It's Time That Professional Sports Hold Their "Professionals" to a Higher Standard

With all of the talk surrounding Michael Vick’s return to the NFL, I just felt it was time for the Governor to come out of hibernation and grumble a bit. I

With all of the talk surrounding Michael Vick’s return to the NFL, I just felt it was time for the Governor to come out of hibernation and grumble a bit. I want to start out today’s article by saying that I am a capitalist. I support a person’s right to make money and I support businesses being profitable. However, with that clearly stated, I believe that all businesses should conduct themselves with honesty and integrity.

 

I was recently listening to sports talk radio out here in D.C. People were just yammering-on about the Ron Artest trade to the Los Angeles Lakers. The debate was whether or not he and Kobe could share the spot light. Could Artest help bring another title to L.A.? I then listened to some NBA analyst tell the listening audience about Ron Artest’s metamorphosis. Ron Artest has grown up. He is now a model citizen.

 

My point is very simple. I am calling on professional sports to step up and start operating with more integrity and responsibility. The fact that Michael Vick is allowed to compete and make millions of dollars again is disgusting. If I did what Vick had done, do you think a Fortune 500 company would hire me back when I got out of jail? Do you think the CEO would tell everyone how I’ve changed and they wish me the best back in my cushy sales job? I would be employable. I could dig ditches and probably mow some lawns. That is what I’d expect as a convicted felon.

 

The same is true of Ron Artest. Just saying his name makes me nauseous.  He has had more written about his off the court antics than his contributions to the team he plays for. Just five years ago, he went into the stands in Detroit and started beating people. He acts like a complete gangster / thug and is not only allowed to play in the NBA again, but is soon to play for one of the league’s elite franchises. It is disgusting and it sends the wrong message.

 

I believe everyone has the right to make-up for his or her misdoings. Vick served his jail time, he lost millions of dollars and he was humiliated. Do I want Michael Vick to pay a bigger price? Well, it really isn’t about that. I believe that professional athletes have a responsibility to be role models for America’s youth. I’ve heard numerous athletes say… “I didn’t ask to be a role model.”  Yes, but you asked for a multimillion dollar contract and a shoe with your name stamped to the side of it. You will gladly take the money from a kid who worships your game, wears your name on a jersey and stomps around in a pair of shoes with your signature on them. With that kind of money comes responsibility.

 

Ask yourself this simple question. If the penalty for a major felony conviction was permanent expulsion from professional sports, would Vick have risked his $100 million dollar contract gambling on illegal dog fighting? Would Artest have gone into the stands? Would Plaxico Burress taken a gun into a New York nightclub? Would Dontae Stallworth have gotten behind the wheel?

 

 

When Michael Vick was in jail, did you miss him? How about when Ron Artest was suspended for the remainder of the NBA season five years ago? Boy Atlanta fans were just crying the blues after Vick was gone and Ryan was drafted. Ryan was only the best rookie in the NFL last year and has the makings of a future pro-bowler. The point is that when these guys were gone, nobody missed them. It just gave someone more deserving and more disciplined an opportunity to showcase their talents and compete.

 

There are plenty of examples of good deeds that professional athletes do for other people and their communities. I don’t want to make pro-athletes out to be bad people. The vast majority of them are great people. I just read about Mushin Muhammad’s latest gift to Waverly and it just made me smile. 

 

The breakdown of the American family is real. Kids need people to look up to. They need role models and to see successful people doing the right thing. It is time that professional sports take the high road and become an example that everyone can take pride in.

 

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