Wednesday, August 22, 2007

Dog days

Criminy, it's hot. After a fairly cool spell, we're right back to hot, humid weather. The actual temperature doesn't feel too bad, but they're saying the heat index (factored with temp and humidity) is about 97°. Urgh.

Speaking of dogs, looks like Michael Vick will be doing some jail time. (And deservedly so, in my opinion.) I understand that that is the culture in which he grew up and that old friends are important and continue to have influence. But there's just no excuse for this. It's 2007, it's America, and people are still staging dogfights? Aren't there ample opportunities for other, less brutal entertainments? For anyone who has pets, it's a sickening story, and perhaps this will send a message. Should he be banned from the NFL? Nah. Let him do a little time, then resume his career.

In fact, I hope this sends a message to all the athletes and officials behaving badly these days. God knows I love my sports, but this is getting out of control. It's time to get back to the spirit of competition and to the joy of the game. That's one thing that I love about the Olympics: it's the best in the world, competing on even ground, and testing is mandatory and stringent. If the American sports industry wants to hang on to fans and continue to grow its fanbase, it'll take this seriously and stop this NOW. The NBA official was probably the last straw. Oh, and Barry who?

That's why it's so refreshing to see genuinely decent, good people in sports. Tony Dungy and Lovey Smith spring immediately to mind, as well as Peyton Manning, who was a guest on the Bob & Tom Show yesterday morning, raising money for his Peyback Foundation. What a decent guy.

No matter what your profession, whether it be athlete, entrepreneur, actor, rock star, or just a regular Joe, there is nothing wrong with being a nice guy (or gal). In fact, it's the right thing to do as a human being. I still can't understand anyone who chooses to be a butthead instead of being a decent person, and I honestly don't think I ever will.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

AMEN, SISTAH!

Anonymous said...

You betcha.