The connection between athleticism and insanity
First of all I want to wish my deepest sympathies for Cory Lidle's friends, family and fans. I always liked that little lefty firecracker and was sad to hear the news of his tragic end. But something about his end seems fitting for a guy who never took the conventional route. Cory Lidle, we'll miss you. However, my point about the Cable news stations is further enhanced by this coverage of the accident. Since the crash happened nearly 4 hours ago, I've seen nothing on Fox News or CNN about anything other than that crash. I can understand the news flash because of the fact that it was a plane hitting a NY building, but 4 hours straight on the death of one or two people doing a dangerous activity without much experience (Lidle had only about 100 flight experience) isn't really quality news. Maybe it's just me, but in a nation of 300,000,000 people, the death of one man doing something dangerous simply isn't news enough to monopolize 3+ news stations for half a day. Oh yeah, and the wonderful fact checkers at Fox News (the same ones responsible for putting D-FL under Foley's name as he was disgraced for his sexual desires for young boys despite the fact that it should have been R-FL) put the letters UVT to represent the University of Vermont...anyone with half a brain should know that UVM is the University of Vermont...UVT is the abbreviation used for the University of Tunis in AFRICA!
In recent years there has been a major problem with professional and collegiate athletes and their run-ins with the law. We've seen Maurice Clarett, Lawrence Phillips, Nate Newton, Terrence Kiel, the Indiana Pacers, Steve Foley and many others face problems with the law due to drugs and violence. The most amazing aspect of this is not the actions of the athletes, but the fact that they are millionaires (or close to it) who risk everything through their actions. Maybe it's because these athletes are used to always having everything go their way and being invincible, but that doesn't go far enough to explain the actions of these men. Maybe it's the pressure of being the center of attention for millions of fans, or maybe it's just something ingrained in the personalities of the athletes. Regardless of what it is, most athletes should not be seen as role models, only those who really merit it should be given that kind of respect.
When a kid is raised in the ghetto he sees lots of drugs. They're everywhere and impossible to avoid. When that kid becomes a star athlete one of two things can happen: He can swear off drugs completely to focus on his development as a person and athlete, or he can indulge in them due to his celebrity status making them so readily available. Unfortunately, it also extends to the sale of drugs because of the money involved and the connections a star athlete is likely to have. That is why we see so many top level athletes who deal drugs, they have the connection to the source as well as the customer base. Plus, the pros have a lot of money to burn and there are a lot of people who are willing to manipulate them for their celebrity status. It's also about the big score. Nate Newton is a perfect example of this: he was arrested on the highway for speeding and swerving and because there was a distinct smell coming out the back of his truck...180 LBS of weed. So he's released on bail and within a month he is ARRESTED AGAIN for possession of ANOTHER 220 LBS of WEED! Why anyone would personally transport 220 pounds of weed while out on bail for an arrest for 180 pounds of weed is beyond me...especially when that person had made 4.5 million in salary.
So what about the violence? How many players are arrested for assault throughout the course of the season? What about domestic violence? And it's not all ghetto superstars either...the good ol' boys do it too. There are different levels of this violence, there's the Bobby Chounard/Brett Myers level, the Lawrence Phillips/Maurice Clarett level and the Rae Carruth level. Rae Carruth was a pretty good wide receiver who hired someone to murder his pregnant wife and then fled the state. He's now serving time for murder. Clarett and Phillips are different but the same too. Clarett was the #1 prospect in the country, national champion and the next great NFL back, but he was STUPID. He pledged his life over to some Jewish gangsters and is now going to spend the next few years behind bars because of his own stupidity and greediness (he couldn't wait 2 more years to live the life, he had to take a loan from gangsters so he could jump start his "Cribs" lifestyle). Phillips was just sent to jail because he drove his car into a group of teenagers who humiliated him in a pickup football game, injuring 7 of them and putting himself behind bars for 20 years. These athletes simply do not have the ability to deal with their problems because their whole lives are spent being idolized and complimented. Coaches look the other way when an athlete of Phillips' caliber has a few "problems in his past", and they help contribute to the growing problem of violence off the playing fields.
