The Michael Vick dog fighting case is bound to cause many divisions of people following the case. There are the football fans who wonder how this will impact the Atlanta Falcons or their fantasy team. There are the animal rights crowd who rightfully call dog fighting an awful practice and the book should be thrown at Vick. There will be the bigots who come out of the woodwork. There are the black activists who will be apologists. There will be the parents who will be upset that their kids might have looked up to Michael Vick.
Athletes are held to high physical standards and sometimes low moral ones. They really have to cock-up before anyone pays much heed. This effect continues the better and more accomplished they get. Youthful mistakes and exuberance that bleeds into harsher acts is overlooked for the sake of a team. They are never told no, talent trumps many things including discipline and decency sometimes. But what happens when an athlete is allegedly running a dog fighting ring (or any other such vile endeavor).
If Vick plays his cards right he can appeal and stay out of jail until his best playing days are over. Or if the NFL suspends him, Vick pleas out the case and spends roughly that amount of time in jail. The fact is, unless he spends significant time in jail or faces a multi-season ban from the NFL commissioner, teams in the NFL will pick him up after he is invariably cut or dealt by the Falcons. That is the nature of the professional sports beast, talent often trumps character.
Some teams think they can fix players.
Some teams are always looking for an edge.
Not all teams certainly, but all it takes is one.
Vick will lose sponsorship deals and that is a lucrative side for any superstar athlete and maybe is a subtle punishment for ill-deeds. Of course that is a multi-hundred multimillionaire becoming a multi-dozen millionaire. He might have to save up for the solid gold rocket car.
If Vick is guilty he should be made an example of both legally and economically. Playing football and being a celebrity is a privilege and not a right.
