redman Posted July 2, 2001 Share Posted July 2, 2001 you can find these three headlines lined up consectively in the current events column on ESPN's website: Former FB Meggett charged with criminal sexual conduct County attorney's office declines to prosecute Arizona's Pittman Prosecutors: Former Giant Parker hid signs of child abuse I know this has been written about before, but it's getting ridiculous. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NavyDave Posted July 2, 2001 Share Posted July 2, 2001 One thing J Rome brought up that I agree with is "Can we go one week without an athlete commiting a crime or bringing shame on his or her profession?" And the answer is always no. ------------------ Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brave Posted July 2, 2001 Share Posted July 2, 2001 Actually, NavyDave, if I recall correctly, the second week in March was pretty quiet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
indyskinsfan Posted July 2, 2001 Share Posted July 2, 2001 Brave stop that this instant! I saw the same thing and just went livid about here. The pattern is set in forever now. As each aging culture departs and a new one emerges, the baggage of that generation penetrates the media (it's always been there, it's just that it's reported more - remember in the 80's and early 90's a lot of crimes weren't even reported leading to deception that all wasn't as bad as it seemed). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kleese Posted July 3, 2001 Share Posted July 3, 2001 Very simple. When Mickey Mantle and his boys would go out on the town, cheat on their wives, get in fights, and show up at games half in the tank, they were viewed as "crazy characters" and "oh, those silly boys." It was part of the "romanticism" of the game. Now, Allen Iverson gets a tatoo or flips or the bird and the sports world is going to hell in a hand basket. There's a horrible double-standard and it is borne out of nothing more than the "when I was your age......" junk. Stuff like child abuse and violent crime has nothing to do with what sport you play-- ask any criminologist or psychologist and they'll tell you the same. I mean is it really more of a story that a back-up, no-name FORMER DE for the Giants is a child abuser than anyone else? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NavyDave Posted July 3, 2001 Share Posted July 3, 2001 The difference is those guys were in an era without 24 hour News channels so they could get away with that BS. However in our era we do have the news and these guys know they are in the public eye and by now should know when they do something that is illegal its going to be reported and now the aura of being a sports icon isn't going to always insulate you from prosecution unless you are in Denver. ------------------ Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KMP Posted July 3, 2001 Share Posted July 3, 2001 Take any 18 to 23 year old and give him instant wealth and you're asking for trouble. Most of these kids grow up in squalor. They bite, scrape and claw their way out of poverty and get the shot of a lifetime with professional sports. These are the less than 1%-ers. But professional sports leagues have turned a rookie's life upside down. With instant millionaire status comes instant myriad of problems. These are people who throughout their lives have been told they're the greatest player to come out of wherever their from. They get away with certain behavior that's unacceptable to the average slob like myself. So when Dave Meggett, Rae Carruth, Mark Chumura or any other moron thinks he's without reproah it's good to see law enforcement and prosecutors go after these jerks with everything they've got. ------------------ <IMG SRC="http://www.joegibbsracing.com/joe_gibbs/joegibbs_images/driver_prof_joe.jpg" border=0><IMG SRC="http://www.joegibbsracing.com/current_season/jgr_wc_18/jgr_wc_18_images/car/bobby_car_race.gif" border=0><IMG SRC="http://www.joegibbsracing.com/current_season/jgr_wc_20/jgr_wc_20_images/car/drive_pontiac_tony.gif" border=0> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larry Posted July 3, 2001 Share Posted July 3, 2001 What, no Cowboys? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redman Posted July 3, 2001 Author Share Posted July 3, 2001 Yes, the culture has changed. Certainly, the way that we view domestic violence has changed. However, is there any way to objectively defend the actions of Meggett (forcible rape), Parker (killing of a small child due to physical abuse) or Pittman (domestic violence and stalking behavior) no matter what the era, and isn't that what counts here? ------------------ "Loosen up, Sandy baby. You're just too damn tight!" - John Riggins to Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Montilar Posted July 3, 2001 Share Posted July 3, 2001 Ed, I think I misunderstood your Iverson comment. But in any case Iverson's tattoos or flipping the birds is just an indication of the man. As I recall, then Gov. George Allen pardoned him (as a high schooler down in the Va Beach area) to keep him out of jail. He had some crazy idea Iverson would go to UVA instead of Georgetown ......... So not only does Iverson look like or act like a thug, but at least in the past, he used to be one. Just like Randy Moss. What he did to a kid in his high school would of put you or me in jail for 5 to 10 (at least the way I heard it). Instead all that happened was he lost his Florida scholarship and had to go to Howard. Or Ray Lewis going scot free. If there's any double standard, it's letting them off because they are better athletes than the average person. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kleese Posted July 3, 2001 Share Posted July 3, 2001 Montilar, The Iverson incident was actually something a lot of "kids" get involved in. I remember the videotape of it-- bunch of kids at a bowling alley, fight breaks out, lots of stuff going on, apparantly Iverson gets caught out of the big mass of people-- he was in a bar fight more or less and got tagged with assault or something. By no means is that excused behavior, but it also isn't nearly as violent or anti-social as some would lead you to believe. And I know A LOT of people who have gotten slaps of the wrists for things they probably shouldn't have. Athletes get off easy at times, but so do a lot of people for various reasons. Here in Oklahoma, drunk driving laws aren't too strcit-- I know people with 3 or 4 DUI's who still have their license. Do that in some other state and you're in HUGE trouble. It's all relative. I know girls that get out of speeding tickets by flirting, I know guys who get out of stuff because of who they're Dad is. Is it fair? No. But that's the way it is. It's not just the athletes. I firmly believe that pro athletes are no more or less dangerous or criminal than the rest of the population. I do think that they have a responsibility as role models and the Chmura's, etc.. should be ashamed. However, they are still a small %-- it's a shame that we hear so much about it--but the media just feeds the animal-- and the animal is the public. Crimes like child murder, forcible rape, etc... go so beyond sport that it isn't even worth talking about. That's when you get into the relam of "evil" and/or sick human beings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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