"I'm sorry. I made a mistake. I know it was wrong, and I regret the embarrassment I've brought upon myself and my family."
Wouldn't it be great if we could break laws, or fly in the face of acceptable societal conduct, and not have to worry about any kind of punishment? Well, it seems that professional athletes -- not to mention Cabinet-level appointees, and other public figures -- have that "get-out-of-jail-free" card to play that the rest of us don't. And it's not right.
A few examples: Jason Giambi. An outed steroid user, he offers us a lame apology to Yankees fans -- without ever saying what it was he was apologizing for -- and he's lauded for being forthright. No one's talking about locking up Giambi for breaking laws regarding the use of illegal substances. Compare this to Roger Clemens and Barry Bonds, pariahs of the sports world -- and rightfully so -- for failing to admit anything in the face of apparently overwhelming evidence that they used steroids. Moreover, if any of them are found to have broken laws (perjury, use of illegal substances), they should be penalized beyond being shut out of the sport, or kept out of the Hall of Fame (although there is something sweet about that). They should go to jail.
More recently, there's the case of Michael Phelps, caught on film inhaling from a bong (we can only assume the substance he was smoking was not tobacco). This behavior comes on the heels of a DWI arrest. Yet he's trying to play the "I'm sorry, I made a mistake" card. Well, it doesn't wash with me. One occurrence might be a mistake you can talk up to youthful experimentation. Two, and it's a lifestyle choice -- and a bad one, at that, for all the reasons we know. His apology might not be enough. Investigators are looking into whether or not any laws were broken, and if so, he could see jail time.
And if so, he should. There should not be two sets of rules in a society. If we common folk drive drunk, or use illegal substances, or fail to pay our taxes, or hit our spouses, we go to jail. We can't use the public apology as our penance. And neither should athletes, politicians, musicians or actors. What gives them the right? You're athletes.. what do you think? Comment below!
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Friday, January 23, 2009
A milestone in East Meadow
Kudos to AHA member Azfar Khan of East Meadow, who scored his 1000th point this week. Khan is the leading scorer for the boys basketball team, whose efforts this season have not been reflected in the win column. Despite that, Khan continues to lead by example. Newsday's Kimberly Martin captured the moment in a well-written feature piece this week.
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Islanders on the power play
It seems my post after the Rangers-Islanders game this week regarding the enthusiasm Islanders players displayed in the face of outside pressures was spot-on. Newsday's Jim Baumbach reports today that owner Charles Wang is making veiled threats to move the team if Nassau County doesn't give him the approval he seeks to build out Nassau's "Hub" with his Lighthouse Project.
I, for one, hate this tactic.
The Yankees built their new stadium on the backs on state taxpayers by receiving tax-exempt bonds to finance the construction. So did the Mets. So, while our taxes go up, and ticket prices go up, the Steinbrenners and Wilpons (and Wangs) of the world -- already rich beyond most people's dreams -- sit back and rake in mountains of more money while we get squeezed even tighter. Have you seen the ticket prices the Mets have set for seats in Citi Field this year? I'd rather take my family on vacation than sit through games against Colorado and Houston this year. And let's not forget the personal seat licenses the Giants and Jets are looking to extract from us because their estimates of how much a new stadium would cost were ineptly low.
We talk a lot about fair play, and civility, and sportsmanship, and rightfully demand that our athletes possess those qualities. Don't we as fans have the right to expect the same kind of behavior out of team owners? We've supported their teams with our hard-earned dollars for years -- we buy the jerseys and hats, go to the games, pay for the privilege of parking miles from the stadium -- and the payback for that loyalty is the threat of a move if we don't give them even more??
We can at least be thankful that the East Meadow football team can't move to Massapequa because that district might allocate more resources for athletics, or that the Duke University basketball team won't play its home games at North Carolina State University because that gym holds thousands more fans and generates more revenue. But you get the feeling they would if they could, don't you?
I, for one, hate this tactic.
