Bob W --- John Thornton <jthorn65 at sbcglobal.net> wrote:
>
> > You had to be around this guy over the years to
> > appreciate the achievement -- the incredible
> beauty of
> > the swing, the fantastic drives into the Bay, the
> > staggering number of times pitchers (or their
> > managers) just gave up and walked him. He was
> called
> > arrogant, but perhaps just lacked the verbal
> skills or
> > need to give the standard self-effacing athlete's
> > response to questions.
> >
> > In a corrupt and selfish culture, it's
> hypocritical to
> > judge athletes by some fairy-tale standard of good
> > behavior, as if it applied to any other parts of
> our
> > life.
> >
> > Bob W
>
> So fuck all ideas of ethical behaviour?
> Go ahead and use steroids, lie about it and be
> emulated by tens of
> thousands of adolescents who will suffer physically
> for the rest of
> their lives for following in the footsteps of
> assholes like Bonds,
> McGwire, Sosa, Canseco, etc.
> Right, and lets praise Mike Vic while we're at it.
>
> The way to improve a corrupt and selfish culture
> isn't to wallow in
> corruption, deceit, and hypocrisy is it?
> Not breaking the laws concerning steroid use and not
> lying about it is
> now considered a fairy-tale standard of behaviour?
> Is expecting people not to rob liquor stores also a
> fairy-tale standard
> today?
> Not to stage illegal dog fights?
>
> I don't follow "ball" sports but I used to be an
> avid cyclist and
> cycling fan. Cycling has the same problem baseball
> does but at least
> they are finally making a serious attempt to end the
> mad arms race of
> performance enhancing drug use.
> Whether you like it or not these athletes are roll
> models for children
> and adolescents and even expecting them to behave
> "better" than average
> is a perfectly fair expectation. That isn't what is
> being asked of them
> in this case however. If athletes don't like it
> tough shit. Flip burgers
> for a living where there is no public spotlight on
> your behaviour. If
> you want huge endorsement deals and the privilege of
> playing
> professional sports the public has every right to
> regulate their
> behaviours within the bounds of the law. Athletes
> all to often get a
> pass where "regular" folks wouldn't but even trying
> to hold athletes to
> the same standard as regular folks is somehow a
> fairy tale standard?
> Damn, some people love there sports heros beyond all
> reason don't they?
>
> John Thornton
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