You can take the boy out of the ghetto, but you'll never take the ghetto out of the boy. Ron Artest is the PRIME example of this statement. Here's a man who makes 10's of millions and yet he still hangs out at his Queensbridge projects and has said that his dream is to buy the top floor of his old building and live in the projects for the rest of his life. When you grow up in a place where violence, drugs, entertainment or sports are the only ways out, it's hard to adjust to life outside of that world. Steven Jackson has enough money to hire 10 strippers to come over and break all the rules, yet he risks his career by going to some ghetto club and gets into a brawl in the parking lot, firing shots from his handgun in the air. Obviously a kid from the projects isn't going to have a classical education, and if he's good enough to be an NBA or NFL athlete, he probably spent most of his time playing sports and not studying. It is a fact that the more educated a person is, the less likely they are to become drug addicts or violent criminals. Unfortunately, "student-athletes" are simply not students at all. The only things they study in college are booze, broads and bullshit and once they get that first fat paycheck it's over. Why is it that so many professional athletes end up bankrupt when they make more than most people? Simple, it's because they live a fast life and have no concept of the long term effects of their actions.
So what can we do about this ever-growing problem? Well, not too much at the professional level, it's gotta start at the youth level. Think Reggie Bush got treated the same as Ira Goldstein at Pop Warner practice? It's hard for a coach to treat his star the same as his scrub, but this is where the TO (Terrell Owens) personalities begin. Athletes probably shouldn't be role models, but they are and will always be. Kids think that anyone is cool if they've got skills and confidence...actually, all that matters is that they're on TV and the internet. Case-in-point: Paris Hilton...she has no reason to be ANYONE's role model (spoiled, ignorant, slutty brat born into money and has done nothing to deserve it), yet her album sells tons of copies, she can sell clothing lines with just her name and a whole generation of slutty girls have her to thank for their development into stupid spoiled whores. The same goes for players like Terrell Owens, how many star receivers will think that they're above the team thanks to him? The point of sports is to compete, strive for improvement and to work as a team. As sports have become big business, it has become more important for the stars to be healthy role models, so why has it gone the opposite way? I just hope that pro teams start to realize that the athletes should be grateful for the opportunity, regardless if they're Reggie Bush or Ira Goldstein, getting a chance to be paid to play a game for a living should be enough.
In recent years there has been a major problem with professional and collegiate athletes and their run-ins with the law. We've seen Maurice Clarett, Lawrence Phillips, Nate Newton, Terrence Kiel, the Indiana Pacers, Steve Foley and many others face problems with the law due to drugs and violence. The most amazing aspect of this is not the actions of the athletes, but the fact that they are millionaires (or close to it) who risk everything through their actions. Maybe it's because these athletes are used to always having everything go their way and being invincible, but that doesn't go far enough to explain the actions of these men. Maybe it's the pressure of being the center of attention for millions of fans, or maybe it's just something ingrained in the personalities of the athletes. Regardless of what it is, most athletes should not be seen as role models, only those who really merit it should be given that kind of respect.
When a kid is raised in the ghetto he sees lots of drugs. They're everywhere and impossible to avoid. When that kid becomes a star athlete one of two things can happen: He can swear off drugs completely to focus on his development as a person and athlete, or he can indulge in them due to his celebrity status making them so readily available. Unfortunately, it also extends to the sale of drugs because of the money involved and the connections a star athlete is likely to have. That is why we see so many top level athletes who deal drugs, they have the connection to the source as well as the customer base. Plus, the pros have a lot of money to burn and there are a lot of people who are willing to manipulate them for their celebrity status. It's also about the big score. Nate Newton is a perfect example of this: he was arrested on the highway for speeding and swerving and because there was a distinct smell coming out the back of his truck...180 LBS of weed. So he's released on bail and within a month he is ARRESTED AGAIN for possession of ANOTHER 220 LBS of WEED! Why anyone would personally transport 220 pounds of weed while out on bail for an arrest for 180 pounds of weed is beyond me...especially when that person had made 4.5 million in salary.
