to look upon bats and other harmful creatures like snakes and scorpions with fear and disgust.
Snakes kill thousands of people in India every year. Bats outnumber people in San Antonio, and they are feared and hated. Do you think the fans would've cheered if it was a dog that was swatted? No!
It's Human nature, I will always kill a scorpion when I see it.

P.S The bat lived.

Posted by: salem mohammed | November 3, 2009 12:22 AM

The ignorant sports blogger referenced in the PETA blog DID make a good point. The worst offender here is not the player, but the person who released an innocent animal to an unnatural environment for a pointless Halloween stunt. There must be a better way to resume the game than inflicting fatal trauma on an innocent animal, but unfortunately, I read all the comments and did not see any practical suggestions. Experienced animal control officers have all kinds of tricks up their sleeves. One thing's for sure, the player would have been better off from a PR perspective if he hadn't taken matters into his own hand.

Posted by: PigPal | November 3, 2009 12:26 AM

What a hero

Posted by: DMan | November 3, 2009 12:38 AM

This is a perfect example of how out of touch PETA is. I find it offensive a charity exists for animals when there are still so many people dying of hunger in the world...

Posted by: me2 | November 3, 2009 12:40 AM

Why are we blaming Manu, and not the guy who brought the bat into the stadium in the first place?

Posted by: Phlow | November 3, 2009 12:55 AM

Not the worst thing you could do to a bat.

Posted by: Ozzy Osbourne | November 3, 2009 01:06 AM

oh yes, civility. listen, this incident rewarded the imbecile who brought the bat into the arena through constant news footage. Missing from every story was, of course, the bat's fate. A terrified animal was killed in front of a bunch of cheering maroons. It was treated as a big joke. if there were any remorse, and there should have been, it would have manifested itself immediately. It didn't. As a result, we have the obligation to CALL THIS CLOWN'S CHARACTER INTO QUESTION. Animal killing is not acceptable. figure out an alternative.

Posted by: susanj | November 3, 2009 01:42 AM

Please belittle someone worth belittling. This article does nothing, but ridicule and question the man only few know he is.

Many didn't know Manu Ginobili, the man, before this incident. Those who did knew a man who took part in many community events. He is gracious to all those around him. He's humbling and caring. A man with the perfect image, before this honest mistake. To be honest, this will pass and won't hurt his image at all.

He's realized doing what he did was wrong. He turned to his Facebook to say, "that bats are great part of the ecosystem."

So as a fan of Mr. Ginobili and the work he does in my community, please refrain from belittling him any more than you did in this blog.

Posted by: Anonymous | November 3, 2009 02:32 AM

Seriously...it's a rodent. It wasn't trying to fly away from anyone, so he took care of the problem. It was not a person, it was not a pet, it was a diseased rodent with wings. I wish you people would find something more productive to apply your passion to instead of something as minor as this. It makes you look like fools.

Posted by: Greg | November 3, 2009 02:57 AM

I can't believe you people are reacting to this. He didn't even injure the bat! He said in an interview after he didn't want to hurt it, and he didn't. It wasn't Manu's fault in the first place. Bats don't just fly into arenas...clearly someone brought it in as a Halloween joke. Blame that person!

Posted by: Manu Ginobili | November 3, 2009 03:26 AM

It's funny how half the comments here are misspelled.

Posted by: Yay | November 3, 2009 06:10 AM

So, with all the factory farming, mink slaughter, and deep sea trawling going on, you are harping on one guy hitting a bat, and subsequently releasing it? Pick your targets properly.

Posted by: R13 | November 3, 2009 06:40 AM

Guys, come on! The bat flew off minutes later... What if it(he/she) had bit someone out of its fear. I think he just prevented the situation from escalating.
And, Jason, that's just plain xenophobia (a.k.a:blatant ignorance)

Posted by: G... | November 3, 2009 07:35 AM

I have a queston to all the PETA people, if a small child was killed by a animal would you take the child side or the animal?

