With all the drama in sports lately, ESPN seems as if it should be called the Soap Opera Network.
The most recent installment in the ongoing drama of sports being Shaquille O’Neal getting charged $15,000 for throwing a misguided punch at Chicago Bull’s Brad Miller. In the same game, Charles Oakley attempted to rough up Shaq and was charged $10,000. Not to mention the antics of Patrick Ewing in an Atlanta strip club, or hearing about the attitudinal Randy Moss on your sportscast of choice. Maybe it’s the fact that we as fans glorify athletes too much, putting them on pedestals for being naturally proficient at their respective sport. Possibly, the reason for the outlandish activities of our sports stars is attributed to the fact that they’re paid millions of dollars for something that’s a pass-time for others. And some aren’t even paid as much as others, yet the super star attitude is still present.
It seems that some athletes feel as if they’re above the laws governing the rest of us, and just because they’re nationally, or internationally known, that they may behave in any manner they see fit.
Should there be some type of intervention set up to quell the egos of our professional athletes? If so, the question then arises of how to teach humility to a grown man that can have just about anything his heart desires?
Regardless of the method to accomplish this, a way must be found to let some of these athletes know that they are not deities. A simple slap on the wrist obviously isn’t working. If something does not happen soon, athletes may even be able to get away with murder. Or has that already occurred?
Jared McArthur, 20, is a junior public relations student from Orlando.