Reflection 5: Flagrant Fouls—When Athletes Behave Badly

As Lance Armstrong's infamous 2013 doping confession reminded us, professional athletes are people, too. And just like people, they sometimes do bad things.  However, in the past twenty years, pro athletes have been involved in a variety of scandals, including sexual assault (Mike Tyson, Kobe Bryant, Ben Roethlisberger), steroids (Mark McGuire), illegal betting (Pete Rose), sexting (Brett Favre, Metta World Peace (AKA Ron Artest), drunk driving (Charles Barkley, Aldon Smith), drug possession (Jennifer Capriati, Daryl Strawberry), sexual harassment (New York Jets), infidelity (David Beckham, Tiger Woods), dogfighting (Michael Vick), bounty rings (New Orleans Saints), domestic violence (Tito Ortiz, Hope Solo, Ray McDonald, "Stone Cold" Steve Austin), prostitution (Wayne Rooney, Ronaldo, Alex Rodriguez), assault (Tonya Harding, Jason "Mayhem" Miller), and even murder (OJ Simpson). Still, in the court of public opinion, some athletes transgressions are judged more harshly than others. Some athletes have the ability to sail past scandal (e.g. Michael Phelps), while others' images remain permanently impaired (e.g. Barry Bonds). What is the line between what fans can forgive and what they cannot forget? Has a favorite athlete of yours ever been embroiled in controversy? If so, did you continue to support him or her?

Include at least three of the following in your discussion:

• "Michael Vick Will Forever be the Most Disliked Player in the NFL" (USA Today)
• Out of Control Athletes: Why Do We Forgive Them?" (KATU)
• "Terry Bradshaw is Fed Up with the NFL's Domestic Violence Problem" (Huffington Post)
• "'How Could You?': The Fan's Response to Athletes Behaving Badly" (Psychology Today) 
• "Sports: Where (Almost) All of Your Sins are Forgiven, Maybe" (The Sports Manifesto)
• "Lance Armstrong, Tiger Woods and American Athlete Worship" (The Sports Fan Journal)

Requirements:

• MLA Style
• Two full pages in length
• Works cited page

Due:  Wed 10.21