Bliss Bergmark
Ms. Laura Randazzo Freshmen Honors English 27 January 2015
Hate the Player, Not the Game
Broken world records, last second shots, and Hail Mary’s consume the media and stay fresh in the minds of fans everywhere. Lurking in the world of sports, however, is a darker side to these accomplishments. Today, it is all too common to watch oncecelebrated athletes fall from grace by committing crimes. Yet, after these athletes complete their punishments, they are welcomed back into their sport with arms wide open. From baseball to football, all professional athletes who break the law, in addition to doing time in jail, must be banned from their sport. By banning criminalathletes, they are forced to take responsibility for their actions, …show more content…
Marion Jones, for example, was once the fastest woman on Earth with Olympic titles to support her success. A few years after her triumph in the Olympics, the law caught up with Jones. Not only was she tried for her use of steroids, a specific human growth hormone, in the Olympics, but Jones also lied to the court about her steroid use. According to writer Sarah Holt of the renowned crew of BBC Sports Athletic, “The IOC [International Olympic Committee] stripped Jones of her five Olympic medals and erased the American 's results dating from September 2000.” Along with that, the associated press of ESPN, the moguls of sport broadcasting states, “It [the IOC] could ban her [Jones] from future games.” By banning Jones from track and field, the Olympic Committee makes a strong statement to other professional runners. The IOC proves that it will expel and show no mercy to runners using substances to cheat and win. Not only does banning cheaters from their game help keep professional sports free of controversy, it inspires future athletes to not make the same poor decisions. Children look up to athletes as their role models. It is important that athletes who commit crimes are punished in order to set an example for the future of sports.
Naysayers who want criminalathletes involved in professional sports after conviction may argue that expelling …show more content…
Expelling the criminalathletes from sports will force the athletes to admit to their wrongdoings, stop their negative impacts on society, and empower professional sports to condemn violations of the law. After expulsion from their sport, the only hard hit that criminalathletes will face is that to their reputations.
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Bibliography
Bien, Louis. "A Complete Timeline of the Ray Rice Assault Case."S BNation.com. SBNation,
28 Nov. 2014. Web. 25 Jan. 2016. .
Holt, Sarah. "Marion Jones 's Fall from Grace." B BC News. BBC, 11 Jan. 2008. Web. 25 Jan. 2016. .
" M a j o r L e a g u e R u l e s . " M a j o r L e a g u e R u l e s R u l e 2 1 M i s c o n d u c t . M a j o r L e a g u e o f B a s e b a l l , n.d. Web. 25 Jan. 2016. .
Morris, Benjamin. "The Rate of Domestic Violence Arrests Among NFL Players." D ataLab. FiveThirtyEight, 31 July 2014. Web. 25 Jan. 2016. .
Press, Associated. "Jones Stripped of Five Olympic Medals, Banned from Beijing Games." E SPN. ESPN Internet Ventures, 12 Dec. 2007. Web. 25 Jan. 2016. .
Weinberg, Rick. "Pete Rose Banned from Baseball." E SPN Top Events. ESPN, 4 Sept.
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2004. Web. 14 Jan. 2016. .
Bergmark
Ms. Laura Randazzo Freshmen Honors English 27 January 2015
Hate the Player, Not the Game
Broken world records, last second shots, and Hail Mary’s consume the media and stay fresh in the minds of fans everywhere. Lurking in the world of sports, however, is a darker side to these accomplishments. Today, it is all too common to watch oncecelebrated athletes fall from grace by committing crimes. Yet, after these athletes complete their punishments, they are welcomed back into their sport with arms wide open. From baseball to football, all professional athletes who break the law, in addition to doing time in jail, must be banned from their sport. By banning criminalathletes, they are forced to take responsibility for their actions, …show more content…
Marion Jones, for example, was once the fastest woman on Earth with Olympic titles to support her success. A few years after her triumph in the Olympics, the law caught up with Jones. Not only was she tried for her use of steroids, a specific human growth hormone, in the Olympics, but Jones also lied to the court about her steroid use. According to writer Sarah Holt of the renowned crew of BBC Sports Athletic, “The IOC [International Olympic Committee] stripped Jones of her five Olympic medals and erased the American 's results dating from September 2000.” Along with that, the associated press of ESPN, the moguls of sport broadcasting states, “It [the IOC] could ban her [Jones] from future games.” By banning Jones from track and field, the Olympic Committee makes a strong statement to other professional runners. The IOC proves that it will expel and show no mercy to runners using substances to cheat and win. Not only does banning cheaters from their game help keep professional sports free of controversy, it inspires future athletes to not make the same poor decisions. Children look up to athletes as their role models. It is important that athletes who commit crimes are punished in order to set an example for the future of sports.
Naysayers who want criminalathletes involved in professional sports after conviction may argue that expelling …show more content…
Expelling the criminalathletes from sports will force the athletes to admit to their wrongdoings, stop their negative impacts on society, and empower professional sports to condemn violations of the law. After expulsion from their sport, the only hard hit that criminalathletes will face is that to their reputations.
Bergmark 3
Bibliography
Bien, Louis. "A Complete Timeline of the Ray Rice Assault Case."S BNation.com. SBNation,
28 Nov. 2014. Web. 25 Jan. 2016. .
Holt, Sarah. "Marion Jones 's Fall from Grace." B BC News. BBC, 11 Jan. 2008. Web. 25 Jan. 2016. .
" M a j o r L e a g u e R u l e s . " M a j o r L e a g u e R u l e s R u l e 2 1 M i s c o n d u c t . M a j o r L e a g u e o f B a s e b a l l , n.d. Web. 25 Jan. 2016. .
Morris, Benjamin. "The Rate of Domestic Violence Arrests Among NFL Players." D ataLab. FiveThirtyEight, 31 July 2014. Web. 25 Jan. 2016. .
Press, Associated. "Jones Stripped of Five Olympic Medals, Banned from Beijing Games." E SPN. ESPN Internet Ventures, 12 Dec. 2007. Web. 25 Jan. 2016. .
Weinberg, Rick. "Pete Rose Banned from Baseball." E SPN Top Events. ESPN, 4 Sept.
Bergmark 4
2004. Web. 14 Jan. 2016. .
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