Blood Thirsty

Michael Vick has recently done something he has become very comfortable doing, NO I'm not talking about dogfighting! I'm talking about his ability to create a stir while being altogether unique. Previously when the public would speak on the one-of-a-kind talent of Vick, it was understood that they were speaking of an unquestionably gifted football star. Now they are speaking of an infamous felon, who took the lives of dogs that did not meet his fighting expectations.

What brings us to this point? A debate on the legality of dogfighting? No. The story of a fallen superstar to which society has built up on a pedestal because of his freakishly stunning football talents? No. A discourse from PETA about the treatment of animals in this country? Maybe. The lessons we continue to learn and find out about ourselves, and the gruesome society we live in? YES! Getting down to it, Michael Vick's actions are difficult to stomach, but not as horrible as we make them out to be. Is he the person that many sports fans have come to cheer and respect as a upstanding young man? The answer is not as clear as we would like to think, it is yes and no.

To put a spin on the angry Dennis Green rant "they are who we thought they were", only in this case we feel the hurt and anger in the voices of fans because Michael Vick wasn't the man everyone thought he was. I would argue exactly the opposite.  We as football fans never knew him off the field.  " He was who we thought he was" on the field, an electrifying talent that brought fans to their feet and opposing defenses to their knees.  A young player striving to reach his potential, in a sport very few get a chance to play at the highest level.  Off the field is a different story.  We as fans, invest so much in the sporting experience, we forget some of the most basic concepts that come along with that investment.  

We do not know these athletes as well as we think we do. While we cheer and jeer our sports superstars, sometimes we forget they are just people who live lives away from their game.  We appreciate the passion and remarkable talents they display on their craft every game.  We understand the type of work ethic and drive that one must possess to reach the higher echelon  of professional sports success.  Many of us would have to admit that the level of passion they describe is lacking in our everyday lives.  Outside of the stage known as professional sports, many of the athletes live rather normal lives.  A house with a wife (or husband), several kids, and managing all of the daily tasks that come with those responsibilities.  All of us, that means everyone, has done things that we are not happy with.  Everyone has had to overcome a few disappointments along the journey we call life, and overcoming those disappointments is what measures to be judged upon, not the mistakes, because we all fall down every once in a while.