Posted by: Dre | November 3, 2009 09:46 AM

The flaw here is in thinking that " athletes (...) have brains and a heart, not just reactionary brawn."

by definition reactionary brawn is what an athlete is required to have. Most professional sports (basketball, football, hockey) are re-enactments of war. In fact the coaches, commentators and even the ads for the sports use war analogies constantly.

Their mind is secondary and their heart is not at all needed for the sport. For an athlete to have a heart and a mind, he must stand out from the norm.

Again I am not saying that you can not have brilliant athletes who enjoy poetry, philosophy and the arts; what I am saying is that having a mind is not NEEDED for the sport.

And being a kind and compassionate person is not needed either...therefore if an athlete has a heart, it is exceptionnal (or incidental: nothing to do with the fact that he is an athlete) and is not something to be expected of him.

Most likely if this total douche apologizes, he would do it out of pressure (like Michael Vick did) and would not really mean it.

Chances are he will not apologise as most people probably have no issue with what he did, because it was a bat, not a puppy.

Posted by: Antoine | November 3, 2009 09:56 AM

Please double check your information!!
Ginobilli didn't kill the bat.

Posted by: Esteban Pcione | November 3, 2009 10:14 AM

My replay to:
hes from argentina thats the kind of stuff they do
Posted by: jason | November 2, 2009 04:30 PM

In Argentina we don´t have dogs fights, we never invade countries, we never drop an atomic bomb, etc...
where are you from? can you say the same?

Posted by: fran | November 3, 2009 10:22 AM

For Jason who wrote:
"hes from argentina thats the kind of stuff they do"

The kind of thing you do is to judge a person based on facts you do NOT know. Ginobilli didn't kill the bat.
What has to do Ginobilli's birth place here?

Posted by: Esteban Pcione | November 3, 2009 10:23 AM

Lynda,
Do you really think our reflexes reflect our inner attitudes?
I would guess our reflexes reflect our basic instincts. You know, the fight or flight response. Some would duck like yourself, others will defend themselves. Manu choose to defend himself, like I would have.

Posted by: Kurt K | November 3, 2009 10:36 AM

Ethan, most of your points were unthinking or irrelevent, so I will only respond to 4 and 6.

4. No, it is NOT silly to compare a bat to a baby. (obviously the bat is an adult of his species, but by virtue of the fact that it is impossible FOR US to reason with him, then in that way he is like a human baby)

and if your objection is that it is silly to compare a bat to us, by virtue of the fact that we are humans and he is not. That is actually the silly statement, inasmuch as "silly" means a poorly constructed argument.

Saying that the bat cannot be compared to another creature who feels (human) is not a valid scientific or philosophical, or even rhetorical argument, unless you base it on something...which you do not.

Because at its core it is prejudicial. (eg: why is the bat not deserving of respect? because he is a bat! = prejudicial; because you could replace the predicate “bat” with “skinny men in tight jeans” and it would be the same kind of statement: prejudicial.)

6. Humans are not predators. In fact most noted paleontologists and anthropologists recognize that early man developped his brain because he was prey, which made him have to outthink predators.

The food-chain argument does not "fly" either, because this basketball player was not killing the bat to eat it.

Besides the "food chain" is not a valid one regardless, because humans are clearly NOT naturally at the top of the food chain. We have hoisted ourselves up there artifically, and this "hoisting" is actually threatening the extinction of our speices.

Posted by: Antoine | November 3, 2009 10:42 AM

The bat survived. He was stunned after being hit but wasn't seriously injured. Ginobili even said that he could feel the bat moving after he scooped him up and gave him to an arena worker to release outside. He managed to fly off after being released outside the arena. Now Ginobili and the person who released the bat are undergoing rabies vaccinations for good measure.

