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...Wishful thinking, at best. Some idiot will sign him. These days, so much money and pressure is at stake in sports that they sign anyone no matter what.
"Steroids? No problem. Get us some wins now. We'll make ourselves look good and punish you later by denying you Hall of Fame membership."
"Arrested? Fear not. As soon as you get out, the job is yours."
"Can he hit the fastball? Throw for touchdowns? Hit the jumper? Sign him up! I don't care if he's on parole for rape. That guy can play! He's up on DWI-homicide charges? Drug possession? Weapons charges? So what? He's got talent! He'll put fannies in the seats! He can help us win!"
That's precisely the sports mentality that allows athletes' behavior to fester and foment. Character doesn't matter. These guys make more money in a day then many of us see in a year but the rest of us are still held to a much higher standard by society, and yet, the fans who are held to this standard are still rooting for these players - as long as they play for their team. It's sickening. And the already substantial risk of the player flaming out and getting in trouble and costing his team (paging Plaxico Burress!) is only considered after the fact. As I've said before, the business of sports is driven by the same mentality that fuels gambling - except for when it comes to gambling itself.
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Even Pete Rose thinks the hypocrisy is criminal.
2 comments:
Great writing! I'm amazed at how our interest in sports has turned from being in awe of the all-American baseball heroes to a bizarre recognition of steroidal hybrids... We're not in Kansas any more. S
I couldn't have put it any better. And thanks for the compliment. I felt a rush of blood to my ego.
:-)
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