The players' association is debating what to do to mitigate the impact of a few bad seeds upon the rest of the league. A crew of thugs running through the NFL ranks that goes out and seems to find itself in trouble is finally, apparently, cause for concern.
These guys talk about it like they aren't sure what should be done. They talk about it like they don't know what they can do.
Well, let's see. How many employees at your company got arrested last night for punching somebody in Vegas? How many are somehow involved in shootings, or stabbings?
That's the wrong question, isn't it?
The right question is, "How many of those people who do get arrested for drugs or violence still have their jobs?"
If I came to work and acted like I was some sort of punk thug gangster, I'd get fired.
Are we really so stupefied by political correctness and over-socialization (to use a Unabomber term) that we have to pretend that acting like a #### gangster is some sort of cultural diversity right? Are we really such #### that we'll look the other way when these dirtbags get busted over and over again, just because they're good at hitting other people on the football field?
Let me just make an insane suggestion: if you get rid of the thugs, if you fire the people who behave in a way that would embarrass and shame any organization, if you just cut them loose like you would any other representative of any other organization...I'm willing to bet that we'll be able to find more people who won't act like criminals to come in and take their paycheck and their place on the field, and hit plenty hard in their own right.
And when it all comes out in the wash, people who do have the opportunity to play in the NFL will know going in that it is an opportunity, a job, a chance to go out and earn serious money, and that if they screw it up, just like any other job, they will be fired. That will not only induce players to behave a little better, it will send a message to kids, who will grow up with that message inside them. And when it comes to be their time to join the NFL, or to go out into life in some other capacity and start living, they will know as all people should that it is important to conduct yourself with some degree of civility, that you cannot flaunt your wealth and untouchable status by going out and getting into trouble with no regard for the consequences.
I know the NFL and the NBA and Hollywood and every other group that has the power to influence entire generations of Americans doesn't accept that responsibility, and often I hear representatives of these powerful media monsters decrying such sentiments, insisting that I go out and just do a better job raising my kids.
But I already do that. What do you want me to do about the kids that aren't mine? I could use a little help here. I would appreciate it if an organization that supposedly prides itself on excellence had the consistency of character and the backbone to stand up for standards of simple decency, and put its money where its mouth is. In the end, decent people will abandon indecent organizations.
If you don't understand that, have a look at the NBA. Where did that league stand right about the time Michael Jordan was winning his 6th championship? How was their popularity? Not only was he one of the great competitors of all time, a beacon of intensity and passion on the court, he conducted himself with class and acted acted as an ambassador for the game. He used his undeniable authority as the greatest basketball player of all time to influence his teammates and others in his league, to lobby for decency. He recognized his power in the world and he had the character to make it work for him and for us.
As soon as he retired, the NBA went into panic mode. "Where will we get our next star? What will we do without the draw of Jordan? Do we even have an identity?" Desperation is the mother of stupidity. Next thing you know, the NBA is pulling kids right out of high school. Kids who haven't had their character tested in the pressure cooker of NCAA basketball (with all of its faults), where coaches still wield profound influence over the players in terms of their character and their conduct, not just their game. But superstars aren't born. They are forged. These talented kids will probably never live up to their potential because of the life experiences they missed. The NBA killed the goose. Too late, they are trying. They instituted that absurd dress code. And they are trying to figure out how young is too young. But the damage is done. You tell me what the image of the NBA is. A bunch of punks who get paid millions of dollars before they even do anything, who strut around acting like they know something, like they are somebody. Kids who are ruined by the hype of the machine and the NBA telling them how great they are, what stars they are, and throwing more money than they can handle at them.
Seriously: who watches that #### anymore? I know I don't.
Kudos man! Kudos! I am one who quit watching b-ball after Jordan retired the 1st time. I take that back. I watched an LSU Final Four game last year and the OT game of OSU/Xavier this year. That is enough for me anymore. It is nothing more then football w/o pads anymore. They don't call fouls, traveling, etc. It is stupid. Plus the criminals involved is just completely retarded.
