04-30-2006, 01:00 AM
I don't think any of this is really new. Having incredible athletic ability, or even incredibly refined skills at your craft, does not guarantee above average character or intellect. When someone who is a little off gets a lot of money and fame, strange things can happen (e.g. Paris Hilton). The overwhelming monetary possibilities in the big 3 sports have been around for all of my lifetime.
If anything has really changed in this regard in the last 20 years, I would say it is the growth of ESPN and other sports' media, taking us away from box scores and standings in the newspaper and into an era of 24 hour highlights and commentary. In a 1980 USAToday box score, a touchdown was a touchdown no matter what happens after it. But on SportsCenter today, the more ridiculous your celebration is, the more likely that your touchdown will make the highlight reels. Whether or not this actually encourages ridiculous behavior, it certainly makes all of us overly aware of it any time something ridiculous happens.
Some things go well beyond the realms of ridiculous though. I saw a minor league star prospect on SportsCenter the other day throwing his bat at the umpire (and hitting him in the chest with it) after taking a called third strike. That kid will be taking a long vacation from professional baseball now. But it makes me wonder... what would we see if we could watch Ty Cobb or the Bambino on Sports Center every night?
If anything has really changed in this regard in the last 20 years, I would say it is the growth of ESPN and other sports' media, taking us away from box scores and standings in the newspaper and into an era of 24 hour highlights and commentary. In a 1980 USAToday box score, a touchdown was a touchdown no matter what happens after it. But on SportsCenter today, the more ridiculous your celebration is, the more likely that your touchdown will make the highlight reels. Whether or not this actually encourages ridiculous behavior, it certainly makes all of us overly aware of it any time something ridiculous happens.
Some things go well beyond the realms of ridiculous though. I saw a minor league star prospect on SportsCenter the other day throwing his bat at the umpire (and hitting him in the chest with it) after taking a called third strike. That kid will be taking a long vacation from professional baseball now. But it makes me wonder... what would we see if we could watch Ty Cobb or the Bambino on Sports Center every night?