Comments.

Jump to comment form

---

1. I feel like I need to specifically address this issue in class. I want to sit them down and say, “Don’t be like this. In the world outside of professional sports, a situation like this will not work in your favor.”

   — Valeree Lynn | @

2. I wouldn’t say there are no consequences. His actions cost him many millions of dollars, even if some team is still giving him a chance.

   — Daniel | @

3. I agree. I think there were significant consequences. If he had played another year at VT, or even if he had just not had the question marks off the field, he would have been drafted.

   — RMSzero | @

4. but he still gets to be in the NFL. He’s still making millions of dollars. Dude, I’ll take those consequences.

   — RVAkid | @

5. i guess if you are kid (=stupid), then you might not know about drafts, signing bonuses, contracts, etc. you just see the guy in the spotlight with bling bling. we all know he took a hit, but there’s a perceived lack of consequence for some people.

   on one hand i kindof think he did his time, moved on, and we can’t hold his past against him- if he can do the job, pay him to do the job. on the other hand, i don’t think he got the punishment that he deserved and he should either be in jail or scrubbing toilets somewhere.

   really, i’ve just kindof lost interest in him. i don’t think anything will become of the guy. maybe he’ll prove me wrong. i guess we’ll see.

   — Wolf | @

6. Yeah he will make more than my household on a practice squad in the NFL. And I never pulled a gun on anyone.

   — MaxPower | @

7. I suppose if you are Wolf (=pretentious & arrogant), you don’t understand that we have a culture that notoriously forgives our entertainers for transgressions that the rest of us “average joes” will never see. Sorry if my “percieved lack of consequences” add up to some football player making more in one season than I will see in years (if ever). I suppose that makes up for the fact that the people who are actually shaping our youth are still making crap, and that perhaps children should understand that few people are guaranteed a spot in the lime light regardless of their talent. Treatment of athletes like Vick (and other celebrities) sends the message to our youth that as long as you’re famous you can still get what you want despite your actions.

   Yeah, I see a “guy in the spotlight with the bling bling”. He’s not performed that well, has a criminal history, and now still gets his time in the NFL. He has a contract, he has a chance to make more money if he performs well. He can still get endorsements and he has a ton of other opportunities. Percieved lack of consequences, yeah, I’d say so. When you are in the public eye, all you have are perceptions, and those who don’t understand that are just fooling themselves. This is just like Charles Barkley and his “I am not a role model” BS. No one bought that then and no one should be feeling but so sorry for Mr. Marcus Vick.

   — RVAkid | @

8. um, i was talking about Val’s 5th grade ‘kids’ not understanding and =stupid (which i was kidding about). maybe it is arrogant and pretentious for me to think i know more about football than them? or *maybe* it’s arrogant and pretentious for you to automatically think i’m talking about you? maybe you should calm down- i think everything will be ok.

   if you read it a little less egocentrically, you will find that i was saying, from the view of children, there doesn’t really appear to be consequences, which is a bad thing for children to think.

   — Wolf | @

9. this would never have happened if everyone would just play soccer instead.

   — midas | @

10. heh +1 insightful to midas!

    — RMSzero | @

11. I mean, lets say I did what vick did when I was in college:

    a) got caught speeding
    b) got caught with marijuana
    c) stepped on a guy at work to try to hurt him
    d) pulled a cell phone and/or gun on someone
    e) had sex with an underage girl in high school

    should I never be able to get a job? No. But would my options be significantly constrained? Would I have to slink to the only employer that would take me? Sure.

    So, that sounds about like what happened to vick. Seems fair.

    — RMSzero | @

12. “2-0, wow folks, a real blow-out today!
    i’ve never witnessed such excitement as when those 2 guys at midfield kicked it back and forth to each other for 30 minutes straight! what strategy!
    and smith, what acting skills- he must have severely injured his ankles at least 17 times today from all those girly slide tackles. and the ref believed it every time! ha!
    go-go-go-goooooaaaaaaaal.”

    i kid, i kid.

    — Wolf | @

13. heathen!

    — midas | @

14. I dont think vick is going to make a million dollars, probably more like 230,000 which is the league mininum. The terms of his contratc were not disclosed, but im sure its laced with penalties if he screws up again.

    — murfdog | @

15. poor bastard.

    — midas | @

16. i’m a high-profile marketing agent and i can’t wait to sign mr vick to a multi-million dollar endorsement deal. maybe he’ll be sponsored by CD “stomper”. he’s marketing gold i tell you.

    — Coulie | @

17. don’t forget he flipped off thousands of mountaineers, probably the most dangerous crime of all.

    — Coulie | @

18. I think Nike should sign him to a multimillion dollar sponsorship deal.

    Tagline:

    “We are all witnesses.”

    — RMSzero | @

19. Wolf, sorry, i suppose you are correct. i didn’t really mean to jump to conclusions, but you left out the “a” so it reads… “maybe if you are kid” which might lead me to believe that it was referring to me. Didn’t mean to be so egocentric, just a misunderstanding.

    And perhaps Marcus has learned his lesson.

    And maybe if we all learned how to ice skate, we’d be playing hockey instead.

    — RVAkid | @

20. God I love hockey.

    I can’t even believe 230k is League minimum. That is ridiculous.

    This conversation makes me want to write/think about the role Professional Athletes have as role models (or non-role models).

    RMS:
    If you did all of those things that Vick did should you be one of 3,200 people that go into homes across the nation to teach our kids about morals and behavior? Because that is what happened with Vick (slight exageration?)

    — MaxPower | @

21. Haha “slight exaggeration” right. I mean, the message on TV and on the radio is that vick has unlimited potential and cost himself bigtime. I mean, that’s true. What do you want, neon signs inside everyone’s eyelids? VICK IS A BAD PERSON. HE SHOULD NEVER BE FORGIVEN BY THE HUMAN RACE.

    I think that the idea that professional athletes are financial role models is infinitely more harmful and less often refuted than the idea that they are moral or behavioral role models. I think more kids think that they have to be good at football to be rich than think they have to break the law to be good at football. And I know that the sports media criticizes athletes constantly who break the law, but no one ever talks about how much more likely you are to be a rich lawyer, doctor, or business owner than a rich athlete. None of which has anything to do with Vick.

    — RMSzero | @

22. the clear and only answer is ban football, for the children. distribute the athletes’ salaries amoung The People! but first thing, let’s kill all the lawyers!

    — midas | @

23. true. why lament him being hired? lament that he didn’t spend more time in jail or that his sentences were too lenient, but it’s too late to weep about this single success of someone who has ‘done his time’.

    if the league minimum is a travesty it is the fault of this:
    http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=243756

    players unions (and owners) take advantage of the limited market. There is no competition to the NBA, MLB, NFL, or NHL. I know for sure that MLB has a protected monopoly on baseball, and I believe the other major sports have gotten one as well… if not in principle, in practice.

    by keeping the number of teams and divisions/leagues limited, the supply is restricted while demand stays huge, creating enormous surplus to athletes and owners. consumers lose. like, my dad will never go see a pro game at the stadium because it isn’t worth the money.

    we could see even more rich athletes, but also less rich ones, and fans would have a better chance of watching athletes in person.

    — Coulie | @

24. what about the xfl? remember that?

    — midas | @

25. haha. yeah. and there’s arena football… but i think not having many minor leagues only helps the elite athletes

    — Coulie | @

26. I just want to clear something up - the slide tackle is in no way girly. That is all.

    — Couch | @