Athletes and Crime
Athletes are continuing to evolve with every passing season. Some transform their game forever, while others change their lives forever and it's not always for the best. This past off season twenty football players at the University of Oregon have been arrested with criminal allegations. The arrests either had drug, assault, or burglary charges involved.
I bring up the Oregon football team because they are the most recent example of poor off the field decisions by athletes. The freshman running back at Oregon, LaMichael James, was charged with assault because he choked his girlfriend and received a three game suspension. Come on. He choked someone and can't play three games. With that degree of punishment it's practically like the incident never happened. What can you really learn from a three game suspension?
Young people that make mistakes, especially athletes, need to be held more accountable for their actions. By not punishing them they only solidify the feeling of entitlement they already have. In most athletic cases, the punishment does not fit the crime.
Comments
Hey there, I liked your
Hey there,
I liked your indignent reaction to the light punishments athletes often receive. You're right, their actions irrevocably change others' lives, but they often have lesser consequences than just us plain folk. I too have been annoyed, disgruntled, and frustrated by the free pass being an athlete has in our society.
Something you said that really stands out to me is "Young people that make mistakes, especially athletes, need to be more accountable for their actions." Sometimes athletes forget that they are the rockstars little kids (and even big kids) emulate. I agree that to improve, they need to be more self-aware.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts :)
Sincerely,
Alie Stumpf