Can Sports Still Be Fun?

What a weekend. Michael Vick returned to football, playing in game (still not advocating for other felons who are not so lucky working less than minimum wage jobs, at that...). And the Seattle Seahawks introduced, during a rather pathetic game, their "new" jerseys which make them look like flagmen at a road construction site. After an all around losing performance by each and every member of the team, including the coaches, the head coach, Jim Mora (count how many sons of former NFL coaches are coaching now in the NFL or NCAA. Who says there isn't dynasties in America) called a place kicker a number of things, apparently placing the whole loss on one player! Now that is a sign of maturity.

But really, sports, at least on the professional and semi-professional level (that is, college football and basketball) are no longer fun. They are big business. Clearly the Philadelphia Eagles thought through their decision to hire Michael Vick. It's all about the numbers and they realized they would make more money with him than without him. The new jerseys for Seattle are all about marketing. Do you know how much money colleges and pro teams make in licensing? You know, all those baseball caps you buy with your team's logo? Well, they make a ton of money, billions in fact. And each and every time a team changes it's jersey or logo, well, we all go out and spend more money! Cha-ching.

It's really sad, because sports can be such a unifer. Sitting in a stadium, cheering on your team with thousands of others. But now it is corporatized, what was once public has become Qwest Field or Safeco Park or Citi this or JP Morgan that. It is more than ever about "show me the money," rather than the enjoyment of making the catch, or playing well, or supporting your team. It's about threats from owners that if they don't get this or that paid out of public monies they will move to another town with an open check book.

And like so many other things, we don't question what we have created. We are the enablers.

Just say no to buying a new jersey!

Unequal Forgiveness

Taking a break from health care complexities, I listened to sports radio as I drove around on errand runs. Michael Vick has been "conditionally reinstated" to play in the National Football League (NFL). For those of you who may not remember, Mr. Vick was convicted and served 19 months in prison for his role in a gambling operation that was centered around using specially trained (and horrifically abused) pitbull dogs as fighting animals.

The two talk show hosts (one of them a local former University of Washington quarterback) went back and forth on the merits of this reinstatement. One of the hosts said he would not hire him, the other was far more forgiving.

I believe that humanity, what makes us all human, is the capacity to change. To reflect and re-think our behavior. I believe in second, third, fourth chances. But here is a moment, a very important moment, for many people involved in the criminal justice system. It is a time for the NFL to use it's influence, for criminal defense attorneys, prosecutors, judges, probation officers to all say that in America, we must forgive everyone. Not just some highly talented quarterback who can help some team win. There are hundreds of thousands of ex-cons who can not find work, who are not accepted into schools, colleges, who are shunned. Now is the time, right now, to have that discussion. And the best person to lead it?

Michael Vick.