It seems almost impossible to watch ESPN without hearing about some athlete being involved in some form of legal problems. Every week there is someone new in the headlines for committing stupid or illegal punishable acts.
What has sports come to? These athletes are given an incredible talent and there are a good number of them that waste it by getting in trouble with the law.
Don't get me wrong, there are a lot of great role models out there: Derek Jeter, Kurt Warner and Tim Duncan to name a few. Unfortunately, players like these are being overshadowed by the Plaxico Burress' of the sports world.
Kids look up to athletes; they want to emulate them. But what are they learning when one of their favorite athletes just admitted to cheating (ahem, Alex Rodriguez)? What message is being given when an Olympic gold medalist is caught smoking marijuana? Athletes have a responsibility to present themselves positively to the community and are held with a higher standard.
These players are paid large sums of money to play a game. Yes, a game. They are not saving lives like doctors or firefighters. They are not trying to run a country like politicians. They are playing a game, and making millions. Athletes should be getting more than just a slap on the wrist from lawmakers, and teams should be cutting players for misconduct and ill behavior.
Most people can't get a high-paying job after being involved in crime, or possibly drugs, but in the world of professional sports you are always welcome.
Pacman Jones was involved in multiple off-field occurrences, and was ultimately suspended for the entire 2007 season thanks to the strict policies of NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. However, after serving his penalty, Jones signed with the Dallas Cowboys to become a nuisance yet again.
When will Michael Vick be back in the game? Why do these players get so many opportunities to screw up? It can't be sending a positive message to young athletes. All they are seeing is that they can get away with crime and drugs-as long as they have the talent, that is.
Along these same lines, athletes seem to have a growing amount of control over the teams they play for.
Look back a few years to the days of Barry Bonds in the Giants' clubhouse. He was a true chemistry-burner, but the Giants failed to care about this and continued to pay his high salary-building their team around him. Terrell Owens, yes, the infamous TO. This man is a truly gifted athlete but can't seem to find himself a permanent home because of his personality. He's seen days in San Francisco, Philadelphia, Dallas, and now is on his way North to Buffalo. Where will he fit in? Possibly nowhere because of his character, and yet each team is willing to fork over big bucks for a temperamental player.
Players like Bonds and Owens don't teach kids the importance of being a "team player," rather they teach them that by being selfish, you can be successful. In some sense, everyone has to be a little selfish to get anywhere in life; however, no one needs to go to the extremes that Bonds and Owens have deemed successful.
It just seems that week after week, athletes are being charged with more and more DUIs and weapon possession, not to mention drug use. Kids look up to these athletes; they dream of playing professional sports and being the next Michael Jordan. But by idolizing these players, today's youth are seeing the negative behavior athletes portray.
Kids need someone to follow, someone who can guide them in the right direction. Congratulations to the athletes who are taking their roles seriously, and are trying to teach kids the proper way to present themselves. Perhaps their good deeds will one day rub off on the group of athletes that dominate the media, not the crime watch.
When it comes to success in the pros, who will these kids copy: Alex Rodriguez or Kurt Warner? Both are successful, but one has a much thicker wallet.
The choice is theirs, but the influence is in the hands of today's stars.
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