head coach of the New England Patriots (pictured at right). Belichick was under fire in Week One of the NFL season due to the uncovering of “CameraGate.” In the opening week of the 2007 NFL season, the Patriots were caught using video cameras on the sidelines to record the defensive signals of the New York Jets. The Patriots routed the Jets 38-14, leaving no doubt as to who the better team was, but with everything that has happened recently, it leaves us wondering one thing: Where have the ethics gone in sports?There is nothing more than I would like to see than for this whole “CameraGate” thing to blow over. In all honesty, it is not that big of a deal. The Patriots are a good club. They were going to win the game anyways. Bill Belichick must have had a good reason to do what he did. There’s absolutely no evidence saying that he did such things while winning the three Super Bowls in four years. Bill Simmons, columnist for ESPN.com writes “I always thought Belichick cared too much about his legacy to risk tainting it like this.” This statement holds so many truths to it. For instance, Belichick is probably the best coach in the NFL these days. He had no reason to be taping the Jets, and the reason he was doing it was probably petty and insignificant, but yet, the media plays it like it is a huge deal. The media loves to blow things like this out of proportion and instill doubt in the fans, and at a point like this in all of sports, that is the exact opposite of what is needed. The Patriots are the only undefeated team in the nation at 12-0. The Jets are currently 3-9. There is no doubt that the Patriots would have won that game. But was it necessary for them to tape defensive signals? It is instances like this that could possibly taint a great season. While there will be very few things said about this “CameraGate” occurrence if the Patriots can go undefeated and go on to win the Super Bowl, it just seems as if there is a small lack of respect there.
So much has happened in the past couple of months regarding morals and ethics in sports, fans have begun to wonder where the ethics have gone.
Which also makes you wonder: Do fans respect the game more than the players do these days? For example, perennial MVP Alex Rodriguez (at left) of the New York Yankees was reprimanded by the third baseman of the Toronto Blue Jays about two month ago when it was obvious that Rodriguea called the third baseman off of a fly ball as he rounded third base, thus causing the third basemen to miss the fly ball, Rodriguez to score, and the Yankees to win the game. Rodriguez claimed that this had happened to him in the past, and was nothing out of the ordinary. However, this does not necessarily make what he did right. And not surprising at all, the next time the two teams met, Rodriguez was promptly hit in the square of his back with the first pitch he saw. Was it warranted? Maybe. Should he have done what he did? Probably not. But regardless, actions like this make the fans wonder what the motivation of the players is these days. Is it to win for the sake of the team, or is it to win by any means possible, leaving morals in the dust? Another example of this moral dilemma in baseball is the use of steroids. And the first name that comes to mind when you think of steroids in baseball is none other than home run king Barry Bonds. Maybe we’ll never know if he actually used steroids at any point in his career. It is the fact that there is even a remote possibility that he did that makes this tarnish so unbearable. Barry Bonds has adamantly denied any use of or knowledge of use of steroids, and as a fan of the game, I want to believe him. But with so much doubt being spread from the media and the league itself, it is hard to do so. Major League Baseball needs to get their policy straight, not leaving an ambiguous line. Doing so would let the fan base trust in their players again, and not have to sit back and wonder what type of actions they’re condoning by supporting their favorite teams.
Moral and ethical lapses haven’t only been seen in Major League Baseball recently, but also in such places as the National Basketball Association. Tim Donaghy, a professional NBA referee was found to be fixing games on the orders of different sports gambling bookies, allowing him a share of the money made from profits. Tim Donaghy couldn’t have done anything worse for the NBA if he had tried. Fans now are always going to wonder what classic games
were fixed just so some low-life bookie could make an extra buck. Tell you what, if there’s one job that I would not want to have right now, it is the job of David Stern, Commissioner of the NBA (pictured at right). The NBA is going to struggle to keep its fan base with the allegations that have come out with referees betting on the games that they are officiating. Soon boos and cries of “Is that Donaghy out on the court” will ring throughout arenas across the United States. Stern must do something drastic in order to ensure that not all trust in the officiating in the league has gone to naught. I honestly feel bad for Stern, and hope that he can reconcile this by the beginning of the season, because American sports really doesn’t need another reason not to trust its athletes.Sports in the U.S. needs to do all it can to regain the trust and idolization of its fans because in the recent past, those two characteristics have definitely been lacking. Whether it is playing the game fair, admitting that you have done wrong, or just going out and playing the game it was mean to be played, sports in general need to do a better job at reconnecting with their fans. Because once they lose their fans due to greed and lies, who else do they have to play for…
1 comment:
First of all, let me congratulate you on writing a fine piece of sports commentary. I really enjoyed the way you "switch gears" to cover the various major league sports, thus making an argument applicable to a larger fan base (to use your words). I think that by using examples from numerous sports you will increase the comprehension of your readers in regards to your argument.
On that note, I like your argument but I am hesitant to say that its entirely cogent. I say this because by repeatedly assuming that the "fan base" will do this or that, you are, in a sense, playing God. What I mean is that you cannot predict any team or leagues fan base based on the ethical actions of specific fans. Take A-Rod for instance, one of your own examples, when he left the Seattle Mariners he did so for money. He left the team he'd grown up with for money. What a traitor right? Well, regardless, when he returned to Seattle for the first time as a Texas Ranger, Safe Co field was sold out and he was welcomed with far more cheers than boos (I know this because I was there, booing). Either way, I agree with your points but not with your rhetoric - you simply cannot predict the unpredictable.
Also, one suggestion I would make for you going forward - be careful with just how colloquial your writing is. I understand and believe that a strength of your argument is your ability to write like a fan, to make your readers feel like you are one of them, and I like that. However, there are certain instances, such as when you say, "Enough of hating on...," it comes across as juvenile or uneducated. This is just my feelings but I tend to resent writing like that.
Finally, if you're going to make an argument, and from the first two paragraphs I believe you do, how can you then go on to say that you want to see the CameraGate thing blow over. If sports are being jeopardized by unethical behavior, shouldn't the media, the officials, and the fans cry out for justice? For player accountability? If your argument is that fans care more about the sport than the players do anymore, than I don't think it's beneficial for your argument to say you don't want to hear about it anymore, it's not a big deal. Unless it isn't, but then why did you use it as an argument in the first place?
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