2008 Woodie Awards
Sick of scandals, a sports fan tries something new
Maurice M. McKiernan
Issue date: 2/20/08 Section: Commentary
What are sports fans to do in times like these: When what should be our entertaining distraction from the hardships of life turns into the chaos we need a distraction from?
The current list of suspect athletes and dire athletic situations is vast.
No one is immune. Scandal has made its way into the NFL, the NBA, MLB and the NCAA.
Just last year, NFL star Michael Vick was sentenced to 23 months in jail for fighting and executing dogs in an organized fashion. Former NBA referee Tim Donaghy pleaded guilty to betting on NBA games he refereed. The Patriots and their "dynasty" were shrouded with questions after they were caught videotaping the opposing team's play-calling.
Recently, Roger Clemens squirmed on Capital Hill while on trial for taking performance-enhancing drugs. The evidence and other depositions had him firmly backed into a corner - so all of America got to watch as he deflected attention to everyone else, including his wife (who admitted to taking the drugs in question). It was utterly disheartening to watch for many reasons.
Then the bomb of troubled-athletics dropped on Bloomington when word got out that Kelvin Sampson and some members of his staff allegedly lied to the NCAA and Indiana University about former violations. Further sanctions are sure to follow.
At this point, IU would be better off going the "self-imposed sanctions" route and hope that it is enough to appease the mighty NCAA.
If you're a true sports fan and tired of these shenanigans, you are not alone.
Regardless, we - the fans - cannot fix the problems, at least not directly. We can write and voice our displeasure or not show up to events, but there's not much a sports fan can actually do about the entangled mess American sports has been dealing with.
What we can do is turn our attention elsewhere (as Pacers' fans obviously have known for two years).
The totality of these sports-related affairs have led to me searching, finding and essentially adopting a new favorite sport to watch - at least temporarily - and I suggest you sports fans needing a fix give it a try, as well.
The current list of suspect athletes and dire athletic situations is vast.
No one is immune. Scandal has made its way into the NFL, the NBA, MLB and the NCAA.
Just last year, NFL star Michael Vick was sentenced to 23 months in jail for fighting and executing dogs in an organized fashion. Former NBA referee Tim Donaghy pleaded guilty to betting on NBA games he refereed. The Patriots and their "dynasty" were shrouded with questions after they were caught videotaping the opposing team's play-calling.
Recently, Roger Clemens squirmed on Capital Hill while on trial for taking performance-enhancing drugs. The evidence and other depositions had him firmly backed into a corner - so all of America got to watch as he deflected attention to everyone else, including his wife (who admitted to taking the drugs in question). It was utterly disheartening to watch for many reasons.
Then the bomb of troubled-athletics dropped on Bloomington when word got out that Kelvin Sampson and some members of his staff allegedly lied to the NCAA and Indiana University about former violations. Further sanctions are sure to follow.
At this point, IU would be better off going the "self-imposed sanctions" route and hope that it is enough to appease the mighty NCAA.
If you're a true sports fan and tired of these shenanigans, you are not alone.
Regardless, we - the fans - cannot fix the problems, at least not directly. We can write and voice our displeasure or not show up to events, but there's not much a sports fan can actually do about the entangled mess American sports has been dealing with.
What we can do is turn our attention elsewhere (as Pacers' fans obviously have known for two years).
The totality of these sports-related affairs have led to me searching, finding and essentially adopting a new favorite sport to watch - at least temporarily - and I suggest you sports fans needing a fix give it a try, as well.
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