I am a fanatic Baseball fan and a fan and a loyal listener to ESPN RADIO's Morning Drive Time Show, Mike and Mike in the Morning!
Towards the end of the program, a fascinating discussion came up on the legal problems of Professional Football, Baseball and Basketball!
The hosts spent most of the Football portion of their analysis centering upon the Cincinnatti Bengals. 9 Bengals STARTERS are currently contending with legal difficulties! The team's Head Coach, Marvin Lewis, is " under increasing pressure to improve the off- the field behavior of his players!" Almost makes him sound like Mr. Lewis, the 4th Grade gym teacher, than Marvin Lewis National Football League head Coach!
As the discussion turned to Baseball, Steroids took center stage! The Steroids used are considered illegal substances , so you, of course, can consider that a drug problem! Yet, the discussion also turned to the corruption of long held rcords of the sport- the prime example being Barry Bonds' quest to capture the Career Record for the Most Home Runs hit! The question of whether or not Bonds is a steroid user is what ties steroid use into Baseball's internal accounting system! It also begs the question as to whether baseball is de facto institutionalizing cheating!
This discussion became a bit nastier as Baskletball took its' turn under the electron microscope! The Sports' Analyst actually raised the question as to whether Basketball IS its' own Criminal Problem,"Hip-hop liking, Tattoooed, Loud, Vulgar, Violence Prone" were all descriptors used to decscribe players and the league's dilena alike! The frostiest analysis clearly was " NBA Commissioner David Stern knows that he has a problem that he must correct" was the summary statement concerning the National BasketBall Association!
Posses, Jewelry, Big Houses, Intimidation, Not behaving as people worth following all are barnacles attached to football, basketball and basketball! There are people who enthusiastically begrudge the wealth possessed by America's most talented professional athletes! We hear about their - rudeness, poor education, tendencies to spend their money on "junk"! The underlying social comment, whether anyone is BRAVE enough to admit it or not is, " Why aren't they using their great wealth to turn themselves into BETTER!!! People!!!"
Hmmm, Should Alex Rodriguez offer a medical scholarship to Harvard every time he hits a homerun? Should LeBron James offer to build a new school every time the Cavaliers win a game? Should Bret Favre offer to feed EVERY HOMELESS person in Milwaukee each time he throws a game-winning touchdown pass?
Consider this - If you substitute the names Justin Timberlake, Beyonce, and Jennifer Lopez in the above paragraph can you possibly read the paragraph without laughing hysterically? To some the wealth of America's Elite Athletes is the same as the Wealth of a Columbian Drug Lord or a Mafia Don- gained by questionable means and unsavory to possess!