The Yankees built their new stadium on the backs on state taxpayers by receiving tax-exempt bonds to finance the construction. So did the Mets. So, while our taxes go up, and ticket prices go up, the Steinbrenners and Wilpons (and Wangs) of the world -- already rich beyond most people's dreams -- sit back and rake in mountains of more money while we get squeezed even tighter. Have you seen the ticket prices the Mets have set for seats in Citi Field this year? I'd rather take my family on vacation than sit through games against Colorado and Houston this year. And let's not forget the personal seat licenses the Giants and Jets are looking to extract from us because their estimates of how much a new stadium would cost were ineptly low.
We talk a lot about fair play, and civility, and sportsmanship, and rightfully demand that our athletes possess those qualities. Don't we as fans have the right to expect the same kind of behavior out of team owners? We've supported their teams with our hard-earned dollars for years -- we buy the jerseys and hats, go to the games, pay for the privilege of parking miles from the stadium -- and the payback for that loyalty is the threat of a move if we don't give them even more??
We can at least be thankful that the East Meadow football team can't move to Massapequa because that district might allocate more resources for athletics, or that the Duke University basketball team won't play its home games at North Carolina State University because that gym holds thousands more fans and generates more revenue. But you get the feeling they would if they could, don't you?
Two student athletes....one good one bad
Two events, one good and one bad, took place this past college football season that I found interesting because both relate to what Athletes Helping Athletes represents, sportsmanship/civility and the importance of student in student-athlete. One concerned Rudy Carpenter, the star quarterback of Arizona State University -- considered the Sun Devils' best-ever signal caller. The other is Myron Rolle, starting free safety for the Florida State University Seminoles.
Carpenter represents the bad because he was tossed from a sporting event by the officials. The ejection, strangely enough, did not take place on the football field, but rather at a girl’s basketball game Carpenter attended with his girlfriend to cheer on her sister. He violated our Fair Play Agreement when he and his group got on the officials so much they really had no choice but to force Carpenter and company to leave the arena.
Other than being ejected, no further action was taken against Carpenter either by his school or law enforcement, and while he later denied any wrongdoing, it most likely had an effect four nights later when the senior was to play his final game against archrival University of Arizona Wildcats, whom he had defeated three years in a row. Carpenter and the Sun Devils lost.
We travel across the country to find the good -- Myron Rolle, the perfect example of an athlete who is both a student and an athlete. His coach, defensive coordinator Mickey Andrews, said following a game against the Miami Hurricanes that he had just witnessed the finest performance by a safety he had seen in his 25-year career.
Of Bahamian descent, Rolle, who was raised in New Jersey, graduated with a pre-med degree from Florida State in just 2 ½ years and now joins former President Bill Clinton and former senator and basketball great Bill Bradley as a Rhodes Scholar.
On the afternoon Rolle had to be in Birmingham, Ala., for the Rhodes Scholarship interview, his team was scheduled to play that night in College Park, Maryland against the Maryland Terrapins. Because the NCAA wisely bent their rules, Rolle was permitted to fly by private jet to College Park, arriving in time for the second quarter, where he was mobbed by his teammates who had learned he was awarded the scholarship.
A shoo-in to be drafted by an NFL team, Rolle decided to put a pro football career on hold and journey to Oxford, England to study medical anthropology.
Without question, Myron Rolle has put student in student-athlete! We cannot forget, though, that he is a star athlete, and we congratulate him.
Carpenter represents the bad because he was tossed from a sporting event by the officials. The ejection, strangely enough, did not take place on the football field, but rather at a girl’s basketball game Carpenter attended with his girlfriend to cheer on her sister. He violated our Fair Play Agreement when he and his group got on the officials so much they really had no choice but to force Carpenter and company to leave the arena.
Other than being ejected, no further action was taken against Carpenter either by his school or law enforcement, and while he later denied any wrongdoing, it most likely had an effect four nights later when the senior was to play his final game against archrival University of Arizona Wildcats, whom he had defeated three years in a row. Carpenter and the Sun Devils lost.