So what about the violence? How many players are arrested for assault throughout the course of the season? What about domestic violence? And it's not all ghetto superstars either...the good ol' boys do it too. There are different levels of this violence, there's the Bobby Chounard/Brett Myers level, the Lawrence Phillips/Maurice Clarett level and the Rae Carruth level. Rae Carruth was a pretty good wide receiver who hired someone to murder his pregnant wife and then fled the state. He's now serving time for murder. Clarett and Phillips are different but the same too. Clarett was the #1 prospect in the country, national champion and the next great NFL back, but he was STUPID. He pledged his life over to some Jewish gangsters and is now going to spend the next few years behind bars because of his own stupidity and greediness (he couldn't wait 2 more years to live the life, he had to take a loan from gangsters so he could jump start his "Cribs" lifestyle). Phillips was just sent to jail because he drove his car into a group of teenagers who humiliated him in a pickup football game, injuring 7 of them and putting himself behind bars for 20 years. These athletes simply do not have the ability to deal with their problems because their whole lives are spent being idolized and complimented. Coaches look the other way when an athlete of Phillips' caliber has a few "problems in his past", and they help contribute to the growing problem of violence off the playing fields.
You can take the boy out of the ghetto, but you'll never take the ghetto out of the boy. Ron Artest is the PRIME example of this statement. Here's a man who makes 10's of millions and yet he still hangs out at his Queensbridge projects and has said that his dream is to buy the top floor of his old building and live in the projects for the rest of his life. When you grow up in a place where violence, drugs, entertainment or sports are the only ways out, it's hard to adjust to life outside of that world. Steven Jackson has enough money to hire 10 strippers to come over and break all the rules, yet he risks his career by going to some ghetto club and gets into a brawl in the parking lot, firing shots from his handgun in the air. Obviously a kid from the projects isn't going to have a classical education, and if he's good enough to be an NBA or NFL athlete, he probably spent most of his time playing sports and not studying. It is a fact that the more educated a person is, the less likely they are to become drug addicts or violent criminals. Unfortunately, "student-athletes" are simply not students at all. The only things they study in college are booze, broads and bullshit and once they get that first fat paycheck it's over. Why is it that so many professional athletes end up bankrupt when they make more than most people? Simple, it's because they live a fast life and have no concept of the long term effects of their actions.
So what can we do about this ever-growing problem? Well, not too much at the professional level, it's gotta start at the youth level. Think Reggie Bush got treated the same as Ira Goldstein at Pop Warner practice? It's hard for a coach to treat his star the same as his scrub, but this is where the TO (Terrell Owens) personalities begin. Athletes probably shouldn't be role models, but they are and will always be. Kids think that anyone is cool if they've got skills and confidence...actually, all that matters is that they're on TV and the internet. Case-in-point: Paris Hilton...she has no reason to be ANYONE's role model (spoiled, ignorant, slutty brat born into money and has done nothing to deserve it), yet her album sells tons of copies, she can sell clothing lines with just her name and a whole generation of slutty girls have her to thank for their development into stupid spoiled whores. The same goes for players like Terrell Owens, how many star receivers will think that they're above the team thanks to him? The point of sports is to compete, strive for improvement and to work as a team. As sports have become big business, it has become more important for the stars to be healthy role models, so why has it gone the opposite way? I just hope that pro teams start to realize that the athletes should be grateful for the opportunity, regardless if they're Reggie Bush or Ira Goldstein, getting a chance to be paid to play a game for a living should be enough.
posted by Dan Pasternack at 4:55 PM
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