IT HIT me on the Beltway. In one brief moment, the naked greed of the NFL confronted me full-force. I had just missed my exit to the Landover Metro station in suburban Maryland. My brother Greg and I were headed to FedEx Field to see the Redskins take on the Miami Dolphins. Though the game meant nothing to either team in playoff terms, both of us were very excited because the 'Skins were in the postseason for the first time since I was in junior high school.
But I missed the exit, and had no choice -- I would have to park at the stadium. After shouting out a stream of obscenities, I swallowed my pride and prepared to pay the $15 for the privilege of leaving my car at the adjacent Capital Centre.
The absurdly high parking fees at FedEx Field and other stadiums across the nation are just a tiny example of the glaring ills facing our country's only unifying passion -- professional sports.
The arrest of Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis in Atlanta for an alleged double murder is the latest in an endless parade of athletes misbehaving with dire consequences. Each time a Lewis or a Rae Carruth comes along, both the media and the fans search for answers and possible solutions to the problem of athletes living as if they were above the law.
We call on the owners, coaches and others to curb the misbehavior of athletes who step out of line. As it turns out, the only legitimate solution requires more nerve on the part of the sports-consuming public. Owners and players speak only one language: Money. No solution will work until sports fans put away their wallets and force professional leagues to take a long, hard look at who they employ and what they allow these athletes to get away with.
As fans, we demand a winning team, and that requires serious cash. Owners need to pay their star players extraordinary salaries. They pass the cost on to fans. And so far, we are more than willing to pay.
The stories of alleged murderers Rae Carruth and Ray Lewis make big headlines, but often, the lesser-known statistics are more shocking. For instance, one-fifth of the players participating in Super Bowl XXXIV last Sunday have passed through the criminal justice system at some point in their lives ("Soon, NFL will stand for National Felons League," Time, Feb. 1).
To be fair, Lewis and Carruth are anomalies. Most players' offenses are not nearly as serious as murder. Most crimes are petty -- such as Miami's Cecil Collins' recent charge for breaking and entering.
There are numerous examples of professional athletes' behavior that, while not illegal, are unbecoming to such public figures. John Rocker's comments in his recent interview in Sports Illustrated are the most obvious example of such an act.
Many individuals view the outrageous prices in sports and player misbehavior as two separate issues. But they are tied together in fundamental ways. From the time athletes are in high school, many misguided coaches and other authority figures send the message that as long as their performance on the field is up to par, behavior off the field is unimportant. This attitude is magnified when players arrive at the professional level. Their astronomical salaries surround players with a feeling of invincibility. Their attitudes imply that whatever happens to these players, their money can get them out of trouble.
ESPN's Mark Kreidler put it best when he said, "Sports are their own country, their own nation-state. Sports are populated by the very young, the very rich, the very narrowly focused, and the very celebrated. They are becoming exponentially less connected to society, not more so," ("Saddened, but not surprised," ESPN.com, Feb. 1).
Perhaps the greatest tragedy in this mess is the fact that the overwhelming majority of professional athletes are decent, honest human beings. But we never hear about those guys. Carruth's murder charge and John Rocker's bigoted comments dominate media coverage. They cast a stain on the entire profession.
As any agents will attest when trying to justify their clients' new contracts, professional sports are subject to the rules of free market economics. Teams will charge as high a price as the market will bear.
No one is forcing you to go to the game. Fans can complain as long as they like, but until they stop buying tickets and T-shirts, the leagues have no incentive to address these issues. Once the owners and players feel it in the pocketbook, fans will begin to see changes. Leagues will have to crack down severely on player misconduct. As sports fans, we have a choice. We can continue to buy tickets and feed the greed of owners and players. But in doing so, we have to recognize that we are condoning their misbehavior.
(Timothy DuBoff's column appears Fridays in The Cavalier Daily.)
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