When you cut on any show on ESPN – Around the Horn, PTI, SportsCenter, etc., – you get the overwhelming sense of doom and gloom that comes with professional sports.
You start asking yourself, “Where are all the damned professionals?” I mean it’s getting to the point where college sports are not even wholesome. What used to be a fun day at home with dad, watching the games, having “man time,” is now a corrupted scene filled with player ejections, bench-clearing brawls, and senseless acts of violence after the games.
You know, there once was a time when the only way you saw blood was in a professional bout between two heavyweight contenders. Now, the girl’s volleyball team just might be on the floor, throwing hands!
It’s becoming ridiculous! People that are loved and respected by children everywhere, basking in the glory of fame and adoration, are now presenting harmful images on television, and movies.
It used to be a fine whenever an athlete cursed on TV, now they let words only shy of the F Bomb slide under FCC censors.
You know, Charles Barkley had it right when he said, “I am not a role model” in the 1993 Nike commercial. These men should not be praised beyond measure as professional athletes, if they cannot conduct themselves in a professional setting.
The NBA was seething when they heard of Commissioner David Stern’s rule that all players cannot wear gigantic pieces and chains, huge earrings and throwbacks when not in uniform. I think that’s fair; these are some of the highest paid people in the country. Why can’t they dress accordingly?
Sports are becoming way too violent. You have little children watching shows like UFC battles on cable, and then copying these moves at schoolyards nationwide. But it doesn’t mean much until it hits close to home. We, as consumers, need to raise the standards of old, making these athletes come up to par.
After all, it’s starting to become sensationalized in the media. Instead of highlighting the student athlete who is maintaining a 3.0 GPA, and leading his conference in sacks, we would rather show replays of Ron Artest bounding into the crowd, and the ensuing melee and mayhem that would be seen as nothing short of juvenile and archaic.
Our great Black pioneer athletes would not have stood for this behavior. Do you think that greats such as Jack Dempsey, Jack Johnson, Walter Payton, or coaches like Eddie Robinson would have stood for this bull?
The answer my friends is “Hell no!” We have worked for too long to have our talents slighted because of our reckless behavior, both on and off the football fields and basketball courts. Scandal is not a word that needs to be synonymous with the big star of today.
Lets bring the professionalism back to professional sports.