It seems that we can't turn the television on without getting another story about an NFL player accused of (fill in the felony). Michael Vick, Plaxico Burress, Ricky Williams, Chris Henry (RIP), the 2006-08 Cincinnati Bengals, Donte Stallworth, Ben Roethlisbeger, and now Lawrence Taylor to name a few have all had run-ins with the law in the past decade or so. Their crimes include (but are not limited to) drug possession, sexual assault, gun possession, shootings, drunk driving, and manslaughter. 
I mean, let's be honest, besides the Gilbert Arenas gun fiasco earlier this season, the NBA has really improved its image, especially since the fallout from the infamous Pacers/Pistons brawl. David Stern suspended Arenas for the rest of the season no matter what the courts decided. When was the last time the MLB had problems with players breaking the law when it didn't involve steroids?Roethlisberger has been involved in two cases of sexual assault; no charges have been filed, and he's missing somewhere between 4-6 games next season. (This case also fascinates me for one other reason: what if Big Ben was black? Ooh, let the speculation begin...)
The NFL must have the highest employee to felon ratio second to Congress. Isn't this something that Roger Goddell should spend some time on? Is this not indicative of a distinct cultural problem within the NFL as opposed to the often used "a few bad apples" theory? Sports Illustrated's newest issue shines the light on this concept using Roethlisberger as a case study, and it is truly illuminating. This has got to stop somewhere, and it begins with the enabling people and culture described in the article.
After-hours addition:
I guess what irritates me at the very core of this contentious issue is this: these people have been given amazing athletic ability (so much so that people will pay money to sit in an uncomfortable seat for the 3 or more hours to watch them do just that), they play a GAME for a living (and get paid obscene amounts of money to do so), and they just don't appreciate it. I (clearly) dedicate obscene amounts of my time to following sports and the people that play them, and situations like this just leave me with a profound disappointment. You should know better, and you should live better.
Alright, up next, something less depressing, I promise.
After-hours addition:
I guess what irritates me at the very core of this contentious issue is this: these people have been given amazing athletic ability (so much so that people will pay money to sit in an uncomfortable seat for the 3 or more hours to watch them do just that), they play a GAME for a living (and get paid obscene amounts of money to do so), and they just don't appreciate it. I (clearly) dedicate obscene amounts of my time to following sports and the people that play them, and situations like this just leave me with a profound disappointment. You should know better, and you should live better.
Alright, up next, something less depressing, I promise.
No comments:
Post a Comment