HERE HERE!!! Imagine that...DOING THE RIGHT THING!!! Heaven forbid we do that....as it might "infringe on the rights" of those who are doing wrong. Wow, how we have so abused our legal system, that those who are the "thugs" now have a right to be thugs. And there really isn't anything we can do about it. THANKS AMERICA!!! THANK YOU SLIME BALL LAWYERS!! (Not all are slime balls). But it's easy to see that we have them...as this blog plainly suggests!!
your rant was beautiful - but youve forgotten about the constitution. your mistake is that none of these guys are getting convicted(-tank). no business in the world can fire you for being arrested, especially if youre not convicted - thats a wrongful termination lawsuit waiting to happen. cops frequently arrest 5 to 6 times as many people as are actually suspects - and if everyone followed your policy, Cops could then use threat of arrest to strong arm your constitutional rights "do what we say or we'll cuff you and get your family tossed onto the street". that, my friend, is why we have a court system - to convict people. not the media, not ESPN. it'd be wrongful because we all have a constitutionally guaranteed right to a belief of innocence until guilt is proven. if you want to get rid of the bad apple, they need to get convicted. and we cant have our court system being abused by people like that DA in Durham or the DA in Colorado. the system must work. either way, youre the main enabler. you'll watch football all season, then complain about the thugs. an incident in Cali gives people jobs. you wouldnt have anything to ####/blog about, the reporters wouldnt have a thing to write about. if you wanna send a message - stop watching games and give your campaign dollars to people who want change. otherwise, youre just blowing smoke.
When you say acting like thugs, do you mean wearing baggy shorts or selling drugs and shooting people?
Because I agree that there should be no tolerance for the criminal acts NBA players commit; for example if you pull a gun THAT SHOULD BE THE END OF YOUR CAREER. It's ridiculous how in pro sports criminal acts are blown up for everone to see, but in the end no real punishment is administered. If someone lands up in jail, they shouldn't have a chance to come back the next week and get millions of dollars for doing it.
However, as for taking on the image of a thug - that is perfectly legal according to the Constitution. If you want to wear your shorts so that half your boxers are showing, that is your choice. A reason why I hate the NBA dress code.
I wouldn't have anything to blog about without these criminals? That's horse #### I don't make a living doing this. I put up a rant once in a while. And I have no sympathy for people who do make a living commenting on sports. It's a nothing, fluff business populated by what amount to paparazzi.
I'm not talking about the kids in Carolina. I'm not talking about Kobe Bryant. I'm talking about guys specifically like Pac Man, who has a rap sheet longer than my arm. As for wrongful termination... The NFL and any other league has the right to insist that its EMPLOYEES conduct themselves according to a certain standard of decency. Their product is an image as much as anything else, and they have a right to protect that product.
Also, if you notice, I did mention that, while I have been a lifelong football fan, the trend towards tolerating these criminals is wearing me down, and I will absolutely stop watching. In fact, I used to be a junkie, a candidate for Sunday Ticket. Now I watch football maybe 5 or 6 weeks a year.
I also hate the NBA dress code. I could care less how anybody dresses. They are trying to solve their problem by dealing with a symptom. The problem is they brought in too many young kids, they don't push character enough, they don't groom their prospects into admirable men. They are content with little punk kids who can ball. And while anybody is free to dress like a gangster with his pants hanging off his #### if that's what he wants, the reality is that it is punk kids who dress like that, not admirable men. Almost universally true.
I am a football fan with molten steel in my veins. I will watch a good baseball game, and of course I was riveted anytime Michael Jordan took the floor in playoff time. Golf is almost always more interesting to play than to watch, although that Masters was fun to watch, wasn't it? But football is my game, no question. I am a musician and a computer programmer. I am also an enthusiastic and very bad golfer. Go Steelers.
