The Journal

Issue date: 8/30/07 Section: Opinion/Editorial

If you're an ESPN junkie like I am, you've probably noticed this past summer wasn't exactly the summer for role models in sports.

Whether it was former major (now minor) leaguer Jose Offerman hitting the opposing pitcher and catcher with a bat, NBA ref Tim Donaghy admitting to gambling charges concerning games he officiated or a now infamous Atlanta Falcons quarterback, it seems there's just as much bad news as good news on Sportscenter. That is unless you're a White Sox fan-and then it's all bad news.

A few weeks ago, ESPN's fast-paced analysis show "Pardon the Interruption" spent their first 10 minutes on five or six different players in the midst of legal struggles. Co-host Michael Wilbon jokingly likened the episode to CourtTV. As Wilbon and co-host Tony Kornheiser swiftly moved on to the topic of whether Pacman Jones should be allowed to wrestle, I couldn't help but wonder when pro athletes will finally put an end to the off-field legal circus. Then reality set in. I recalled the faces of O.J. Simpson and Pete Rose and found myself hoping instead it doesn't get any worse instead.

The truth is the culture of cheaters, gamblers, dopers and dog-fighters have been a part of sports society from the beginning. Whether their stories are inflated by the media or not, it pains us when our heroes and role models are involved in something immoral because it reflects so poorly on the purity of competition.

To delve further into the issue is to discover many of our pro sports organizations have mandatory rookie retreats to instruct players on how to keep out of trouble. They often alleviate the stress on the athlete behind closed doors when they do get into trouble. After all, general managers don't get paid as much when the quarterback's in jail.

Unfortunately, this favoritism isn't just a pro sports problem. It originates when gym coaches favor the athletic kids in grade school and continues through college, when "assistants" in various athletic departments drive their star players to and from class. The athletic superiority complex is an ever-present mentality, and we've got to learn to live with it.

It's this mentality of coddling athletes throughout their growth that brings about situations so frequently seen this summer. When we raise our athletes through high school and collegiate systems that do everything for them, they begin to see their talent as entitlement-an entitlement to be arrogant, stubborn and reside on a pedestal above the "little people." This mindset has contaminated pro sports for too long, and until athletes make being selfless popular, it's here to stay.

As Michael Vick offers an apology and awaits his looming prison term, my hope is maybe, just for a little while, athletes and officials will realize that embarrassing themselves off the field not only stops them from doing their job on the field. More importantly, it squanders the talent they have for making the games we love more amazing every day. I'd like to think maybe the GMs would draft one more character player and one less troublemaker. Maybe someday athletes will all just break down and have a collective, selfless devotion to their team and game.

But don't get too comfortable with that dream, because we're nowhere near done with the Barry Bonds thing yet.

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