Posted by: shannon | November 3, 2009 11:57 AM

Dear Peta: please take your time to read what Manu says today on his FB:

"Just wanted to give you guys an update on the bat situation. As many of you already know, it wasn't a great idea. Not only for the fact that bats are great part of the ecosystem, but also, because some carry rabies, which is an incurable disease. That's why I had to get vaccinated today (and it wasn't just one shot!).
Only 0.5% to 3% of the bat populations carry the disease, but If you can't find the animal, it's not recommended to take any risks, it can kill you! Since after the incident, the usher took it outside and the bat flew away (not lying!), there was no way of knowing if he was infected or not, so I had to do the safe thing.
Finally, please, don't do it at home or anywhere, avoid contact with bats, skunks, raccoons, rats and animals like that.
Thanks for taking the time to read this."

Manu Ginobili

Posted by: Valeria | November 3, 2009 12:18 PM

Antoine,
"Most noted paleontologists" don't think humans were predators? Were did you read that?
From what I've learned over the years it seems humans were both predator and prey. Of course we had predators in the wild, most animals do.
Early humans ate what was abundant to them. In the winter months, animals were abundant, not plant life.
Your argument seems a bit biased.

As far as the bat "controversy" goes, if a person ran out on the floor during a game, he would received the same treatment. In this case, the bat was treated like a human.

Posted by: Kurt K | November 3, 2009 01:00 PM

me2.. then go feed someone. This is Peta and we love and adore animals. As a matter of fact.. I love animals more than most people. People are rude, insenstive, vile creatures. We kill and abuse animals and most people do not care. Animals are just as important as people and as soon as some people get that thru their thick selfish heads.. this world will be a better place.

Posted by: carla | November 3, 2009 01:01 PM

MAX- Read carefully and know before you comment that the comment you are referring too was below my comment. I believe it was from Jason. I said nothing about Argentina but that this may have been a stunt gone wrong. Be fully educated on a comment and WHO the comment was from before you go and try to call a person out on something.

Thank you for the clarification Jane Ann Craig. I just thought that was such and odd coincidence that it had to of been a stunt.

Posted by: Alicia | November 3, 2009 01:22 PM

If cruelty to animals was a sin God would have struck Manu down on the spot. Or maybe he'll inflict upon him a losing season. We'll just have to wait and see.

Posted by: Jeebus | November 3, 2009 01:37 PM

oh come on people, i love peta and i love animals but at the end of the day if a bat or bird flew in my direction i would prob raise my hands to cover my head and if that meant accidently swatting it then so be it, if this guy (no idea who he is) whacked the bat with a tennis or baseball bat then let the uproar begin but all he did is swat it away and stunned it for a few mins, people have posted that the bat flew away after so wheres the crime?? i defend animals to the core but my definition of defending animals is trying to stop the disgusting fur, lab, abuse trades, i think this story is daft and a waste of screen space. the guy in question is no vick the prick is he so why the anger? i squash spiders cause i hate them and i wish they go extinct but it wouldnt deserve me being slagged off, the bat lived the guy isnt a bad man and it was an accident so please concentrate on something a bit more worthy of our attention. we need to stop the seal killing, the testing on animals, the fur trade, the abuse of elephants in circuses, not to sit and pull down a man who didnt kill or intentionaly harm anything.

Posted by: emma | November 3, 2009 02:46 PM

I think he did just fine with the bat situation. The bat is still alive and happily out of the stadium. Plenty of people would have just stomped it as soon as it hit the ground. That's what our local police did when my grandma called about a bat in her house. He took his opportunity to handle the problem, and did it well.

Posted by: Kyla | November 3, 2009 03:17 PM

For starters guys, the bat survived. And, they released the bat...

... which means that Manu will have to undergo a series of rabies shots because they didn't keep the bat to test it for rabies. So, he's getting precautionary shots to his stomach - VERY PAINFUL shots BTW, because people released the bat.

Please, understand this - every paper has mentioned these two facts.

Score is if you really want to know it - Bat 1, Manu 0 because the bat survived and was released, and Manu has to get the shots so he doesn't get rabies.

Posted by: Mel | November 3, 2009 03:27 PM

Kurt K. Humans have existed in our current stage of evolution (paleolithic, or "cave-man") for about 3.5 to 6 million years.

we only became predator in the last 20 thousand or so years, and only moved to cold climates during that period as well.

