Michael Vick’s signing with the Eagles has been dissected a thousand different ways online and in person but I think it’s a subject worth revisiting, because it’s highlighted so many issues plaguing professional sports, and the disparity between the crimes committed and the punishment served.
I’m so disgusted by the whole situation that I feel like I need to wash my hands and face whenever I think about it. He may have “paid his debt” to society, but society was not the victim of his abuse. The dogs were. Yes, he paid their medical bills, but the cynical side of me thinks that doing so wasn’t an act of contrition, but an attempt to salvage the tatters of his public image.
I don’t think he’s sorry about what he did. I think he’s sorry he got caught. Sorry that he lost all the privilege and money and the permissive atmosphere that he enjoyed as a star member of the NFL.
Now that he’s signed to a new team, and been welcomed back by many players and fans, he’s got his dream back. He’s got all the privilege and money and fame that comes with his position, and I don’t doubt that the temptations will reappear.
I’m pretty grossed out by the idea that my favorite professors and that really awesome police officer who responded when my apartment was broken into are struggling with debt, while this overgrown thug gets millions of dollars even after he’s proven he has no concept of empathy. It’s a problem with pro sports in general — they’re all overpaid, underworked, and too many of them have violent offenses on their records. Here’s my idea: if you’re convicted of a violent felony, you don’t play pro sports again. They may be talented, but playing at the pro level is a privilege, not a right.
I refuse to support a business that lets men like Ray Lewis or Michael Vick continue to play. As of last week, I started boycotting as many Philly Eagles sponsor companies as I could, and I will not buy from them as long as doing so means that a single cent could be going into his paycheck. That means no more hot chocolate from Dunkin’ Donuts after work, no more late-night Taco Bell runs, no more Pepsi products. I’ve let the companies know why I’m no longer going to be using their products, and that I’m encouraging everyone I know to do the same.
I won’t support a business that forgives violent crimes in light of superior physical ability. It’s a short leap from hurting animals to hurting people, and there are already too many players who have gone that far.
