Consequences of Sports Scandals

In today’s world, most people are way too quick in writing off athletes and celebrities once they’ve made a mistake. We saw it with Michael Phelps, the Duke Lacrosse program before that, and Kobe Bryant even before that. It seems like the second a news story is published, everyone is immediately convinced that the wrong-doer is a bad influence on society and gives their entire sport a bad name, regardless of the validity of the news story. In the handbook, David Leonard says, “Listen to the radio or turn on the computer and there’s an endless array of commentary on the misbehavior or today’s athletes. If these were the only sources of information about crime and sports, one would have to conclude that America’s athletes are out of control, preying on women while disregarding America’s laws, all while remaining above the fray of accountability and consequences because of celebrity…” (523).

The “guilty until proven innocent” mindset has undoubtedly crippled many athletes’ public image, especially when it comes to steroids. The second the Mitchell Report came out, the majority of fans were quick to say that all the players deserve a hefty suspension and/or fine. However, what most people didn’t and still may not realize is that HGH and anabolic steroids are two completely different things, and that some doctors actually prescribe their patients HGH as a means of healing from an injury, such as in the case of Andy Pettite.

The handbook talks a lot about the fact that many athletes do not face the legal consequences that a normal citizen would. Leonard states, “a problem exists because athletes do not face consequences, legal or otherwise, when accused, arrested, or convicted of a crime” (526). After reading this I decided to take a look at the top scandals in history, and whether or not the handbook was correct in that sense. ESPN’s list (seen here http://espn.go.com/page2/s/readers/worstscandals.html) ranks the top 10 sports scandals in history based on fan feedback. It seems that the athletes involved in the majority of scandals here face consequences only brought upon them by the league, such as kicking players out of the league (Black Sox scandal), or stripping them of their medals and/or record (Jim Thorpe). Do you think this is right? Should athletes face legal consequences when they commit a crime against their sport, such as Pete Rose? If a player commits a crime outside of the sport, do they deserve the harsh criticism that they will most definitely receive?