For the bulk of our existence on this planet we were prey, and lived in warm climates of central Africa.

As for me2, you find it offensive that a charity exists for animals when there are people dying in the world?

So what are YOU doing to help the people dying in the world? How is eating your steak and chicken helping children dying in the world?

And how is animal cruelty HELPING the starving children of the world?

Children starve in the world. Animals are abused. The two are not related and we can stop both.

Those who usaully make these kinds of statements are usually doing NOTHING to help the problem. Forgetting that being vegan is one of the best things that you can do personally to help the starving peoples of the world; Peter Singer, an utilitarian philosopher of ethics, most famous for his book, Animal Liberation is the ONLY major philosopher making an ethical claim that we as humans have a RESPONSIBILITY to help the poorest people on the planet (not by charitable choice, but as a self-preservating necessity) by helping to feed the people of the world, with charities such as Unicef, etc.

Animal protection groups at the beginning of the last century helped to create children protection laws.

Many suffragettes and abolitionists were also animal welfarists and vegetarians.

Most vegans and animal rights activists are compassionate people who care about ALL life (humans and non)

Meanwhile those who commit cruelty to animals always also commit cruelty to humans, are abusive in their daily lives, and are often also irresponsible members of society (polluting, destroying natural habitats, etc)

AND if you are SO OFFENDED by a charity that protects animals when children are dying, why are you not offended by all the other groups who promote random things like macrame and pot-making? Should those not offend you? Because how DARE they waste their time on that when children are dying!!! (to be clear I have nothing against macrame or pot-making ;-)

In fact why are people even playing and watching BASKET-BALL when children are dying?!! ;-)

And if the children dying of starvation in the world is so important to you, that you feel that no one should EVER focus on anything else, I hope that you either work for a charity to fight world hunger, or at least spend ALL of your free-time helping fight hunger. right?

;-)

Posted by: Antoine | November 3, 2009 04:00 PM

Kurt K

It is pretty silly to compare the bat to a baby. The bat had the potential to cause harm. Its more like he tackled a guy who ran onto the court with a knife - both disrupting the game and threatening the welfare of others.

Also, it doesn't matter how or why humans have found their place in the food chain. The fact is that reverse entropy is asserted in the natural world through consumption. Plants consume minerals and organise them so that when eaten by other living things they provide nutritional value not found in the original matter. At the top of the food chain animals consume the proteins that have been previously organized by other animals. This process allows for organisms to benefit from the efforts of others down the food chain and conserve their own energy.

Sorry, I didn't intend to debate vegitarianism. All I really wanted to say was

GO MANU!!!

Posted by: Jared | November 3, 2009 04:51 PM

it's a bat....and i'm sure he didn't do it on purpose. and, it's a bat. if it was a puppy, that's a different story. but it wasn't.

Posted by: chelsea | November 3, 2009 04:58 PM

Sorry Kurt K I made the same mistake as Max (ref Alicia). I was really responding to Antoine.

Posted by: Jared | November 3, 2009 05:07 PM

to those complaining about the comment "he is from argentina, that's what they do there" and calling it racist you should watch the post-game interview with Manu. Manu says "im from argentina, we do that for fun". he was joking. and the bat didnt die. if the bat died they would have been able to find out if it had rabies or not but no they are forcing manu to get rabies shot as a preventative measure. they dont know if the bat had rabies or not. the bat was stunned, manu said the bat was still moving when he picked it up.

Posted by: clay | November 3, 2009 05:47 PM

Well the game would have been delayed for a really long time if it kept flying around angering fans who just wanted to watch a game, and plus he didn't mean to really hit it that hard, manu is a good guy so don't degrade him because he is playing what he loves.

Posted by: KL | November 3, 2009 05:59 PM

Not gonna lie, that was actually pretty awesome!

Posted by: OooWee! | November 3, 2009 06:38 PM

lets not overreact, the bat is fine. Lets pick bigger fights like inhumanity in slaughtering animals. This is plain ludicrous.

