Tags
$28 million bonus, ethics, integrity, Kyle Williams, New York Giants, Peyton Manning, Pittsburgh Steelers, salaries, San Francisco Forty-niners, sports
As you know I am a football fan and most specifically a Pittsburgh Steeler football fan. This has been a tough year for that franchise–but we Western PA folks are a pretty loyal bunch. Although that is the case I have on more than one occasion decried the salaries that players (among other providers of entertainment) receive. However, in that argument I have made it clear that I do not think the problem is exclusively with the players, but also with the value our culture places upon leisure and play which is what allows such obscene amounts of money for the opportunity engage in a game. But alas, it is the market that makes allowances for such things–therefore when we put the money, and energy, and passion that we do in sports then the possibility and probability exists that the salaries will continue to be outrageous.
That being said, receiving ridiculous amounts of money to play a game is one thing–being paid ridiculous amounts of money to sit on the sideline for an entire season is an entirely different matter. If you follow sports then you know I am making reference to the $28 million bonus due to Peyton Manning, former (most likely) star quarterback of the Indianapolis Colts, who, because of neck problems, did not play a single down the entire season. I am sure there are some die-hards out there that will attempt to convince me that he is owed this because of what he has done in the past and it is his legal due, but it is his own ethical make up (or unethical) that actually provides the answer to this indefensible situation. From my perspective this is completely “out of hand.”
But that is not the only outrage that occurred in the football world yesterday. The second item relates to something that took place at the end of the Giants and Forty-Niners game. Due to an injury to the starter, the back-up punt returner for San Francisco was in the game–his name is Kyle Williams. He made two key mistakes during the contest. First, staying too close to a kick that had already hit the ground which resulted in it touching his knee which allowed the Giants to recover the ball with excellent field position. Secondly, he fumbled the ball on a kick return in overtime which led to a field goal by the Giants which resulted in the win. All of that is simply a back-drop for the real outrage. It is in the news today that following the game Kyle Williams has been been receiving some very threatening messages–I will quote from a local paper in San Francisco–”And while there was support for Williams in the locker room, there were people tweeting death threats on his Twitter account. Sunday night, several hateful messages and veiled threats were posted. Many of them were taken down that specifically talked about wanting him to die.”
I will admit that I can get somewhat passionate watching a football game. There are teams that I like to see win and teams that I like to see lose. Therefore I can be as exhilarated or disappointed at the result as the next person–that of course depends on who “the next person” is. But the response of these fans clearly has gone way, way overboard. Out of hand and way out of line.
But as I consider these two seemingly different scenarios I have to wonder if they represent a common thread. When the fans see and contribute to an athlete receiving millions of dollars to play a game, those same fans expect million dollar performances. And as unrealistic as it may be, they expect mistake free performance. And when those expectations don’t get met–well let’s just say they are less than satisfied.
You are right! It is out of hand. Our culture has taken the “fun” out of playing or watching a game and turned it into a business, or a replacement for God. So much emphasis is put on the talents of ball players, the money they make and the antics they display, that the acutal entertainment value of watching (and rooting for your favorite team) has become almost worthless. It is sad!
I blame Twitter. It gives idiots a chance to directly address a player and people say whatever they want.
It’s more than just twitter. We have been “liberated” from waiting, from politeness, from respect, by technology. And yet, some people would rather beat the crap out of another team’s fan rather than go harmlessly blog about it- or God forbid, just sit at the kitchen table and cry about it. With 24/7 news cycles, half-billion dollar contracts, and everybody getting their word in, It has become a lot easier to forget you’re still dealing with human beings.