Wednesday, August 22, 2007

Why the NFL should ban Vick for Life

For several years now, high school, college, and professional sports has been struggling with scandal after scandal due to the criminal behaviors of the athletes. We've had reports of gang activity, shootings, rampant drugs, thug behavior, and now the Vick stuff. There are property crimes, murder, and entourages involved in crimes. The colleges and pros especially have tried to impose controls through demanding a dress code, drug tests, and the like. Mostly, ineffectively.

If the NFL bans Vick for life, it creates the pattern and precedent needed to ban other criminals. The NFL - and other pro sports and college teams - have a vested interest in protecting their image and brand. By welcoming Darryl Strawberry back over and over again, pro sports created the situation in which athletes know that their skills and ability to make money for the team owners is more important than their status as role model or the image they project for the team or league.

Banning Vick will be a first step in the leagues regaining control over criminal behavior from players (0r other affiliated persons). To say nothing of being the "right thing" to do.

2 comments:

Jeremy Lowe said...

You have my complete and total support on this. I had a similar blog about a week or so ago. I think it is irrelevant what other sports players have gotten away with in the past, or what movie stars continue to get away with today.

These people are considered heroes in the eyes of our youth, and are paid outrageous sums of money for what is perceived to be talent. It is time that they are held accountable for the position in society that they occupy.

RaeJane said...

I agree...
As a person who used to have a non profit and worked my butt off hunting down dog fighting rings and having friends who actually partook in sting opperations of dog fighting rings.. this SOB needs to be punished.
What he did was not onlu illegal but immoral and his credibility as a human being has greatly been tarnished.