The Disregard of Authority in Professional Sports

It's quite apparent that many young Americans grow up in places where professional sports aren't commonplace, especially here in Idaho. At early ages we grow disillusioned with athletes as being above the law that the everyday common man abides by. Viewing professional athletes in such a light is a mistake we all can make at times without the full realization and consequences of the law and those who break it. Over the past ten years in the realm of pro sports there have been a multitude of infractions of the law among many pro baseball, basketball, and football athletes. In Major League Baseball, steroids and the dealing of steroids has put America's grand sport under fire. Position players such as Barry Bonds, Mark McGuire, Roger Clemens, Andy Pettitte, and Alex Rodriguez have all been tied to the purchase and injection of performance enhancing drugs since the turn of the century, and all have lied about their past involvement in these scenarios. These men are among baseball's elite but not above the law of illegal substance abuse in any right. If an average person, such as myself, were ever tied to such allegations and illegal activity in our society and lied to a grand jury in Congress about it, my life would be wrecked. If I committed perjury under oath, lied to my friends, family and nation, I would never receive the treatment an athlete or one with massive amounts of money would receive. Last I checked perjury under oath is a felony offense but to an athlete the punishment can be as subtle as a slap on the wrist or a fine. The guilty parties involved in such a scandals and or crimes go about their business as usual at the end of the day whereas I myself would be heading to Leavenworth prison in a six by eight cell for five to ten years. Where's the fairness in that? Have our morals been depleted that much in glorifying the so-called chosen few of professional athletes? In the NFL, players like Tank Johnson, Adam Jones and Ben Roethlisberger have all been involved in multiple crime cases where each man was simply reprimanded by the law and their respective league and were able to play and practice as such. Tank Johnson, a former Chicago Bear's defensive tackle, was charged with illegal firearm possession twice and the worst thing that happened was a four game suspension during the season. Adam Jones was arrested five times in his first couple years in the NFL when his worse crime got him a trade to the Dallas Cowboys but not jail time. Jones walked into a stripclub with 81K in a briefcase and taunted the female dancers with it while ultimately assaulting a dancer by slamming her head on the stage as she lusted after one of the wads of green he produced. Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger has been accused by multiple women of sexual assault in different states. Although, he was never charged he constantly puts himself in these situations eventhough he is held to a higher expectation in being a pro athlete with millions of dollars under his belt. I understand getting away with one claim, but multiple claims seems highly suspicious when seeing his sense of intent and guilt through his demeanor but he'll play come Sundays in Autumn. Delonte West of the Cleveland Cavs in the NBA was caught last summer speeding excessively on a motorcycle with unregistered firearms concealed in a guitar case. West claimed he has bipolar disorder and it caused him to think irrationally. I don't buy it as money is what caused him to act in such a manner, and he is now playing on a team bound for the playoffs and a hopeful NBA title just months later. If that were me on the motorcycle with illegal firearms I'd be in San Quentin rotting for the next few years due to my less than affluent status. These over privileged men and athletes are supposed to be upstanding and productive characters of society, but seemingly forget that. These athletes are in the national limelight year round and show their immaturity and lawful neglect through their illegal actions. Being a role model and recognizable citizen among the commonplace means using your money and status wisely. Just because you have the power and money doesn't mean you need to exploit it through deviant acts. The morals and reasoning in pro sports is all but gone and we as spectators and advocates long for more athletes to step up and take responsibilty for their actions by acting accordingly with the law.