The Wide World of Sports
By Jan Larson (08/15/05)
I’ve been a sports fan since I was a youngster and although my on-field sports career was nothing to write about (no pun intended), I’ve continued to follow both college and professional sports throughout my life.
There is almost always something going on in the sports world that can be considered outrageous. Three recent developments meet that standard.
The first was the revelation that Baltimore Orioles’ first baseman Rafael Palmeiro had tested positive for steroids. I had always viewed Palmeiro as one of the “good guys” of sports – a tremendous player that has been consistently good throughout his career and not prone to self-aggrandizement.
After Palmeiro’s finger wagging, “I have never taken steroids” testimony before a congressional committee, his reputation as one of baseball’s good guys seemed solid. Approaching 600 career homeruns and having just reached the 3000 hit milestone, his eventual induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame seemed virtually assured.
Barring some vindicating revelation that supports Palmeiro’s assertion that he didn’t intentionally take steroids, his good guy reputation is gone forever. A reputation takes years to build but can be lost in a minute.
Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Terrell Owens is one of the most talented football players in the NFL today. Unlike Palmeiro, Owens is in the big leagues when it comes to self-promotion.
After engineering his way out of San Francisco and signing a multi-year contract with the Eagles, Owens led Philadelphia to the Super Bowl last season. He was exceptional in the Eagles’ loss to the New England Patriots despite having missed the last portion of the regular season with a broken leg.
One might think that Owens would be anxious for the start of the season and a chance to help the Eagles to get back to the Super Bowl. One might think.
Owens, however, doesn’t appear to be interested in playing football for the Eagles. He has had a long-running feud with Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb and his stated desire to renegotiate his contract appears to be a nothing more than a well-orchestrated scheme to get traded to another team AND get more money.
Owens has poisoned the water with the Eagles; just like he did with the 49ers and will undoubtedly do the same with whichever team he ends up with next. No one said pro football players need to be role models and Terrell Owens proves the point.
Finally, the leadership of the NCAA has climbed up on its high horse and proclaimed that any member institution that has a nickname that is deemed “abusive” or “hostile” to American Indians (or Native Americans to be perfectly politically correct) can not use such name or display their logo at NCAA post-season events.
It would seem that offensive is offensive, not just in the post-season, but since the NCAA has no authority to demand that schools change their nickname or mascot, they cannot demand a permanent ban on the names.
Florida State University and the University of Illinois are the highest profile schools among the 18 named by the NCAA. Florida State has threatened court action against the NCAA over their inclusion on the list of offending schools. Considering that the Seminole Tribe of Florida has officially endorsed the use of the name “Seminoles” by the school it would seem that if the Seminoles themselves aren’t offended, why should some suits in Indianapolis be offended?
Illinois, on the other hand, doesn’t appear to have a leg to stand on with its use of the nickname “Fighting Illini.”
The NCAA isn’t being particularly consistent in their application of political correctness. Where is the outrage over Notre Dame’s use of the nickname “Fighting Irish?” I guess Irish-Americans just aren’t as easily offended as a few outspoken American Indians.
The NCAA is a despotic organization that micromanages every aspect of college athletics down to the number of pages that schools’ press guides may contain. Dictating nicknames has set a new standard for intrusiveness, even for the NCAA.
A reputation ruined, a selfish, self-centered athlete sabotages his team to get his way and a politically correct, tyrannical organization run amok. Who says we can’t learn life lessons from sports?
Jan A. Larson Copyright: (c) 2005 All rights reserved.
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