Look Past Sports and Look at Character

We see athletes every day whether we notice them or not.  In commercials.  On shows.  Billboards.  Advertisements.  In person.  In games.  Athletes, although representing a minuscule portion of the population, appear as frequently to us as the average Joe.

But the average Joe doesn't get the same leeway athletes get.  Everyone knows this.  Their experience in the real world makes Joe wonder if the athlete's lives are even real.  Their lives seem like a dream and sometimes this delusion has terrible consequences.

Part of the issue of being a professional athlete in today's world is that any mistake you make, on the field or off, will be reported almost immediately.  No athlete is safe from criticism.  But despite the heightened publicity and lack of privacy, excuses for athletes' behavior is far too rampant.  And in most cases, the very thing they are criticized for is all too quickly forgotten by media, fans and bystanders alike.

Jezebel, a branch of Gawker Media, posted a fantastic article on exactly this issue that I found incredibly insightful.  And it made me realize that I am guilty of precisely the issue they discuss.  I often overlook the simply unacceptable behavior of athletes simply because they are athletes, they don't seem like real people to me.  When I hear of a woman being raped on the news, I think to myself: "That is absolutely disgusting.  I hope that that creep has exactly what is coming to him."  When I hear of Ben Roethlisberger facing the accusation of his second rape case, I crack jokes with my friends about what a disgusting human being he is.  But as quickly as we do that, we're right back to discussing his merits as a crunch-time quarterback and ability to control games.

We hold athletes in too high esteem.  I'm not saying that Big Ben should have been convicted (I know nothing of the case that what was reported); I am just upset with myself that I can have such two contradictory reactions to similar situations.  And I don't even give a crap about the Steelers.

The article discusses the need for a change in the justice system to prevent these situations from taking the blame off the athlete and placing it on the victims.  But I think differently.  I think that the change needs to occur with us, the fans.  Athletes can't keep receiving the same free pass that we give them.  And until each individual makes the conscious choice to hold athletes more personally accountable for their actions, we'll still be discussing whether we'd rather have a pocket-passer or scrambler leading us down the field at the end of the day.