Aug 26 2007
Heinous Atrocity
These are two words I heard in one sports radio talk segment concerning the Michael Vick case. While I’m not fanatical, I like animals, and I believe what Vick and his cohorts did is despicable, disgusting, cruel, and inhumane. But hearing those two words relating to his dog-fighting ring only confirms America’s passion for hyperbole and sensation. Columbine and Virginia Tech were atrocities. Murdering your wife and child for an insurance settlement is heinous. Perhaps I’m arguing semantics, but I feel some perspective is due here. Yes, he’s a bad man who’s done bad things. Hopefully he’ll do his time. But if Vick were a postal carrier, it may not have even made the national news, and no one would be using this exaggerated tone to describe his crimes.
I support NFL Commissioner Goodell’s hard-line stance on player behavior. And he was right to suspend Vick indefinitely. But I don’t believe Vick can or should be denied the opportunity to play again by the league. IF there is a team willing to deal with the chaos his presence will create on the field and in the community, then, by all means, he should be given the opportunity to work. That’s one mighty big “if,” though.
While I agree with most of what you said….I also agree that he were someone other than who he is, this might not have hit the highlights of every news media outlet there is. That said, he should have known better. He is an adult, albeit, he had no father figure to help in rearing him. But I am so sick of hearing that the judicial system prosecutes people based upon the color of their skin. He should have known better, and you can’t tell me he didn’t. My job is to calculate the federal sentencing guidelines, so I understand completely what he faces. I also think that the Judge in this matter will be fair, but he will send a message. While Vick has no prior criminal convictions, that is one thing that will benefit him.
I also agree that he shouldn’t be kept from earning a living, so long as it is legally. There is no doubt that he is a great football player, I just hope he takes the next several months/year to think and reflect on something positive that should come out of this experience.
Let me just finally say, that the federal system prosecutes people based upon the crimes they commit not the color of their skin. Sorry, I have a really strong feeling on this whole issue. Maybe it would be different if it wasn’t how I earn my livelihood. : )
Let me just say something. What’s worse, betting on baseball or betting on pit bulls tearing each other apart and then brutally killing the poor puppies. This isn’t murder or a sex crime but it is a perfect example of how times change. Pete Rose will probably never get into the hall of fame yet we can honestly believe that Vick will have the opportunity to play again. Absolutely ridiculous. More outrageous is espn’s coverage of the the “game” last night. Monday night football is about football, not Vick pleading guilty and going to jail. I was so mad last night because a vast majority of the game was played in a small screen so espn could interview complete idiots. Who cares what the editorial editor of the Atlanta newspaper has to say on Vick. Especially when she goes out of her way to mention she is not a football fan, or a falcons fan. Boo i say, i’m gonna go look at my fantasy team to make me feel better.
I’m with you, Chad. It was a frickin’ travesty. A former-journalist friend of mine called to complain about the coverage during the game, and said, “there’s nothing worse than reporters interview reporters. Who gives a shit?” He’s right. While Vick was the news story of the day, it was over by game time, and the most important thing that happened after that was the Bengal D making Harrington look good, Graham getting hurt, and Carson and 85 looking like they are finally on the same page again.
You’re right about Rose, too. Mike Tirico was suggesting that people feel sorry for Vick. That this is a country of second chances and forgiveness. Rose never saw that, and he didn’t kill dogs for sport. And I love how Vick financed this whole enterprise but never bet on the fights — because when it comes down to it, that’s the only thing in this whole situation that could get him banned for life. Pro athletes cannot gamble or be associated with gamblers.
And finally, what’s with pulling out Jesus in his apology? Nothing irks me more than people suddenly finding religion right when they need sympathy to change their public image. It’s like Paris Hilton saying she read the bible in jail. Right.
It really pissed me off when he chalked it up to “immaturity.” It clearly shows he is not the least bit sorry. Children do not torture animals and if the do, they become serial killers.
I think he’s done as a pro athlete. Teams will lose more money from fans who will abandon his team. I see a future in pro wrestling at best.
Pete Rose bet on baseball and that directly challenges the integrity of the outcome of games. Vick likely had a serious gambling problem too and when he is found to violate the same integral trust of the NFL he will be banned for life a lot faster than Rose was. If simply breaking the law was what got you banned, there would be no Bengals…
You know you are a loser if somehow a comparison to Pete Rose comes into play. You really know you are a loser if you are Pete Rose and it take Mike Vick compasion to make you look better!
Vick will never be kept from making a living. That has nothing to do with the NFL (though all the talking heads will say that it does.) As long as Vick can say “do you want to supersize that” he can earn a living.
