Date posted: August 20, 2007 - Monday
Title: How Low Can We Sink?
Current mood: disgusted
I used to be a fairly rabid sports fan; football mostly, but little baseball as well.
I say "used to be" because my ardor has waned in the last few years. The games were OK, I guess, but so much of the peripheral stuff going on around the sport irritated me it dampened whatever enthusiasm I had.
As far back as high school I recognized the 'special' place athletes were given in our society. Talented high school jocks weren't exactly gods when I went to school, but in some cases they did approach the level of minor deities. There were instances where athletes seemed to get special consideration, be granted special privileges and were forgiven their transgressions. I have watched the pattern develop in the society at large and the tolerance and privilege granted to talented athletes has seemed to expand almost without limit.
About the time I started to lose interest in sports, the cult of privilege seemed to be coming under greater public scrutiny and criticism. But as the salaries of professional athletes grew, so did the severity and the frequency of their violations of the social norm.
And as I watched the instances of crimes like assault, rape, spousal abuse and even murder tallied in the area of professional and college sports a question was forming in my mind.
Just how low have we sunk as a society? At what point do we finally say, "Nope. That's too much. That crime is unforgivable."
I am sad to say I don't think we have reached that point yet -- much to our shame.
What makes me say that? I present to you the case of Michael Vick.
Yep, the guy who just pled guilty to participating in dog fighting. The guy who has been accused of killing dogs who couldn't or wouldn't fight to the death for his viewing pleasure and monetary gain.
I watched some football on TV this last weekend and one of the halftime shows had a discussion of just how long Vick would have to stay out of football before he could return. The theory was advanced he would probably spend a year in jail and then get at least another year suspension form the NFL and probably wouldn't sign with another team until 2010.
My stomach turned over.
I don't care how great a quarterback this clown may be. Why would any team with a claim to common sense ever hire him again? Just how much are these Barons of the Pigskin willing to overlook in their endless quest to win games and make more money?
I think Michael Vick should pay a much higher price than just losing his endorsement deals with shoe companies, having his trading cards pulled and spending some time in jail and paying a fine. I think he should be banned from the game for life and made to get a real job. Now I'm not a member of PETA, but I have had pets I loved and cared for. So this doesn't come from the viewpoint of some fanatic who raids laboratories to free animals. But the killing of animals just because they can't "perform" in a killing arena is