Posted by: John Carlson | November 3, 2009 08:11 PM

I mean.. preach it, Emma...! not Jaabus...

Posted by: WoW...! | November 3, 2009 08:15 PM

"To bludgeon a 4-ounce animal to death"

The bat didn't die and flew away after the usher took it outside. Sheesh, way to rush to judgment.

Posted by: Thomas | November 3, 2009 08:35 PM

Kurt
I agree some situations call us to act on instinct, no doubt. And each of us acts according to something triggered within us. One person may swat an annoying fly, another gently brush it away.

Posted by: lynda downie | November 3, 2009 10:07 PM

Im glad the bat was ok, but i think there could have been a better way to get it out of there. I dont care how "famous" or "professional" or who he is, just have a little respect for other living beings.

Posted by: nakisha | November 3, 2009 11:36 PM

How can most of you guys defend an animal but then slander a human? Are you serious?

I don't know if you guys know this, but humans ARE ANIMALS TOO! What continues to bug me is how can you fight such for such a strong cause like animal abuse/cruelty, yet we have HUMANS that are homeless and starving but you don't seem to think about them much.

People are funny.

Posted by: Shawn | November 4, 2009 05:19 AM

Antoine,

You say that arguing against the comparison of bats and babies is prejudicial. Well, that's true; it is based on the prejudice that humans are somehow more valuable than bats, but it's not really a useful statement.

You can't just dismiss an argument by saying it's prejudicial; really, all arguments are. Usually, when one uses the word "prejudice," it refers to a particular prejudice that society views (or at least should view) as unacceptable: racism, anti-semitism, nationalism, etc. But prejudice also means any preconceived opinion, about anything. We really can't function without them. People hold all sorts of semi-rational prejudices toward things like income equality, use of technology, civil rights, and more. Even stupid little things, like, it's bad to get a cold, are prejudices.

In this case, I (and honestly, probably a large majority of the country) have a prejudice that human life is more valuable than animal life (you apparently disagree with that). Most people probably recognize this prejudice, too. You can label arguments based on that as prejudiced, but that's just stating the obvious. The real debate is whether the prejudice is right or wrong, but that will always fall back on other prejudices (aka morals) we have. You probably believe that your prejudice is superior to mine, but don't try to use something we disagree on as a principle of your argument.

Wow I said "prejudice" too much in that. Not like I had a choice, I guess.

Posted by: Colin | November 4, 2009 05:47 AM

Well, what do you expect when we celebrate men for acting like wild animals. Many sports stars have also being disrespectful of women. You give them thousands of dollars to act like a trained ape, that's what you're going to get in returnn.

Posted by: Jackie | November 4, 2009 10:17 AM

For the most part, I appreciate the efforts Peta takes to watch out for animals. Unfortunately, the comment which started this Blog, has put placed Peta in a bad light. I hope most of Peta's supporters agree and will refrain from these petty comments in the future. Their efforts should be concentrated against serious atrocities. It leaves me thinking Peta's next complaint will be against a Hyena bullying Lion cubs. (also rediculous)

Posted by: Ron | November 4, 2009 10:27 AM

Antonie,
For the bulk of our existence, meaning homo sapiens, we have been all over the world and we have been hunter/gatherers.
Our early ancestors that you are speaking of, dating back 3.5 million years ago are not humans. We may or may not have evolved from them. But to compare a modern human to the primates of 3.5 million years ago is like comparing a raptor to a turkey. Both come from the same ancestors, but each are very different.
The modern human has always been a hunter. There is no disputing that. That is the evolutionary path we took.

Posted by: Kurt K | November 4, 2009 10:55 AM

Jared,

Outside of science fiction novels, there is no such thing as reverse entropy. Try reading a textbook instead of Asimov or Hubbard.

Posted by: Derek, MD | November 4, 2009 11:04 AM

well, the way i see it, i do agree with people that this situation could've been handled much better if they had taken the time to think about it. but it would be unnessary to stop a whole game just because of one bat... i don't think manu did anything wrong here.

