Do The Right Thing!
December 2, 2008 by Theboinger
Plaxico Burress Scores Super Bowl Winning TD
To quote my five year old daughter “Why don’t you guys stop worrying about Mrs. Finelli and just worry about yourselves.” Again she is just five years old. Everyone is weighing in on Plaxico Burress and his situation. I am not asking you to forgive him or forget what has happened. I am not telling you this does not concern you or that you should not be concerned by this. I just ask that you take a step back and remove yourself from what is turning into another venomous situation regarding a high profile athlete and just worry about you! If everyone would take that approach and do the right thing day in and day out including Plaxico Burress, Antonio Pierce, Latin Quarter, New York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center and those involved, situations like this could be avoided completely. People need to stop trying to do what is best for them or what is convenient for them and simply concentrate on being able to do what is right and if possible what is fair. People need not be afraid to help others realize their mistakes and help them move past them without judgement. As well without feeling compromised into helping them overcome these obstacles without repercussion by finding the way out or path of least resistance. “If you wanna play, you gotta pay.” – Thanks Dad
This is ridiculous. These players are heroes or idols to young children. If they do something ridiculous like Plaxico did, they should be highlighted for public humiliation. Get it right!
Leave your 5 year old daughter out of this. Stand up and tell us what YOU really think without her looking over your shoulder.
H&K
Tom
The reason that people once again bring this type of issue into the limelight is that it is endemic of the athlete/celebrity’s position as “role model”. It is also systematic specifically to the world of the professional athlete (especially football), where we have seen gun incidents and violent crimes increase in the past 20 years.
Let me start with the issue of “role model”. Not every athlete that turns professional signs up for it saying, “[Insert Name Here] loves the kids!” They do not contribute more than the minimum to their teams “required” Community Relations agendas. And that’s fine. However, it is a role that is thrust upon these athletes regardless, simply due to media coverage, and the fact that sports across the world is a massive factor in people’s individual and collective cultures. These days, people prattle of stats and records quicker than they can the more “globally important” issues. Athletes are as big as any other celebrity. Therefore, they are put under the microscope. After 75 years of athletes experiencing increasing media exposure and invasions of privacy, it is inherent that when you ascend to a prominent role in sports, you relinquish your right to a sheltered life. Is it right? I don’t think so. Does it occur, and is the norm in this day and age? Absolutely. Now put up with it, and act like every other person would if they knew they were examined 24/365.
The reason stories like these are covered constantly, is because they occur constantly. Between Rae Curruth, Jayson Williams, Adam Jones, a certain high-profile former Hertz spokesman, and even Super Bowl MVP, Ray Lewis, athletes (again, especially NFL players) and violent crimes go hand in hand. [It correlates to the urban music world as well, but that's for another blog, another time, another place.] There are many ways and reasons to look at this. And a ton of them have been covered before in media across the globe. However, until sports stars quit doing things that become newsworthy, nobody is going to leave them alone, because ratings and subscribers are all that businesses in the media industries care about. The bigger the star, the less important the story has to be, because people will flock to hear about their star. Gossip columns operate on a very similar format. And they thrive. While an average man does not often make national news for shooting himself in the leg, an average man also does not make national news if he snaps his tibia. The coverage, once again, comes with the territory.
As for Mayor Bloomberg’s comments, I feel his statement to be warranted, but not his vehement ferocity inherent in his tone. Celebrities often pass through the justice/penal system much easier than your non-famous citizen. In this regard, true equality cannot exist. While he comes off looking like a bitter, old, man while saying it, his thoughts sound throughout a large part of all communities. Athletes need to be held responsible for their actions. Penalties to crimes are (usually) meant to serve as a deterent, and if the lesson that most athletes learn is that they can get away with most incidents in a much more favorable light than most citizens, than they have truly learned the wrong lesson, and the cycle will continue to escalate. It’s time for equal (not more harsh) justice to be dealt to those whom commit crimes. That being said, let’s also remember that while the media probably has the facts straight on this one, Plaxico is still innocent until the jury makes their decision (if it even goes that far). And I think at it’s heart, that’s what Mayor Bloomberg was trying to get to. Do not let this man get a free pass because of his stature. Let the justice system play its course.
Until that time (or after if the saga continues), we as sports fans will undoubtedly be bombarded with every “breaking development” in this story, just as we have in the past, and just as we shall in the future. The cycle continues…
Here is the deal. While in principle you are right about “doing the right thing”, it becomes incresingly difficult to do this because of the market that the media and professional sports has created in order to saturate our minds with the ideal that all these high profile athletes give more to us than we do to them. Doing the right thing would not only be worrying about oneself and family, but taking the next step in an ethical boycott of mass marketed sports organizations. Teach your children to honor practical heroes and aspire to become the best they can for their community. You make a profound statement in regards to making you and yours of paramount importance. If you don’t they will be looking for the Thigh Meat at Thanksgiving every year.
I absolutely agree!!
Hey there “dad” i have to tell you i can’t agree w/ your comments! How would u like me (or any Giants or Football fan) to take a step back from this sort of a situation. This guy doesn’t work in a local deli, or a bank, he works for one of the most highly recognized and highly sought after jobs in the world, as an Amercian Sports Athlete. People are arrested every day in this fine society we live in, every day for issues much much worse than anything Plax or Antonio or even Pacman Jones and Mike Vick ever did, b/c unfortunately that is the world we live in. But John Smith of wherever doesn’t make the headlines, he doesn’t have hundreds of people waiting outside the police station to see if he’s handcuffed or not. he has no one and is treated like a criminal. I don’t necessarily agree w/ anything Plax did, but i also do think everyone is making a big deal of this. and when yr job, your life is looked upon by millions and millions of people, peole that like myself, would be willing to sacrifice anything to be in his shoes to play a professional sport, and if i was, i woudn’t drink an ounce of alcohol or smoke another cigarette, or goto bed past 9pm ever, and i most certainly wouldn’t take anything for granted. Plax and every other prof athelte, whether they want to admit it or not, are role models. they are role models for todays youth, for your daughter and for my future kids. their actions are looked upon under a microscope and it really shouldn’t be all that difficult to make the right decision. Personally, i think he got what he deserved and i don’t think it’s remotely over. i just hope that he and other athletes/actors/musicians realize the error of thier ways and the magnitude it has on society (what a sad society)
I call a 15 yard penalty on JK- your response to the article is prohibited by law to be longer than the article itself. And another 10 yard penalty for asking youself questions and giving the answer in the next sentence. Is asking yourself a question in an artilce silly? Yes, I think it is.
As for the article, judgement, shame and embarrassment are important tools that society uses to help people avoid making mistakes like the one plax made. Perhaps the shame and embarassment this episode has brought him will make others think twice before embarking on such risky behavior. Sure, lets help plax move on but lets send a clear message to him and scoiety that its not ok to behave the way he did and that there are consequences to your actions.
DEL:
I’ll willingly take your penalties.
The 10, I’ll take for whatever you so choose, but it will be offset by your 10yd “delay of game”…for failing to proofread your comment whilst attempting (and nearly failing) to make a mildly humorous joke.
The 15yd-er, as an excessive celebration, which makes sense, because I went on and on and on and on…
[Unless the 15yder is personal foul, roughing the passer, and my 10 is a delay of game. Hmm...]