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I have to be honest with you. It has not been a good year for those trying to be a solid proponent for sports.
The professional ranks, the collegiate levels … heck, even at the scholastic and youth levels, there have been a lot of ugly conversations, controversies and questionable decisions – to say the least – that have made it extremely difficult to try to advocate its role in society.
I’ve heard more people say over the last few years and even many more fans over the last several months that say they are giving up sport “X” or are no longer following a league or a specific level of play. Unlike in the past, when say, Major League Baseball went on strike and people said they were never going back, but many did … I think we are in a much different territory right now.
Here are a few examples….
Approximately half of Pennsylvania residents are upset that scholastic sports were approved by the PIAA and by a majority of school districts in the Commonwealth. One of the most telling statements I’ve heard from a local Lehigh Valley resident recently was, “I hope I’m wrong, but if I’m right, and the coronavirus can be spread by playing sports and people could die…I’m not alright with that.”
A couple weeks ago, a D1 college football player (BJ Foster) at a major university (Texas) quit his team MID-GAME because he was upset at his lack of playing time during a BLOWOUT win, and was mad because his rarely used backup was actually getting a chance to play for a few minutes. So much for being a good team player!
I’ve also heard many people say extremely negative thoughts about the top leaders in different professional sports. One more comical line I heard recently from someone who has sworn off attending/following sports said that “being clueless” must be a new requirement to be a major sports commissioner.
I have tried to rebut angry fans’ arguments and look to promote that there are still great attributes found in the various levels of athletics. Sportsmanship, character building, socialization and building teamwork are just some of the things that I have mentioned to make cases for the wonderful side-effects that sports offers.
Then I opened up my laptop and read a headline I saw recently about a professional athlete…
“Jason Peters to Eagles: Pay Me More to Play Left Tackle“
You know, nothing really destroys an argument of trying to build unity, teamwork and unselfishness than a sports article that mentions dollar amounts throughout the first five paragraphs.
For those who don’t follow the Eagles closely, here’s the skinny on the situation.
A rash of injuries at the left tackle position made it clear that Peters would be the most logical choice to play the position. He has had the most experience than anyone else – by far – currently healthy on the roster. But in order to do so, the offensive lineman wants to be paid more money by lining up ten feet to the left of his current position.
Granted, when you have a right-handed quarterback, the left tackle position is more crucial than other offensive line positions in that it is the most common place where a defensive end or linebacker will try to blindside the quarterback.
But here’s a summary of what Peters’ argument sounds like:
I’m all in for this team and really want them to win games but even the slightest adjustment by me that would dramatically make our team better for the next couple months is only worth my time and effort if you are going to reward me monetarily and give me more money than what’s on the contract that I have already signed. Otherwise I’m perfectly fine with a far less capable person left to try to defend our franchise quarterback and not have our team do nearly as well.
Not exactly a quote you’d hear from Vince Lombardi or Walter Payton.
I have always been a proponent of athletes trying to earn as much money as they can during their playing careers. They put their bodies … and sometimes their lives … on the line. Despite coaches, owners, league presidents and everyone else involved in sports, none of it can happen without players.
But responses and actions like Foster and Peters are becoming more and more commonplace in all of sports. As a beat reporter I have covered Former Eagle Greats like Brian Dawkins, Reggie White and others that would be absolutely ashamed of a direct quote above like the one above and the subsequent sediments that would linger in their locker room.
And while I hear many solid reasons for playing scholastic sports this fall, one of the most frequent that really turns me off to this position is a parent saying that his son must play football this fall because his son needs “better highlight reel material” than what he got last year so he can attract more lucrative college offers.
Honestly, it’s becoming harder and harder to those who are trying to promote the positive aspects that athletics can provide when the anti-sports debaters are constantly getting more and more evidence that debunks its very value in society.
Or maybe being a team player and doing what’s right, isn’t very important in life anymore?
