Now I am not condoning dog fighting in any way. What Michael Vick did was illegal and immoral in about every way. However, I feel that the way his case was determined had to do with whom he was rather than what he did. "In the miscellaneous category, where the dog fighting charges fall, the average sentence in the Fourth Circuit was 12 months." Vick's sentence was almost double this as he was sentenced to 23 months and PETA's involvement by making anti-Vick merchandise and urging individuals to write to Roger Goodell begging for Vick's suspension preventing him from having a fair day in court. The media and everyone else need to be less involved. PETA should not have anything to do with the way the United States judicial and legal systems conduct their business.

            Let me preface this by saying I'm a firm believer that Barry Bonds used sterioids and I'm sure the evidence is out there. However, I am starting to doubt that major league baseball is ever going to find it and it seems more and more like they are on a giant witch hunt. Yes, Major League Baseball has problems right now and this whole era is tainted because of steroids and convicting Bonds of perjury would be the "great catch" of the steroid era. There comes a point where you need to realize that there are other people to go after. If Bonds had not been such an arrogant jerk to the media, I think that Major League Baseball would lack the apparent vendetta that they seem to have against Bonds and they might look elsewhere. If Greg Anderson is the only evidence they have, they are screwed. He has already shown that he won't talk, baseball needs to look elsewhere. Part of me feels that baseball and congress aren't necessarily interested in the steroids or the perjury, but that all they simply want is to convict Barry Bonds for whatever they can. It's baseball's little way of getting revenge and finally taking down Bonds.

            We all know the story about Plaxico Burress and again let me say that I am not condoning his actions and that I do believe he deserved to be punished; however, I feel that he doesn't deserve to be treated differently because he is an athlete. The Mayor of New York, Michael Bloomberg said that he doesn't think anybody is above the law and that it, "would be an outrage if we didn't prosecute to the fullest extent of the law. Particularly people who live in the public domain, making their living because of their visibility-they're the role models for our kids." While his message may be somewhat correct, I am bothered by the fact that he says Burress should be punished, "to the fullest extent of the law." By saying that to the general public it is almost assuring that Burress will not get a fair and just trial. How are people supposed to give him a fair trial if they know that the Mayor wants Burress to receive the maximum sentence? The other part of this that had me upset was the fact that the Mayor said that Burress should be punished because he is a person who lives in the public domain. Who cares? Plaxico is an American citizen like you and I and doesn't deserve to be punished any stricter because he is famous. The fact that the Mayor would suggest this is ridiculous. It was stated that Plaxico is a role model for kids, that is not Plaxico's fault and he shouldn't have to alter his lifestyle because of that. Guns are bad and he shouldn't have had an unregistered weapon, but let's say he was out partying with friends getting drunk and hitting on women. That is perfectly legal, yet it is still a bad role model for kids. Burress isn't obligated to be a role model for kids and he shouldn't be punished for failing to live up to role model status.

            Speaking of supposed role models, there was a recent picture of Michael Phelps smoking marijuana. This is an illegal drug and the suspension from swimming and loss of a sponsorship was justified. However, trying to arrest him with no more evidence than a picture is insane. Had this not been Michael Phelps and it just been a picture of some regular citizen smoking a joint, the cops wouldn't have gone for the arrest. Even though the charges were dropped, it is apparent that the police only went for the arrest because of the name Michael Phelps. The authorities wanted to catch a big star to boost their own personal resumes. If they were that concerned about smoking marijuana, they would log onto facebook and myspace and arrest all the kids who have pictures of themselves getting drunk and high. The cops aren't always interested in justice, but rather in arresting the biggest names out there.

            The main problem with athletes getting fair treatment is that the court of public opinion is so quick to judge and presume guilt. If athletes weren't subjected to being made an example of and if society wasn't so quick to judge, athletes may actually get fair sentences. Athletes are often used as scare tactics so that others don't try to commit the same crime for fear of the same punishment. While this may be an effective strategy, it is unfair to the athletes and shouldn't exist.

I know this article probably isn't politically correct and that it may be controversial. I just want to be clear that I am in no way, shape, or form condoning or supporting any of the actions that these athletes did.