Posted by: anuvong | November 4, 2009 11:29 AM

I think the comment was restrained and perfectly fine; it just expressed a preference and made a general point.

It wasn't an indictment of Manu. Dear anti-PETA-people: keep your perspective.

By the way: how does this reaction compare to the famous Randy Johnson bird killing episode?

Posted by: Ian | November 4, 2009 12:30 PM

Jackie,
You obviously don't watch any pro sports. To think that all pro athletes act like trained apes is very naive.
Sure you are going to have some bad apples, but the majority are pretty average people who were bless with extraordinary gifts.
Don't assume they are all alike.
Assumptions are the mother of all f@ck ups.

Posted by: Kurt K | November 4, 2009 01:59 PM

"he´s from argentina thats the kind of stuff they do"
geez...typical american ignorant

Posted by: JD | November 4, 2009 02:00 PM

Seriously guys. I have been a supporter of PETA and animal rights since I became a vegetarian over 15 years ago, but it's comments and comparisons like this that bring negative attention to our overall goal. What Ginobili did was a quick and thoughtless reaction and not a premeditated act of harm to a defenseless animal. To liken this dog-fighting is quite a stretch. When a bee or insect is flying around my head, I swat at it, as I am sure most of us do. Please put more thought in your future responses. When you make statements like this, it paints all vegans, vegetarians and animal rights activists in a negative light.

Posted by: christopher | November 4, 2009 03:28 PM

IF YOU WENT UP TO A LION WHAT DO U THING THE LION WOULD DO TO U? ITS CALLED "NATURE". I DONT THINK PRAYING FOR BAD THINGS TO HAPPEN TO SOME ONE HELPS BRING ANYTHING CONSTRUCTIVE.

Posted by: Solomon | November 4, 2009 03:42 PM

wow.. i'll preach it all i like when its something that means a lot to me, this story is daft and id rather concentrate on real cruelty cases, if u dont wanna read what i put then dont read it ..simple.

Posted by: emma | November 4, 2009 04:22 PM

How could he? What if that bat was a person? Then that person would have been smacked in the head. Even though he didn't kill the bat, and it wasn't a person, we should prosecute Manu! He deserves to be punished for his acts against humanity (and bats) because he has completely disregarded all of the laws that we have put in place to uphold this great nation of loving and caring people that we call america.

Posted by: Robert | November 4, 2009 06:25 PM

I don't know if anyone cares or what, but I'm pretty sure that humans are superior to animals...

Genesis 1:28 - God blessed them and said to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground."

Yeah. See that word rule? That's kind of like when a King rules.

Same concept, straight out of the most historically accurate and proven books in the history of man.

Check it.

Posted by: Anonymous | November 4, 2009 06:26 PM

I admire Ginobili's actions

Posted by: Unknown | November 4, 2009 09:36 PM

Simply put Kurt: You are wrong.
I suggest popping open even a CHILDREN'S book on the evolution of man.
Paleolithic man (cave man) has been around from 6 to 3.5 million years (more recent finds even extend it to 7 million) and lived ONLY in Central Africa.

evolutionnary speaking we are the SAME as paleolithic cave man.

the other earlier primates of which you speak were around much LONGER before that.

so it is not at all like comparing a turkey to a raptor. It is like comparing a modern day mutated genetically modified sick and unhealthy turkey, to his pristine ancestor of yore.

:-)

Shawn: refer to my previous argument: What are YOU doing to help the homeless and the starving children of the world?
We know you don't care about animals, but how does US caring about animals mean that we are CAUSING homelessness and starvation?

Jared: You are a total coward if you are afraid of a little bat smaller than your hand and an innocent fool if you actually believe that the bat was not dead. OF COURSE he will say that the bat didn't die, but he palmed her off to the worker who walked off with her in his hand. Even if she were alive there is NO WAY that the chicken eating worker walked ten minutes to go outside to release her. If she was alive he just flushed her down the toilet or threw her in the trash.

