Sports culture one of unfortunate debauchery

Sports fans across the nation watch enthusiastically every day, week and year for the spectacular plays on the fields and courts of major athletic venues. With breaths held in anticipation, we await each new season and each new contest with high hopes for our school, alma mater or local team. In this regard, athletes are seen in the highest regard, with amazing feats of athletic prowess. The ugly stepsister of athletic ability, it seems, is the development of a need to break rules outside the athletics facility. \nOffenses are becoming more profound and common, from substance abuse to discharging weapons and even so far as murder charges. \n So when I read headlines touting last week’s arrest of two IU football players, I immediately thought the worst. \n Fortunately for the image of IU football and seniors Adam McClurg and Sean Edmundson (the two players involved), the crime they were charged with was theft as a result of their unpaid $39 taxi fare, according to police – hardly a damning offense. \n While I am happy to admit that my initial reactions proved to be incorrect, it is striking that a bias that has developed in sport culture led me to jump to such unwarranted conclusions.\nMy Web browser spends the majority of its time open on ESPN.com. Being a baseball fan first, I need to keep up on the day-to-day happenings around Major League Baseball. The front page of the Web site, however, carries headlines concerning anything but sports games far too often. Recruiting violations run rampant throughout the NCAA. Professional athletes are charged with serious crimes resulting in their arrest and downward spiral from the blinding spotlights.\nIt is the charge of the NCAA and the major professional athletics associations to reverse the trend that has developed as of late. So we see them taking this charge quite seriously (with more than a little urging from the federal government). The NFL and NBA have taken steps to prevent both unwanted scandal outside the arena and the proliferation of banned substances in their associations. The NCAA continues to fight a battle (that it often appears they are losing) to put an end to such debauchery that will lead players to hurt themselves and the image of the sport. But it seems unlikely that the NCAA will be able to turn around the image of athletics without further steps. A gloomy outlook? Maybe. But it’s a realistic one given the example being set by coaches, recruiters and professional athletes.\nI’m not one to buy into the “role model” argument for athletes, because it dehumanizes them, making their decisions about the public and robbing them of their personal life and right to make mistakes. However, when arrest headlines hit newsstands and the common sports fan’s first thought is “drug bust,” there is an obvious problem of representation for the schools and associations to which athletes belong. Luckily, we have been fortunate enough to avoid major scandal here at IU. Hopefully the athletics department and its capable members will be able to keep it that way.