Now … what if Vick turns state’s evidence on other people involved in the dog fighting. Imagine if a bunch of other NFL players were at those fights betting on the dogs. It could get even uglier…
I think it would have been nice if Vick found Jesus before he got into trouble not after. Jesus when you are looking at jail is pretty attractive. Plus for celebs”finding Jesus” is “going to rehab” without the time commitment. I’m surprised no one laughed when he said it.
The real question is: are pro sports dead?
Pro sports aren’t dead, but you might be if some of the Dime’s readers ever get a hold of you following this comment.
Betting on baseball does not directly challenge the outcome of the game. If you are assuming he made decesions to win a bet, i assume you have some kind of proof to make those allegations, because Faye Vincent didn’t when he banned him. Sure, i wouldn’t want a manger who bet on games to be the captain of my team. However, THIS MAN HAS HAD MORE HITS THAN ANY PERSON IN THE HISTORY OF BASEBALL. I just think it’s ridiculous that you have a game where the main goal is to hit a ball to get on base and the person who has done that better than anybody is not in the Hall of Fame.
I assume you have never broken the law, that’s what gives you the right to make the bengals statement. You’re talking about 20 year old kids who have just been given a million dollars. A fair amount of these kids come from backgrounds where they’ve never seen a thousand dollars. I don’t know what your college days where like but if i had a million dollars when i was 20-24, i wouldn’t have been staying home playing monopoly on a friday night. Suspended Driver’s license, pot, Dui’s, sounds like alot of twenty somethings i know.
Are pro sports dead, you must like soccer or not have cable tv.
Chad, have you read the Dowd Report?
http://www.dowdreport.com/
The most clear reason Rose was declared ineligible was the letter of the law, not interpretation:
Rule 21(d):
BETTING ON BALL GAMES. “Any player, umpire, or club or league official or employee, who shall bet any sum whatsoever upon any baseball game in connection with which the bettor has a duty to perform shall be declared permanently ineligible.”
Though I do disagree with your statement: “Betting on baseball does not directly challenge the outcome of the game. ” Betting isnot banned by baseball for moral purposes. But rather due to preventing the 1918 Black Sox scandal from happening again. A bad gambler in debt to bookies leads to manipulating the game. (See NBA ref scandal 2007.)
I always wondered why Pete Rose agreed to the lifetime ban. It wasn’t like he didn’t know what he was doing when he entered that agreement. Maybe he thought the “apply for reinstatement” would be taken seriously.
I do agree with you on the value of his on field performance being Hall worthy. There is no doubt that Rose was much better than league average for most of his career.
I gave up caring about his candidacy when he wrote his book and admitted to what he lied about for so many years. Clearly he’ll never get in the Hall while he is alive.
I figured taking a cheap shot at the Bengals would rile some one up.
Maybe not all pro sports are dead, but clearly the Tour De France is dead. The NFL and NBA have some serious issues to address and I wonder if viewership will decline. I’m pretty convinced that NFL fans root for their towns/teams regardless of what the criminal and personal lives of their players are (ie. Ray Lewis). Sadly, no one seems to care about MLB anymore (though I’m excited about the Reds’ run of wins…could they possibly make the wild card? A stretch but it will be fun to watch.) I assume you like college football. This looks like a great season, now that we don’t have to hear a season of Notre Dame appologists arguing why Weis is a genius, etc.
p.s. Re the Bengals: i think you forgot Frostee’s spousal abuse and vandalism, AJ Nicholson’s burglary, Chris Henry providing alcohol to minors, Reggie McNeal’s resisting arrest and Eric Steinbach’s charge of boating under the influence….
Hey but at least the Natti has a football team. The NFL’s refusal to give LA a team continues for, what, Year 12 !?! Crazy.
dog fighting is cruel. but is is as cruel as bullfighting in Spain? there are a lot of cruel things people do. depends on how you look at life. cruel to me is how all these black celeb’s are standing up for the Vick, and or saying that it’s a big deal because he’s a black man from the south and that its part of southern culture, i’m from the south and it isn’ part of my culture. Futhermore if it were Payton Manning it would be just as big of a deal, maybe bigger. But i have a lot of contempt for anyone who stand up for Vick, or dog fighting, or bullfighting, black or white, weather there from the north or south.
the main story up top was right on, it wouldnt be a big deal if Vick was a post man, but little kids don’t idolize the post man. funny you would say post man as dogs are usually the one after them.
you guy’s have a beautiful baby by the way,