Colin: There was a time when most men thought that women were not people under the law who could formulate thoughts; and yet another time when most people agreed with slavery. Just because most people agree with your prejudice does not make it any less of a despicable prejudice.

And a prejudicial argument is not a valid one, because it is a judgment based on something arbitrary that has nothing to do with actual logical thought. ie: I fear someone who punched me in the face: logical. I fear someone because they have a mustache: illogical.

I think that animals do not deserve rights, because...well. just because! because they are animals: illogical.

Thinking critically is not hard: you just have to try. First erase everything that you are being told by society than look at the facts and think for yourself...and remember to ask yourself how you feel every step of the way.

:-)

Posted by: Antoine | November 5, 2009 12:06 AM

PETA's response to this incident was IRRESPONSIBLE. Here are my responses to PETA concerning this incident:

How dare you link Manu Ginobli to Michael Vick!!! You people have lost ALL credibility with me. You jump on any news story that has anything to do with animals simply for the press, regardless of how it may affect the human beings that may have been endangered. Manu risked being bitten or scratched by this bat and may have saved others from being injured by this bat. Your posting is misleading in the statement that bats avoid contacts with humans. My brother was once attacked and scratched by a bat (unprovoked, by the way) and had to endure the same rabies vaccinations that Manu has now had to endure. You are liars seeking press. I am an animal lover and have rats for pets. If a rat had gone loose in a stadium full of people and been killed in the process, I wouldn't have a problem with the killer. Don't you people care about PEOPLE? Balance things out and drop the politics! Stop trying to ride headlines! Manu's actions were absolutely heroic in my mind. He MIGHT have saved some lives. Of course, you were right about Michael Vick, but you're DEAD wrong about Manu. PETA SUCKS! Thanks for showing your true colors. Stay out of the headlines and politics and protect animals like you're supposed to, but use some common sense. Manu Ginobli does not deserve to be attacked by PETA! IDIOTS!!! JERKS!!!!!

PS

Your words: “...We hope that the next time someone's life is on the line, Manu Ginobili will take just a few seconds to think before he acts”. Really? "The next time someone's life is on the line!" My point exactly! Thank you for making it for me. Ya'll are idiots! Maybe you people should take a few seconds to think before you write again. If he'd taken "a few seconds" to think about it and the bat had flown around freely for the rest of the game, might the bat have bitten or scratched someone (who's life was ON THE LINE)? You (PETA) seem to think so (which contradicts your statement that bats tend to avoid contact with people). Manu's split second reaction may have very well avoided the injury of any of the thousands of people in the building. Bite me PETA! I was all about PETA prior to your stance concerning this incident. Now I see you as simple headline chasers, with no concern for PEOPLE!

Posted by: Keith Anderson | November 5, 2009 03:36 AM

For Jason: "hes from argentina thats the kind of stuff they do".

I agree with you Jason. That´s the kind of stuff we the argentinians do. You usually prefer to start a war, launch tons of missiles, and destroys people homes, lifes, and everithing else, including animals of course. We still don´t.

Posted by: Somebody | November 9, 2009 01:40 PM

Antoine,
So what about the last, oh lets say, 20,000 years? Are you really going to suggest the people living in the colder climates where vegitarian? I just threw 20,000 years out there, I'm sure early humans started hunting well before then.
Even the tribal people in central Africa and South America hunt other animals. I am of course talking about the recently discovered tribes, say in the past 100 years or so. I've seen the Nat Geo documentaries, those tribes people hunt all sorts of animals. Pigs, birds, snakes and even spiders.
We are going to have to agree to disagree on this one. We both are too biased to convince each other either way.
Good conversation though!

Somebody,
Stop with the anti-America banter. I've read at least 5 posts similar to yours. The United States of America has done far more positive things for this world than Argentina could ever claim.
Sure we fight wars when we have to, but then again so does Argentina. 1980, Faulkland Islands ring a bell?

Posted by: Kurt K | November 9, 2009 03:17 PM