Consequences suck. Many of us learn this the hard way at a very young age. For me it was a game of "house" that went terribly wrong at the age of 7. My cousin Daniella, five years my senior, and I played house everyday during the summer at our nonna's house (summer camp for Italians). Usually Daniella played the role of mom, but on this day it seemed only fair we switched it up. My Aunt Maddy had just bought me a brand new pair of fake plastic high heels, equipped with yellow stars and sparkles on the open toe. Yet, Daniella did not quite see it my way. I stood my ground though, a little too much maybe. As the fight escalated, I proceeded to grasp one of those shiny new shoes and unwind a Brett Favre (in his hay day) like pass at Daniella. But in a very current Brett Favre like way the pass did not hit her hands. I hit Daniella square in the forhead with the heel. Prompting her to cry, me to cry, and nonna to take out the scotch to calm us down. Not only did I get in trouble, my shoes were taken away, and I never got to be the mom. Sports stars don't have it so easy though.
Sports writers and the athletes they spotlight constantly preach to fans not to idolize players. Don’t put them on an untouchable pedestal. They are human, just like you. Judge them for their actions on the field, not in their mistresses’ bedrooms. Yet for all this lecturing, players continue to shoot themselves in the foot (or leg if your last name is Burress) in these situations. The Celtics’ Glen Davis is the newest big baby to be added to the list of irresponsible athletes bringing overtime issues of a different kind to the workplace. It is not fans, but players who blur the lines on viewing off and on the field antics. Bar fights and packing heat are not the character traits of an ideal role model. They are even worse attributes for a million dollar employee though. When big market players take risks after the final buzzer the repercussions become endless, leaving everyone involved in a haze.
When players get stupid off the field the consequences reverberate back on the field, whether it is losing the respect of fans, teammates, or that extra paycheck. You have to wonder how some players can make the decision to throw a pass into triple coverage to win the Super Bowl, yet cannot remember to wear their helmet when they rides their bike. Sports figures’ imbecilic actions are too often put off as a jock’s cockiness, a mistake anyone could have made, or a simple misunderstanding. What’s worse is too often sports writers move on as to not dwell on the embarrassment the player faces, and his teammates do not want to comment on. It is always the owner and the manager reprimanding their miscreants. Mom and dad come down hard, but your siblings have less to comment than ESPN employees with a sexual harassment case.
Clearly that method of coverage has not panned out though. Sports figures must have the memory
of a goldfish, or surely they would have learned from others’ mistakes by now. Charles Barkley and Larry Bird can tell you bars are made for drinking in, not emulating Tyler Durden. And the better remembered Boone brother can tell explain that the New York Yankees contract prohibits its players from participating in log-rolling, luge, steeplechase, croquet, and…basketball. And a Mr. Plaxico Burress is well versed in the specifics of the Second Amendment.So why, with all this history yielding the same outcome, do the headlines remain the same? Instead of stressing to fans that they are only human, it seems players should be reminding themselves that they are not immortal. Players cannot expect fans and owners to not judge their off the field decisions when they impact their play on the field. Maybe we cannot condemn Michael Vick forever for his (lacking) morals, but the Falcons fans and owners can censure him for what his actions off the field caused for the team. If the two worlds never interfered then players could make the plea for privacy. Most times though that clear cut division does not exist.
A couple of weeks ago the Golden State Warriors Stephen Jackson spoke about his position as a role model to teammates after a two-game suspension for “conduct detrimental to the team.”
Jackson said in a San Francisco Chronicle article, “I don’t want these young guys to try to follow me. I can’t be a role model to guys who make the same amount of money as me. I think everybody is responsible for themselves, and that’s how it should be.”
It is fair to concede a role when the task seems too daunting, but playing for a team means being responsible for more than just yourself on and off the field. And stepping up as a role model to rookies does not equate to a pay raise. This is the same Jackson though, who was named captain of the Warriors in 2007. But he is also the “same” Jackson who scoured the stands in the infamous Pacers-Pistons catfight three years prior to his captainship. Fellow brawl-mate Ron Artest is a player parents would dread their children to admire based solely on his mannerisms on the court. But both have criminal records outside the game that mirror those in-game actions.
If not for their fans or teammates, then at least players should change their behavior for their pockets. Aaron Boone forfeited a nearly six million-dollar salary and Jackson gave back $140,000 after his suspension. Glen Davis’ tab will ring up even higher still.
Decision-making skills learned in the fourth grade need to be carried into everyday situations that do not involve a referee or time clock. Big Baby’s 4 a.m. bro fight in Waltham early Monday morning cost him more than just a hospital bill for hand surgery. His indefinite suspension handed down Tuesday will cost him nearly $27,000 per missed game according to the Boston Herald. More importantly his reported eight-week recovery period will give him plenty of time to focus on using his words for future altercations. Hopefully he can spread the word.
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