By:
Chrystopher Mulligan
NFL PRO ZACH Staff Writer
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| Jason Kidd Accident Vehicle |
Today’s
sports universe is one that strongly displays both sides of the
field. In the past athletes only had to worry about the things that
Sports Illustrated or ESPN wrote about them. Yet now, in the age of
Twitter and 24/7 information, it has become clear that the spotlight
can be both a blessing and a curse. Lately, many professional
athletes are finding themselves in the spotlight for all the wrong
reasons. Now a days athletes embrace the gossip side of sports.
Their lives are now side pieces for journalistic outlets like TMZ and
People Magazine. With the overwhelming attention, it has become a
lot harder for athletes to have aspects of their lives hidden from
the public. One area of their lives that will forever be a topic of
debate amongst fans is their social lives.
In
society today, it’s quite clear that partying and friendships will
factor into your social status. Who you are with and where you are
at are two subjects that ultimately effects the way you are seen by
other people. It can be a sign of power or, if not handled properly,
a signal of distress. Lately, the latter is happening at an alarming
rate. It seems as though in the past few weeks, professional
athletes are auditioning to be on a marathon of COPS. Since the
Super Bowl on February 5th,
there has been 29 arrests of 27 NFL players1,
most recently Kenny Britt of the Tennessee Titans. Britt was
arrested early
Friday morning
after trying to enter the Fort Campbell Military Base. He declined
an administered breathalyzer and was taken into custody on DUI
charges. Britt’s DUI arrest is yet another in the string of DUIs
in the past few weeks involving professional athletes. Jason Kidd of
the New York Knicks, David Diehl of the New York Giants, Marshawn
Lynch of the Seattle Seahawks and Nick Fairley of the Detroit Lions
all have had notable arrests in recent months revolving around
drinking and driving.
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| Jason Kidd - Mug Shot |
The
common denominator in all of these cases, besides alcohol and
automobiles, is that all these men are making large sums of money,
more than the average person, and still getting behind the wheel of
their own car when they have the luxury of not needing to. Kidd and
Lynch being the most notable of the aforementioned men having both
been arrested over the weekend of July 14th,
each signing new contracts in their respective leagues in the past
four months. Lynch secured a top-tier contract for a running back in
the NFL, coming in at $31 million dollars, $17 million guaranteed
over 4 years, while the point guard’s new contract with the Knicks
is $9 million over 3 years. The point of all this is that between
the $40 million dollars invested in these two men as well as the
Super Bowl bonus for the Giants’ offensive lineman and Nick Fairley
still earning his rookie contract of about $15.7 million dollars from
the Lions is that the combined wealth should easily afford a fleet of
taxis let alone a personal driver for each.
The
separating factor from these athletes and the rest of society is that
after all the salary figures and what not, these men still had the
desire to get behind the wheel. Since 1990, the US has averaged a
steady one-third rate of alcohol related car accidents out of all
automobile accidents in the US2.
That is a scary statistic to look at considering the amount of
fender benders an average person could see on their drive to and from
work in a week. The fact of the matter is that drinking and driving
is and will be prevalent in the US for quite some time and the only
way we can break that trend would be by setting a better example,
starting with those in the spotlight first.
Now
this is in no regards a generalization of all professional sports
figures. Many athletes show respect and regard for the law. But
that does not mean that this should be ignored. Leagues should begin
to attack offenders and levy a strong punishment to those who hold
the law in disregard. These men are very well aware of their
finances, leaving their inability to properly hold their lives and
the lives of others in high regard all the more disappointing. No
sports fan wants to see their favorite players suspended or banned,
but sports fan would hate to see themselves lose a loved one due to a
careless decision by an individual. Just ask the
Reyes family.
1 comment:
Right on the mark!
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