What on earth have we come to when people make death threats to college basketball players?

Have we lost our collective minds?

Being critical of a players’ performance is fine, and more so now since they are professionals getting handsomely compensated. It goes with the territory. Of course, there’s a way to do it, and that’s diplomatically.

But to make it personal is wild.

To take it so far one levies physical threats onto a player is scary and sick. And it’s done by fans who believe they are owed something by these athletes who chose to attend THEIR school and be a part of THEIR history.

Getting upset is one thing. Cursing a player’s name inside your home or even at a bar is also one thing. If you’re gonna scream Luke Maye’s name in joy after he hits one of the biggest shots in program history, it stands to reason you’ll curse another player’s name after an important blunder.

The athletes know this. They step onto that stage recognizing this, and in most cases embrace it. Some struggle more than others, and this year’s North Carolina basketball team had some players who weren’t comfortable dealing with the boatloads of scorn directed their way.

So, when UNC Coach Hubert Davis said on his radio show Wednesday night some players have received threats, it should have stopped time for a moment. Seriously, this is disgusting:

“It’s scary,” he said. “They’re making threats on these kids’ lives. These kids get this every game, and it goes directly to them. It goes directly to their families,” Davis said. “You’re 18, 19-years-old, and you miss a 3, and you check your phone and there’s a number of people saying that they would like for you to lose your life. That’s what the kids get every game.”

If you’re ticked off because you bet on the game and it cost you money, that’s all on you. Entirely on you. Your choice to gamble on games, but don’t get on the people who “cost you money.” That’s you. Your choice. You bet. You lost.

Having been inside locker rooms after losses in the regular season and postseason, one thing can be absolutely assured: those kids care a hell of a lot more about winning than the fans do. And yes, that’s also understanding how passionately so many Carolina fans want to win.

They are in my family. They are in my circle. They are on our site. The passion is completely understandable and, quite frankly, healthy.

But threatening players and coaches after a loss isn’t passion. It’s insanity. Passion has boundaries, y’all. And insanity begins at passion’s end, at least in these cases.

Do you really think Elliot Cadeau never hurt after a four-turnover game? Do you really think Jae’Lyn Withers didn’t feel deep internal pain after the lane violation?

Do you honestly believe Jalen Washington wasn’t incredibly disappointed in himself after getting badly beaten on the defensive end two striaght times against Ole Miss?

Having talked to those players about their misfortunes not long after those games, it can be said here with absolute certainty they hurt a hell of a lot more than anyone reading this or who cheered and booed during the game. And it’s not even close.

Davis was right in revealing what his players, and certainly himself and his family, have been through because this team didn’t live up to UNC’s standards. We’ve thoroughly chronicled the struggles and problems here at THI and will continue to. It’s our job, but it’s also our responsibility to make it strictly about basketball.

If anyone reading this could experience being around the team after a tough loss, it might strip away some of the nastiness. They are people, too, and they chose YOUR school. Cut them some damn slack. They don’t intend to screw up but it happens.

Basketball is life, and life is never as smooth as we all want. And it’s a good thing the people making threats don’t receive them when they make mistakes. And they do screw up. We all do!