We travel across the country to find the good -- Myron Rolle, the perfect example of an athlete who is both a student and an athlete. His coach, defensive coordinator Mickey Andrews, said following a game against the Miami Hurricanes that he had just witnessed the finest performance by a safety he had seen in his 25-year career.
Of Bahamian descent, Rolle, who was raised in New Jersey, graduated with a pre-med degree from Florida State in just 2 ½ years and now joins former President Bill Clinton and former senator and basketball great Bill Bradley as a Rhodes Scholar.
On the afternoon Rolle had to be in Birmingham, Ala., for the Rhodes Scholarship interview, his team was scheduled to play that night in College Park, Maryland against the Maryland Terrapins. Because the NCAA wisely bent their rules, Rolle was permitted to fly by private jet to College Park, arriving in time for the second quarter, where he was mobbed by his teammates who had learned he was awarded the scholarship.
A shoo-in to be drafted by an NFL team, Rolle decided to put a pro football career on hold and journey to Oxford, England to study medical anthropology.
Without question, Myron Rolle has put student in student-athlete! We cannot forget, though, that he is a star athlete, and we congratulate him.
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Rangers 2, Islanders 1
One of the great rivalries in all of hockey resumed at the Nassau Coliseum last night, with "YOUR FIRST PLACE NEW YORK RANGERS" scoring a thrilling 2-1 victory over the LAST PLACE New York Islanders. The beauty of this series is that regardless of how the teams are faring in the standings, they always play these cross-town games with passion and fire. And the crowd certainly lends a playoff-type atmosphere to the proceedings, even in January. It must be galling to Islanders fans, though, to look around and see more Rangers jerseys than Islanders sweaters in the stands, but I guess it'll be that way until Islanders management commits to putting a winning team on the ice. (But that won't happen until Nassau County officials commit to owner Charles Wang's plans to rebuild the "Hub" with a new arena and a surrounding village.)
With all that swirling around the team -- and despite having the fewest points of any team in the league -- it was good to see that the players still brought their 'A' game to the rink, and competed to the best of their abilities. And, unlike the Detroit Lions, the Islanders even manage to win a game every now and again.
With all that swirling around the team -- and despite having the fewest points of any team in the league -- it was good to see that the players still brought their 'A' game to the rink, and competed to the best of their abilities. And, unlike the Detroit Lions, the Islanders even manage to win a game every now and again.
Monday, January 12, 2009
Big Blues?
The New York Giants were "Eli-minated" (thanks to Newsday's headline writers) from the NFL playoffs yesterday. Today, the "experts" in print and on the radio have been having a field day dissecting "what went wrong" with the Giants.
I ask you.. did something go wrong with the Giants? Isn't a 12-4 season, the NFC East championship and a berth in the playoffs a succesful season? I'm sure the fans in Detroit, or Oakland -- or those that root for the OTHER New York football team -- would think so.
Look, I'm not naive. I understand that in today's world, winning is the highest priority. But aren't there positives that the Giants can take out of their season. The 11-1 start? The way they overcame the losses of Michael Strahan, Osi Umeniyora and then Plaxico Burress to stay together as a team and win 12 games? The way they became just the fifth team in NFL HISTORY to have not one but two running backs gain more than 1,000 yards in the same season?
I'm sure that after the bitterness of yesterday's loss subsides a bit, the players will reflect on this season and see there are many positives upon which to build for NEXT season, and the next chance to win a Super Bowl title.
Is anything less than a championship a failure? ARE there any positives the Giants can take away from this season? Has sports become "all or nothing?" What do YOU think?
I ask you.. did something go wrong with the Giants? Isn't a 12-4 season, the NFC East championship and a berth in the playoffs a succesful season? I'm sure the fans in Detroit, or Oakland -- or those that root for the OTHER New York football team -- would think so.
