Once upon a time, the public did not care much about the private lives of its athletic heroes. \nMickey Mantle is an alcoholic? It doesn't matter because of his amazing hitting ability. If an athlete slept around, it was a matter for him and his family, not the sports pages.\nWhat a different world we live in today. \nIn the times of Jerry Springer and 24-hour news and sports channels hungry for a story, anything is fair game. We know the sordid details of what anyone famous does in their personal lives, whether it is Bill Clinton and his interns or Troy McClure and his aquatic fetish.\nThis lust to peer into the bedroom has spilled over into sports as well. Mike Price was fired as the head coach of Alabama because he spent a few hundred dollars in a strip club and about a thousand in a hotel room that night with a woman who was not his wife. Alabama used the often-cited "moral conduct" clause of his contract to fire Price. But is it really anyone's business what he does in his spare time?\nThe story of New Jersey Devils goalie Martin Brodeur is even more obtrusive. Late last year, Brodeur and his wife separated. While this story was well known in the Devils' locker room, including among the reporters who cover the team on a regular basis, it was not published. The media that surround the team decided it wasn't a story.\nNot every press outlet was so enlightened. In April, a Quebec tabloid published a story detailing the love life of a $9-million goalie from the province. When the press descended on Brodeur (the league's only $9-million, French-Canadian goalie), he didn't duck them. Instead, he stood up and answered their questions on the disintegration of his marriage.\nHowever, he should not have had to. We do not need to know every detail of someone's personal life. As long as Mike Price is a good coach, does it really matter if he wants the occasional lap dance? Why does Brodeur's split have any business being in the sports pages?\nThere are exceptions to the private-stays-private creed. If one's private conduct is illegal, then it is a legitimate story. In fact, there is an obligation in these cases for the press to cover the story. It is none of our business if Allen Iverson throws his wife out, but it is newsworthy if he chases her with a gun. If an athlete hits his/her spouse or significant other, or is involved in a sexual assault, then the press has a right to confront him or her.\nIn today's need-to-know-everything world, a world in which people are willing to sell their souls (and intimate secrets) to be on television, I shouldn't be surprised when the legitimate media descends into the gutter and digs into what athletes do off of the playing surface. However, it doesn't make it right.
QUICK HITS\nIt is possible that Mo Vaughn's knee troubles will force him to retire. I hope that he is remembered for the great years he had in Boston and not the huge drop-off that happened in Anaheim and New York.\nAm I the only one that feels the media's recent push of David Beckham has nothing to do with making soccer popular in the states and everything to do with the selling of Manchester United's coming tour?\nHow bad do you feel for Sacramento Kings fans? The Lakers finally look ripe for getting knocked out, and they lose Chris Webber for the playoffs.
