Being an avid sports fan, and hailing from Chicago, I am no stranger to the love/hate relationship shared between fans and their respective fan bases. But more and more it seems professional sports has failed to accommodate the fans during such trying times, and the players, whose salaries are funded by sports fans who buy their merchandise and shell out exorbitant amounts of money to see them play, have begun to turn their back on those who care the most.
Yes, being a professional athlete is a job. Not one of you would want a someone to come to your work and scream at YOU right?
But the comparisons fall on deaf ears, and rightfully so. Yes, these athletes are simply doing a job to pay the bills just like the rest of us. But unlike the rest of us, these athletes are making millions of dollars to be world famous icons for playing, essentially what is, a game. Therefore, they are subject to a higher order of behavior than the common layman.
These past few weeks in sports have been rough, what with A-Rod admitting to using steroids from 2001-2003 and Michael Phelps gasp smoking weed. But who's surprised? Gone are the days when a sports fan poured their heart and soul into a team, passing this passion onto their children, while the franchise poured itself back into the community. The legendary teams of the past no longer exist in this day and age of constant turnover, 38 coaches fired in the last 12 months, and intense scrutiny, with the Purple People Eaters, the Steel Curtain, and the Bronx Bombers all memories of "the good old days". Sure, the athletes are better, stronger, quicker, and bigger, and with the advent of the internet and cable TV, it has never been easier to follow your favorite sports team.
But seemingly every time fans put their hearts out on the line, athletes and franchises break them. The arrogance of these millionaires in snubbing the people who keep the business running boggles the mind. Favorite players? Not when your "favorite player" might admit to steroid charges or get traded the next week. Favorite teams? Sonics fans can attest to the fact that often teams are simply a few bad years and one greedy owner away from moving away. The Devil Rays go to the World Series and can't even sell out a home game? Does anyone remember that the NFC Championship game in Arizona was a local blackout until game day? The Red Sox trading away icon and future Hall of Famer Manny Ramirez. Brett Favre, Green Bay legend, playing for the JETS?
Tommy Tuberville goes 85-40, including 1 SEC title, at Auburn and he gets canned. Donovan McNabb, the face of the Philadelphia Eagles, gets benched in favor of Kevin Kolb.
In a sports climate where legends are traded away, successful, popular coaches are fired, and teams move (Cleveland, Seattle), how can a fan pour their heart into their teams?
There is something missing and we as sports fans are starting to notice. Us fans love our teams and name our children after the players. Those millionaire athletes? Well, it suffices to say that flicking off the fans(I'm looking at you Mike Vick) or beating them up(Ron Artest) isn't quite the hallmark of a grateful professional athlete.
In times such as these we need sports more than ever. These athletes do things only a fraction of the world can do physically and mentally. How many people can throw a 95 mile an hour fastball right above the waist on the outside corner, or better yet try to hit it? How many people can run a 4.4 40 yard dash and do it while 11 guys try to kill him? Excellence is celebrated and in these dire economic times, any celebration is welcome. But as fans we must ask ourselves, how much more abuse and arrogrance can we take?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FKvq6FVBMBk&feature=related
Sir you've been knocked the hell out
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