Looking Back:
Not a Fun Topic
The basic question is: “Do athletes have more “troubles” than regular folks?” Clearly, their misfortunes and mistakes get far more attention. But, the studies do show that athletes have more violent behaviors than would be seen in the regular population. (But, I have not seen a study, only read about them.) I recently read the book “Sports Heroes, Fallen Idols”, by Stanley Teitelbaum. It is not fun reading about all the different ways our sports stars mess up. Not only gambling, drugs, steroids, abusive relationships, criminal behaviors, self-destructive behaviors, even murder.
First, a look at society’s need for heroes. There is no doubt the human condition cries out for heroes. As a kid, I would pretend to fly like Superman. Nowadays via the movies, kids have many choices of Superheroes. Each generation will have its favorites, but the point is we seem to need them. The same in sports, the athletes are our gladiators showing dominance on the field or court, but why so many problems off the playing field? Many ‘experts’ mention the violent nature of many sports, including football, boxing, MMA, hockey, etc. Even basketball, baseball, and soccer have a level of violence. Who doesn’t like a brawl in a baseball game? Even in car racing, we tune in if we heard about a massive pile-up or a fight in the pits.
Point #1: We like sports violence or at least the physicality of it all. Even an in-your-face dunk in basketball makes the ESPN Top 10 more often than a step-back 3-pointer.
Point #2: In the book ‘Sports Heroes’ much is talked about the players feeling entitled. The players, especially the top players, feel the rules really do not apply to them. Lawrence Taylor is a good example, he took great pride in that he did what he wanted, whenever he wanted, no matter the consequences. He was above the law. As an educator, parent, and coach you have to ask yourself what is our part in encouraging this entitlement? Let’s face it, we have parades for our athletes, but not too many for our best Math students. If athletes are catered to why wouldn’t they be confused about their ‘importance’? Nobody (especially kids) likes hearing the word “No”. Some adolescents seldom hear the word ‘No’, so they never develop better social skills to deal with it. Think of the adulation given to athletes as a drug, it has to be seductive, if not addictive. Let me give you two examples from my distant past. I was on an airplane in 1972 and a couple of passengers were amazed at how much I looked like Mark Spitz (the famous Olympic swimmer). Funny huh? I had hair back then and a dark mustache. Also, when I was about 30 I was staying in a St. Louis hotel for a teacher conference. I used a sports bag as my suitcase. The St. Louis Cardinals were in town, playing the Cubs. I was approached by a couple of kids thinking I was one of the Chicago Cubs. Think about it, only two times have I felt that ‘adulation’ and I still remember them. Very addictive stuff. Can you imagine having that kind of attention every day from Junior High on?
Point #3: There is, of course, thinking that a lot of the violence comes from many athletes coming from violent backgrounds. Many of us, including myself, grew up in families that would at times ‘solve’ problems physically. That doesn’t mean everybody from those backgrounds will be violent in their adulthood, but it seems to be a factor. If a person grows up in a family where spousal abuse is prevalent, it would make sense that such behavior would be seen as ‘normal’ to them, thinking this is how relationships work.
Point #4: Accountability is only slowly being expected. Accountability from the player and the team and league. Different professional sports leagues have established ‘policies’ regarding inappropriate behaviors. Some sports stars have even gone to jail: Mike Tyson in 1992, (but only serving three years for rape). But, more often than not they are given many, maybe too many, second and third chances, Darryl Strawberry for example got many chances, but could never put it together until after his baseball career was over. Sports leagues become just another enabler of bad behavior. Someone tell me how the leagues being directly involved in sports betting
