Scandals with Legs

Sports fans are known to have incredibly short memories.

Yesterday's scumbag can easily be today's hero. Sean Hill will just be another NHLer after serving the final 19 games of his drug suspension next season with the Minnesota Wild. Folks remember Wade Boggs as a great player, not the fellow with the "sex addiction." These days, you have to wonder if even Fritz Peterson and Mike Kekich would manage to hold the headlines for more than a week. To see the way U.S. television networks glorify Ray Lewis is to wonder if they've been banned from discussing how he ever slipped out of that nasty murder investigation. And on and on it goes.

That, however, is what may be different this summer.

All of the Big Four summer controversies  - Michael Vick, the Tour de France, Barry Bonds and Tim Donaghy - have the potential to have lasting impact on the athletes involved and their sports.

So which is likely to be the stickiest?

1. Donaghy and the allegations about NBA game fixing: Given that fans are screaming every game anyway about calls and non-calls, this entire story presents a terrible problem for the NBA which will have a heckuva time convincing the basketball public that this was an isolated problem. Already, last season is tainted, and referees, you can bet, will be scrutinized even more closely this coming season.

2. Bonds and the steroid cloud: If this story ended today, with Bonds crowned as the all-time home run champ, that would be one thing. But baseball has its ongoing Mitchell investigation, Greg Anderson might yet crack and there are all kinds of potential legal land mines for Bonds still out there.

3. Tour de France and doping: Right now, some are predicting this year's mess will mark the end of the Tour. Don't believe it. Indeed, once the Tour gets past the denial phase, it has a great opportunity to find aggressive ways to ensure the race is clean in the future. Maybe you lock all the cyclists up in a compound for the final two months before the race and tuck them into bed every night until it's all over. This year was rock bottom and now, if these people have any brains at all, the rebuilding can begin to make sure this famous competition doesn't turn into the Indy 500.

4. Vick and dog-fighting charges: As a dog lover, I wish this was No. 1 on this list, but indications are that Vick will be forced into some kind of plea bargain. That means no trial, and likely limited exposure as to exactly how involved the Atlanta quarterback was with this disgusting operation. Even if Vick ends up in jail for a period of time, you can easily imagine Monday Night Football heralding his return with the Falcons or whatever team he joins and fans putting aside this ugly story if their team improves its red zone production with Vick at the helm.

Comments

[Adam C]

I think the Donaghy situation puts all pro sports in North America in question. On one hand, basketball seems like a particularly easy game to fix: foul calls equal points, more or less. On the other hand, it certainly sounds like the level of scrutiny that the NBA subjects it's officials to is much, much greater than that of the other leagues.

If it's happening in basketball, why ISN'T it happening in other sports?

(oh, and for all you FC fans out there, that includes MLS soccer...)

[James]

Sure MLS would be succeptable to a betting scandal if enough people in the US cared about it. ;)

As for the worst if those scandals. It is Vick. The other 3 scandals are problems with the culture of sport. Nothnig is going to 'stick' on them because the athletes and the people in charge can be turned over.

Vick murders dogs and will forever be known as a dog murderer. He will never escape this scandal for the rest of his life (nevermind whatever he can salvage of his career).

[Stephen]

Vick is the least serious of the scandals for the very reason James thinks it's the most serious -- the rest are internal problems endemic to their sports and therefore far more significant long-term. All the NFL has to do to deal with Vick is give him a hearty suspension to protect their image as a league, but since it's simply off-field conduct its impact isn't particularly broad.

[Jim Boyd]

"Vick murders dogs". We had one NFL'er who was involved with murdering people,,,,,,and guess what, he is back playing.

All this stuff will go away,,,,why?,,,,because there will be more of the same to come,,,,just different people, different story. So many people - fans, media types - all get so wrapped up in some of these stories ,,,for the average person, average sports fan, it shouldn't mean a thing.

Just life in the fast lane,,,,,,, as comedian Bill Maher says,,"just turn the page" and get to the funnies,,,,,,,

Does it really matter that the guy who won the tour de France was taking drugs in order to try and win, or that Bonds was on steroids - along with probably another 30% of the league -?

Performane enhancers - Isn't a shot of cortesone a performance enhancer? Why not? Only because someone said it was legal. How about that needle to freeze your ankle so you don't feel the pain?? that doesn't enhance your performance? No you can't take a cold pill, but you can jab a needle into yourself so you don't feel anything and get back into the game.

Relax folks, more of the same on the way............

[dave white]

Vick's case may be the moment the worm turns for pro athletes. People may now be willing to let a talented athlete move onto stereo sales or something instead of paying to watch a lowlife like that run around the field.

[A-Mar]

taking a painkiller because the game is tied and your body is giving out is not akin to willfully injecting something that will half the amount of effort it takes to fine tune your body for smashing balls to the moon... Barry Bonds is a helluva hitter... no doubting that... steroids won't help you judge a ball... but they will allow you to bulk up and maintain the muscle mass required to hit... oh... 70 home runs in a season...