The Sad State of Sports

Forget the headlines of Paris Hilton, Nicole Ritchie, Brittany Spears, and Lindsay Lohan (as bad as they are), I am more concerned about the state of the sports world. The sad state of hero worship is being portrayed not only in Hollywierd (I'm sorry, Hollywood) but in the privileged world of professional athletics. The sad state of affairs can be seen in many places, some on the front page and some buried in the back pages. Here goes:
1. The Tour de France - I use to watch this on OLN (find that channel on your cable dial!) when Lance Armstrong and Greg LeMond were riding and winning. Now, the last two rides have been marred by drug scandals. Last year it was charges of doping against the eventual winner, American Floyd Landis. This year, before the race even got underway, cycling superstars Jan Ulrich and Ivan Basso were thrown out for doping. Now that the race is going on (and is anyone watching it?) and several riders have been thrown out for doping - Vinokourov was the first and now it is the overall leader, Michael Rasmussen, has been sacked by his own team not for failing a test but for lying about where he was when he missed two pre-race drug testing dates. This is not a sport anymore, it is a pharmacy on wheels.
2. The NBA - Well, this one has been on the front pages for sure. I have the sickening feeling that this one will go even deeper (and I hardly ever watch the NBA). I fear the inclusion of other NBA employees (players, time clock operators, low level team officials). This is, in my mind, the natural evolution of a league that has glorified thugs as the face of its league. The tattoo craze that infects nearly every player, is a foolish ritual that is glorified only in immature settings and gang related, street cred groups. When a Ron Artest can attack people in the stands and create a riot situation and find work as quickly as he gets back from suspension, is beyond me. It may be that the NBA is getting exactly what it has opened itself up to - you reap what you sow. I have no sympathy for Commissioner David Stern. He let it get out of hand. He now gets to go through the fire that could kill his sport.
3. Major League Baseball - No, it's not just Bonds or Giambi. It is the fact that we give credence to the voices of people who can hit a ball or throw one hard. My real sadness is with guys like Gary Sheffield who mouth off about racism and call guys like Derek Jeter, "not really black" because his heritage is mixed. People in sports will always look for an edge, especially when others are getting away with it. But guys like Sheffield reduce the seriousness of racial prejudice when they concoct racism out of thin air and think they are right because they didn't get treated like they wanted to. Hey Gary, how many teams have you played for? You think there's a reason for that? As they say on the Mike and Mike Show, "Just shut up!"
4. The NFL - For those who know me, my love of the NFL is well known. I play Fantasy Football, subscribe to Pro Football Weekly, got DirectTV so I could get the NFL package, had the caps of all the teams hanging in my Pastor's Study in my last two churches, and can't wait for Training Camps to begin. Good gracious, I get up early to watch the NFL Draft! But I am appalled at some of what goes on in NFL circles. First of all, I applaud the Commissioner, Roger Goodell, for having the guts to say, "enough is enough". I think Pac Man Jones (what a ridiculous name) should be banned for as long as it takes to knock some sense into his head. That should be a long time since neither he nor Tank Johnson get it. These guys continue to put themselves in bad situations and think they can get away with it. Dumb! And, Micheal Vick is a thug not a QB. I used to wonder how his younger brother could be such a thug when his older brother stayed out of the police blotter limelight. Guess I was wrong on that count. They are both nothing but thugs. After reading the 19 page indictment against him, Vick should be hosed down and hit with an electric prod (at least that's what he did to the dogs that didn't perform the way he wanted them to).
5. The NFL Players Association - How can you rake in the amount of money players and the Union do and turn a blind eye to the suffering of retired players makes no sense. Arthur Blank wouldn't consider giving Vick a paid leave of absence because he didn't think it was appropriate. Who wanted him to get a paid leave? The Union. But they won't fork over money for retired players who can't walk because of injuries sustained playing the game? Shame on you guys. Shame on the Union and its leadership.
6. ESPN and "The Who's Now" Promotion - The worst, most useless, fingernails on a chalkboard stunt in the history of ESPN. My only comment on this whole thing is, "Who Cares?"

I love sports. I watch it. I've played it. I tried to help my sons when they wanted to play sports. But sports continues to have a fatal flaw in it. Its the "win at all costs" mentality. I saw it injure my boys in high school and college. I was it in Little League with out of control parents. I've seen it in Church Softball when teams load up their teams with non-church players to win a tournament (sad to say I've played on those teams the last couple of years - they were not satisfying experiences at all). I don't mind playing to win. I like the competition. I like to win. But I think watching Nate pitch on a hot afternoon in a league that gets no publicity or money - but who does so with for the joy of sport - is a better cover story than Barry Bonds chasing Hank Aaron's record. I love sports. But they are now and have been in a sad state for a long time. It seems that they are all about to pay the piper. The cost will be high, but probably not high enough to change the mentality. After all, Paris Hilton in jail didn't stop Lindsay Lohan from driving under the influence. Sin continues to be the dominant force in society today. How sad.