Look, I'm not naive. I understand that in today's world, winning is the highest priority. But aren't there positives that the Giants can take out of their season. The 11-1 start? The way they overcame the losses of Michael Strahan, Osi Umeniyora and then Plaxico Burress to stay together as a team and win 12 games? The way they became just the fifth team in NFL HISTORY to have not one but two running backs gain more than 1,000 yards in the same season?
I'm sure that after the bitterness of yesterday's loss subsides a bit, the players will reflect on this season and see there are many positives upon which to build for NEXT season, and the next chance to win a Super Bowl title.
Is anything less than a championship a failure? ARE there any positives the Giants can take away from this season? Has sports become "all or nothing?" What do YOU think?
Friday, December 19, 2008
So Much to Talk About
Plaxico Burress (not to be confused with Albert Einstein) carries a loaded handgun into a nightclub -- in his pants! Joba Chamberlain gets arrested for driving while intoxicated in his Kansas hometown -- and the Police Athletic League names him their man of the year! Stephon Marbury refuses to play for the Knicks -- despite the fact they're paying him something like $20 million!
Strange days, indeed, in the world of professional athletics.
But it's not only the pros who seem to find trouble. Olympians are having medals stripped for using performance-enhancing drugs. College student/athletes (and I use the term loosely) are getting arrested, suspended and having their "scholarships" revoked. And STILL finding programs that will give them "one more chance" to play! High school students -- bombarded with all this by non-stop talking sports radio heads (no offense, Larry Hardesty!), 24x7 ESPN highlights, and newspapers that can't ever seem to let a story go -- can't help but emulate their "heroes" with teammate hazing, the loss of sportsmanship and a me-first attitude toward athletics and life. And don't even get me started on their parents!!
Just when it seems like the world of athletics is going to hell in a handbasket, we get tear-at-your-heartstrings stories of youngsters overcoming tremendous physical or emotional disadvantages to excel. We get pro players creating charitable foundations to help needy kids get involved in athletics and away from other, more dangerous paths. We get stories of athletes walking away at the top of their game, with their bodies and minds intact, before they see their performance erode. Courageous all.
This is what The AHA Blog is about. We'll talk about the things that we think are wrong (or so very right), or that we think are oddly comical, and we'll do it in an honest way.
I'm looking forward to bringing my thoughts and opinions to this blog.. and I can't wait to hear what you have to say as well!
As the Great One, Jackie Gleason, used to say: "And awa-y-y-y we go!!" (For you youngsters, he's the heavy bus driver from "The Honeymooners" reruns!)
Strange days, indeed, in the world of professional athletics.
But it's not only the pros who seem to find trouble. Olympians are having medals stripped for using performance-enhancing drugs. College student/athletes (and I use the term loosely) are getting arrested, suspended and having their "scholarships" revoked. And STILL finding programs that will give them "one more chance" to play! High school students -- bombarded with all this by non-stop talking sports radio heads (no offense, Larry Hardesty!), 24x7 ESPN highlights, and newspapers that can't ever seem to let a story go -- can't help but emulate their "heroes" with teammate hazing, the loss of sportsmanship and a me-first attitude toward athletics and life. And don't even get me started on their parents!!
Just when it seems like the world of athletics is going to hell in a handbasket, we get tear-at-your-heartstrings stories of youngsters overcoming tremendous physical or emotional disadvantages to excel. We get pro players creating charitable foundations to help needy kids get involved in athletics and away from other, more dangerous paths. We get stories of athletes walking away at the top of their game, with their bodies and minds intact, before they see their performance erode. Courageous all.
This is what The AHA Blog is about. We'll talk about the things that we think are wrong (or so very right), or that we think are oddly comical, and we'll do it in an honest way.
I'm looking forward to bringing my thoughts and opinions to this blog.. and I can't wait to hear what you have to say as well!
As the Great One, Jackie Gleason, used to say: "And awa-y-y-y we go!!" (For you youngsters, he's the heavy bus driver from "The Honeymooners" reruns!)
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