The Disgraceful State of Professional Sports

The sports industry in the United States alone generates billions of dollars in revenue per year. They provide hundreds of thousands of jobs for trainers, coaches, facilities management and maintenance, janitorial services. Not the mention the merchandise, food and advertising revenue that comes directly from the fans.

The question is: Is it necessary and should we continue to support professional sports?

I ask because sports have lost their luster and charm. Instead of displaying athletic skill and promising hope they portray cheating and corruption. When I think of sports I immediately think of scandals. Words like steroids and testosterone no longer remind me of biology lectures, rather they link to infamous events in almost every major sport.

Where once cycling fans would jump to Lance Armstrong in their minds, now the besmirched names of Floyd Landis, Jan Ulrich and Ivan Basso hover in and out. What glory and respect Michael Jordan brought to basketball has been stripped away by criminal offenses by prominent figures such as Kobe Bryant. Track, football, soccer, rugby, baseball - you name it - it's had a major scandal in recent years.

What's worse is that the athletes themselves play it off as one of two things. Either they pretend like it's not going on, or if they acknowledge it, they act as if it's okay to circumvent traditional rules. Yes, there are exceptions, honest athletes who play the game for what it is - a game, but they are far and few. Two notable ones are Tiger Woods in golf and Lance Armstrong in cycling. They are individuals who hold themselves to a higher standard then the rest, and are true role models.

As for role models in, say, baseball; who's left? When we watch the game with our kids, the next generation, who do we point to for inspiration? The younger generation doesn't remember pure athletes like Babe Ruth. If they're not immersed in technology, they're watching the scumbags on T.V. who have forgotten what a privilege it is to play professional sports.