…or at least they threaten to. Three times in the last month athletes have menaced the public with firearms. It used to be that we were only in danger of assault by athletes if we actually attended a sporting event. Last month, apparently in a hurry to replenish his supply of bling before the holidays, former major league relief pitcher Jeff Reardon held up a jewelry store by giving the clerk a note saying he had a gun. Then the oft-troubled former Denver Bronco running back, Maurice Clarett, who is no longer toting a football, was wanted for toting a gun during one of his evenings out on the town during which he robbed a couple. If we measured Maurice Clarett’s rap sheet against his yardage total in the NFL could you guess which is longer? Now Atlanta Falcons QB Michael Vick’s younger brother, Marcus, fresh off having his football scholarship revoked by Virginia Tech, threatened a 17 year old with a gun in the parking lot of a McDonald’s. There’s nothing hokey about that! I’m starting to wonder if the Homeland Security Act should spend more time tracking star athletes.
They say that sports is but a microcosm of society. What society is that?!!? The only society I know of where the people with tremendous physical gifts turn to a life of crime is in Gotham City or Metropolis. Unfortunately, Superman won’t be showing up to save us anytime soon. I think that Milton Bradley or some other game company could really capitalize on this recent trend. Why not market a sports themed game of Clue? “I want to solve the crime! I think it’s O.J. Simpson in the alley with a knife!”