August 11, 2007
Where Have You
Gone, Joe DiMaggio?
Vol. 2 Issue12
Those
words in the lyrics of the song Mrs.
Robinson by Simon and Garfunkel was a call
to
bring back what was wholesome and good about
America. Joe was a hero in America; to old
and young alike. It is amazing how today's
real heroes in sports, just quietly go about
their
business doing what they do best without
their names showing up in the tabloids or on
the
crime pages of today's newspapers. You will
not see names like Tiger Woods, Michael
Jordan, Phil Mickleson or Maria Sharapovia
just to name a few. However, what you will
hear
is how they give back to their communities.
You have already seen the names of Kobe
Bryant, Chris Benoit, Michael Irvin, O.J.
Simpson,
Pachman Jones, Tim Donaghy and many more on
the headlines of almost every media outlet
in America and the rest of the free world.
It seems like the concept of a wholesome
sports
role model is far and few between.
What most people do not know is that
DiMaggio signed on as a rookie for a salary
of $8,000
in his first season. Today's players earn
that and more in one- inning, one basketball
period,
one hockey period or one football quarter.
The moment sports figures ink their
multi-million dollar contracts they put
themselves and
their actions, on and off the playing field
under the most intense public scrutiny. In
addition,
the media stands by like hungry wolves just
waiting for the next athlete to fall from
grace.
Knowing that they will receive tremendous
amounts of scrutiny for their bad behavior,
you
would believe it would behoove them to be
more careful in their actions on and off the
field.
Nevertheless, I guess they feel they are
untouchable.
The latest athlete to fall off his
pedestal is Michael Vick, a quarterback for
the Atlanta,
Falcons. He got caught up in a dog fighting
consortium where it is alleged that he was
responsible for not only breeding American
Bull Terriers (Pit Bulls) for fighting and
promoting
dog fighting, but killing the losers of the
fights with torturous and inhumane acts;
such as
drowning, electrocution, shooting or just
beating them to death.
Michael Vick earned over $200,000 per
quarter. (Do the math-$130 Million over
ten-seasons,
fifteen- games per season.) Not a bad job
for throwing around a football. That does
not take
into consideration his product endorsements.
Therefore, why would an athlete earning that
kind of money get caught up in a dog
fighting and gambling scheme. Is it that he
was just
bored in the off- season?
I have heard people making statements
that condone this behavior comparing it to
the
bullfights in Spain. Some have even said,
"Hey, we slaughter cattle don't we." I did
not know
that slaughtering pit bulls was adding to
the food chain.
What is worse even yet is that people try
to turn a blind eye to the fact that these
so-called
great American heroes have been arrested for
drugs, assault, reckless and drunk driving
and
even murder. As long as they can hit another
home run, score another hat trick or throw
another touchdown pass who cares if they
beat their wives or children. "The girl was
probably asking to be raped and the person
murdered in a bar room brawl probably
deserved to die," are some of the comments
you hear. Take the case of Lonnie Baxter,
who
was arrested for firing a gun aimlessly from
a moving car only a few blocks from the
White
House; who knows what damage he could have
done. Mike Tyson bit off Evander Holifield's
ear in the ring. That was after he got out
of prison for raping a woman. In addition,
they
gave him back his boxing license! Super Bowl
champion linebacker Ray Lewis was being
tried
for murder until he plea- bargained to a
lesser charge. We used to think that John
McEnroe
screaming at tennis referees was outrageous.
Some of today's athletes, it seems
continually tarnish the leagues that have
made them rich
and famous. However, as the song goes, "what
goes up must come down, spinning wheels
all around." Falling from grace isn't so
bad; it's the sudden stop at the bottom that
gets you
hurt.
With the advent of 24-hour sports
broadcasting and Internet reporting, the
exploits of the
most popular sports figures are always
headline news. The biggest problem is that
our
children are able to see their behavior and
put them up as role models. You only have to
look
at the walls in your children's room to see
pictures and posters of athletes who our
children
idolize. You only have to watch the
commercials on television to see an athlete
pushing a
product or conducting an interview.
Michael Vick is quoted as saying, "It
don't matter what I did, or what I do,
people are always
gonna love me anyway." Does he feel he is
really above the law, because he is rich and
famous or because he is black?
I don't want you to think that my last
comment makes me a racist. I am not. You
only have
to read my book to know what I really
believe. However, when the NAACP comes out
in a
news conference and states that the only
reason Michael Vick is being singled out is
that he is
black, it is counterproductive to what they
claim they stand for. If they want to be a
force
for social justice then they must speak up
for black and white together. I have not
heard
them say one word about Tim Donaghy being
innocent until proven guilty. Is the fact
that
they have not blasted the media for claiming
that Barry Bonds is using steroids because
the
record he is attempting to surpass belongs
to Hank Aaron a black baseball player and
a
great American hero.
It will be a sad day in American sports
if Michael Vick is convicted and continues
to play
football after serving his sentence.
If you want to stand for social justice
in this world, then you have to live by the
words of the
late Reverend, Dr. Martin Luther King who
said, "I dream of the day when a man is
judged
not by the color of his skin, but by the
content of his character."
And, that is my opinion.
Michael Solomon
If you want to
help restore sanity to America, join the
Flag Day campaign.
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