The continuing idiocy of professional athletes

As I perused ESPN.com this morning, I noticed a common theme in the articles. I know what you're thinking and yes, they all happened to be about sports. (ESPN always seems to do that...) But what also struck me was this: Professional athletes constantly refusing to take responsibility for their actions.

It's not enough, apparently, that they get away with everything from DUI's to bar fights with few consequences. There might be a little blurb in a newspaper's sports section about the incident, maybe even a second mention when the player is acquitted, but that's it. Unless it's something REALLY serious or the event somehow affects the player's performance, these behavioral issues can pass unnoticed. Why is that? Why does the media not cover these things more thoroughly? Is it because people idolize athletes and the media refuses to burst people's delusional bubbles? Do they actually want kids to look up to these players? It's like a conspiracy or the media is being brainwashed to portray these idiot athletes in a fairly positive light.

Let's examine a few situations.

Suzie somewhat covered the Brett Myers incident but the thing that outrages me the most is not so much Myers' actions (while they were frightening, inexcusable and repulsive) but rather the Phillies' and media's reaction. What person in their right mind would attempt to be supportive in such a situation? And why wasn't the public outcry more pronounced? Sadly, Dan Shaughnessy was one of very few journalists who actually addressed the issue in a timely manner and criticized Myers. Phillies fans seemed fairly indifferent to the situation (hey, he's their best pitcher!) but thankfully, the Boston fans booed the crap out of him when he started shortly after the assault (which never should have happened). This kind of stuff happens all the time. Julio Lugo, Dmitri Young, Will Cordero, and Derek Lowe have been accused of spousal abuse... and three of the four are still active MLB players. I'd be curious to see how many athletes in such situations have actually publicly apologized for their actions. I'm guessing very few.

Then there's good old Terrell Owens. Nothing seems to be his fault. From what I've read, his book is a piece of junk that does little more than blame others for his troubles. Could it be that he has zero respect, no rapport with the media, and thinks he's God? Nah. People are just out to get him. Anyone can see that.

(For all those interested, I'm currently accepting bets on who will kill the other first, T.O. or Bill Parcells.)

Finally, we come to Zinedine Zidane. I really can't comprehend this, no matter how many articles and interviews I read. Ok, so he was insulted. Ever happened to you? Anyone ever made a racist comment? Belittled your existence? Told a few "Your mama's so fat" jokes? It's a lucky individual who has never dealt with an ignorant asshole who was trying to push them over the edge. But I like to think that the average human being can keep their cool. I deal with obnoxious, insulting people all the time at my place of employment and not once have I reached across the front desk and punched someone in the face. It's hard to make such a comparison here, though, because the Zidane incident was on a much higher scale. He headbutted Marco Materazzi on international television in one of the most important soccer matches of his life. And he's not even sorry he did it. He's sorry kids had to see it. But he refuses to apologize. Yeah, that's setting a GREAT example for all those young soccer fans.

I don't get it.

I suppose it's all just a part of my Loss of Innocence, Sports Style. The more I see these things, the more I question people's tendency to put athletes on a pedestal (not that I've ever agreed with that). These players are born with the gift of athleticism and they don't even have the mental skills or desire to say, "Sorry" or "It was entirely my fault." It's hard to imagine that anything will change but a little outcry from journalists and fans wouldn't hurt.