Read the opposing argument from Babe Ruthless.
Here we sit, on the heels of yet another star athlete scandal.
Between Dog fighting, sex parties on boats, domestic violence, rape charges, drugs, drinking and driving, infidelity, and fighting in bars (just to name a few), I find myself thoroughly repulsed by the misdeeds of the athletic elite within our society today. And if the disturbing frequency with which new reports and allegations are released serves as any indication of what is really going on in the private lives of these people, then I am both saddened and alarmed.
Far too often, athletes have made poor decisions (that usually victimize another human being) and it is time that somebody took a SERIOUS stance against this deplorable behavior. A strong, clear, and consistent message must be communicated.
The Business of Sports
The “business” of professional sports is one of image. In a world where visibility and exposure is king, millions of dollars can hang in the balance. If an athlete wants to make millions on the field, they must portray success. If they want to make even more money in endorsements, they must appeal to the public. Simply put – Image is EVERYTHING!
Every business in America, including professional sports organizations, strives to portray an image of being a positive “corporate citizen.” There are plenty of “good guys” in sports today, like Phil Mickelson, who spend much of their time and money in philanthropic endeavors. Those deeds are publicized because they look good for everyone involved – The charity benefits from exposure, the athlete benefits from positive press, and the league benefits through the support of these good deeds.
While those organizations prosper from the radiating glow of being associated with an act of good PR at the hands of one of their representatives, they must avoid the radiating stench of bad press. The last thing that any organization wants to do is to condone or ignore inappropriate and illegal behavior.
The need for POSITIVE corporate citizenship is magnified in the world of sports, though, because of the added social responsibility that athletes have as role models to the public.
Social Responsibility
I don’t care that Charles Barkley uttered his famous line – “I am not a role model.” It is not up to him to decide. The very real fact in today’s society is that athletes ARE viewed as role models, whether they SHOULD be or not. Thanks to marketing campaigns from corporations such as Nike, Gatorade, and Gillette, society is led to believe that they can (and should) aspire to live the same lives as athletes.
And who can blame the youth of America for falling prey to this marketing strategy? After all, what part of life as a superstar athlete does NOT appeal to you? You can date super models, make millions of dollars, be adored by tens of thousands, and possibly be immortalized as a legend, all for playing a game that many would pay to play.
Clearly, people in America (and around the world) aspire to be like these athletes. Most athletes fell in love with a sport because they themselves idolized an athlete during their younger days. Whether it was watching Magic on the court, Montana on the field, or Nicklaus on the links, every single one of them had the same thought… “Someday, I’m gonna be like HIM!”
Fans idolize athletes – it is as simple as that.
A Matter of Protection
Unfortunately, many athletes today do not possess qualities that would make them WORTHY of being a Role Model. As pointed out by ESPN.com writer Tim Keown, there are just some people (like Roethlisberger) who don’t deserve life on the pedestal. Because we don’t have the luxury of picking and choosing the Role Models of society, though, there must be some other way to help protect us all from social rejects who have no regard for anyone other than themselves.
Society must be protected from idiots with too much money and ego, but too little common sense. The leagues must be protected from being associated with these dregs of society, and must take measures to protect their investment into the development of these athletes. And realistically, these players must be protected from themselves, before they do serious and irreparable harm to themselves and others.
This is where a strictly defined and enforced Moral Conduct Policy comes into play.
Keep in mind that I am not proposing that we strip athletes of their freedoms as if they were already criminals. I understand that they are grown adults who deserve the right to act freely. However, because much of their own livelihoods (and the success of the greater organizations that they represent) is based solely upon image, the various sports organizations should take the steps necessary to formally identify those actions that are viewed as being detrimental, and should impose severe penalties in discouragement of those actions.
For example:
Good – Going out to a bar with a couple friends for a celebration
Bad – Going out to a bar with a loaded gun in your pocket while sexually forcing yourself on an unwilling person
This SHOULD be common sense, but that is clearly missing in some people. Because many of these athletes have PROVEN incapability for governing their own behavior, someone must govern it for them. There is far too much at stake today, both from a social and a financial standpoint, for this type of self-destructive behavior to be permitted unchecked. By defining specific actions as appropriate or inappropriate, the officials within each league can establish a platform by which they can correct this disturbing trend.
Posted by Bleacher Fan 
The Suspending Tiger Woods Debate – FINALLY, A Tiger Woods Debate That Pertains to SPORTS
March 2, 2010Read the opposing arguments from Babe Ruthless and Loyal Homer.
You may not have heard anything about this, but someone mentioned to me the other day that there is some golfer named Tiger Woods who apparently cheated on his wife, Elin Nordegren. The media hasn’t done much to cover the story, but from what I can tell this Tiger fellow has admitted to several affairs, and has since withdrawn from further play in the PGA to attend “rehab”.
At least the PGA won’t be affected by this…
And today’s lesson in sarcasm was brought to you by “Tiger Watch!”, the 24-hour news source which has already brought you such groundbreaking reports as – “Elin put gas in her car WITHOUT wearing Tiger’s ring!” and “Elin took Tiger coffee today!” (GASP!)
Seriously, this has gotten WAY out of control!
ESPN.com has even gone so far as to commit a full section of their golf page online to the “Tiger Tracker”. Now, in addition to finding out about the PGA schedule, players, statistics, etc., golf fans can also get a full complement of dedicated media coverage strictly focused on Tiger Woods. Some of the Pulitzer-worthy headlines from this so-called news source are “Finchem: I should have briefed players on Tiger”, “Tiger apologizes, unsure about return”, and “Tiger’s caddie: Heckling won’t be tolerated.”
My personal favorite, though, is “Faith can bring Tiger discipline, Dalai Lama says”!
I’m not making that up – Not only has the Dalai Lama weighed in on “Tiger-Gate”, but ESPN has actually seen fit to follow it as a newsworthy story. The situation is absolutely ABSURD!
The sad reality is that Tiger’s philandering has soaked up far too much of our time and attention. It wouldn’t surprise me to find out that more people know about Tiger’s sordid affairs than they do the Toyota recall, a much more important and RELEVANT issue going on in America right now.
As for the PGA, this scandal has been covered more than all of the league’s other headlines combined. For example, did you know that the PGA has already had EIGHT different tournaments take place this year? And although most folks could not tell you a single tournament winner so far in 2010, I’d be willing to bet that EVERYONE knows about Tiger’s “apology” offered during a press conference where no questions were allowed, only a few cameras were invited along, and Tiger simply read a statement that he would not yet be returning to golf.
Which brings us to our question of the day – Should the PGA suspend Tiger Woods?
Clearly, this media frenzy has become a distraction in the PGA. From the scandalous story itself to the aftershock effects of misplaced media focus, the PGA has lost their biggest star and all attention has left the game to instead follow the tabloids in a Paparazzi-esque hunt for the next shocking headline. Still, it must be pointed out that Tiger’s actions had nothing to do with the game of golf. He did not cheat in any way (on the game, that is), and he was not acting on behalf of the PGA during his peccadilloes.
So what is the PGA to do?!
Babe Ruthless will argue that Tiger Woods should be suspended upon his return to golf, while Loyal Homer will take the position that Tiger should not be penalized by the PGA for this situation.
I’ve gotta run, though, because I just heard on TV that Tiger cut the cheese twice during his workout this morning, and I don’t want to miss the rest of the story!