Say Anything Blog

In a word, yes, they do.

There are those out there who take the other side of this issue, of course. Their battle cry is, hey, what difference does what those guys do off the field make as long as they can score that touchdown, hit that homerun, or shoot that three pointer in the clutch so that my team wins? The personal behavior is nobody’s business but their own.

And then there are the “athletes are role models” arguments. Well, yes they are, but that’s not why I say that they can and should be held to a higher standard of behavior in their high profile private lives.

So, what’s my argument for higher standards of behavior when they’re not in the uniform of their team?

Money, that’s what. The almighty yankee dollar.

Any organization. sports or otherwise, who pays their employees what professional sports pays their athletes has every right in the world to demand high standards of personal behavior from their employees. Let’s face it, folks, these guys are paid a king’s ransom and in some cases as much as the gross national product of a small nation for a few short years on a pro team. Athletes routinely sign twenty million dollar contracts. Or more. Sometimes much more. And they shouldn’t be held accountable - why?

I’d wear a red clown nose and a tutu and walk down Broadway at high noon singing the theme from Annie for twenty million dollars. And all these guys are being asked to do is not act like thugs and bring the stink of bad publicity to their organizations.

The whole arument against accountability is absurd. Yes, they should be held accountable. And, yes, their organizations, the guys who sign their paychecks, have that right.

Michael Vick is the latest example of a spoiled athlete getting caught in thuggish, illegal behavior. At first he was defiant but as the prosecution, the public, his team, The NFL, and his friends began to play dog pile on the rabbit he slowly became more and more compliant. And now he is humbly apologizing and says that he was wrong. Oh, and he’s found Jesus. While I’d like to think he’s sincere the cynic in me keeps thinking that three months ago he couldn’t spell Jesus and that this is a ploy to win a sympathy from the public that probably isn’t there anymore. That well is dry.

And the NFL has suspended him indefinitely. As they should.

The one good thing that could come out of this is that other athletes should take notice: you’re paid well. Behave yourselves for just a few short years, can’t ya?